V Station: Simon of Cyrene helps Jesus to carry his cross

We adore you O Christ and we praise you,

For by your holy Cross you have redeemed the world

Simon of Cyrene helps Jesus to carry his cross

"As they led him away, they seized a man, Simon of Cyrene, who was coming from the country, and they laid the cross on him, and made him carry it behind Jesus." (Luke 23:26)

Simon was just a passer by, minding his own business, going about doing what he had to do and suddenly he is thrust into the middle of this dramatic event in Jerusalem. How must he have felt? Sacred he might end up on the cross? Angry at being inconvenienced? We can only pause for a minute and put ourselves into his shoes.................what would we see? A man, trembling with exhaustion, bleeding profusely with some sort of crown of thorns on his head, buckling under the weight of a cross, stumbling along........Simon is forced under the cross with him......their eyes meet........can You imagine?........can You see? 

How often do we avoid people who are just looking for a chat? How often do we seek distractions rather than truly listen as some one seeks to share their cross with us, looking for a momentary Simon of Cyrene to ease the burden, even just for a minute? How many of us are "too busy" to be able to be Simon to that person? That listening to them is someone elses' job. In a country today which is in the depths of economic recession, we have a human disaster of suicide, especially among young men who feel that they have no one to listen to them. We need to be Simon to each other. You never know how a simple cup of tea and a listening ear could make all the difference to remind a person of their humanity, their connection to wider society and family as they are given time and space to express their needs and worries. It is not for nothing that we have an expression "a trouble shared is a problem halved".

Can you be Simon of Cyrene to someone today? Go on, reach out................