Praying the Fifth Station of the Cross(March 1, 2024) Praying the Fifth Station of the Cross
The Stations of the Cross depict 14 events in the Passion of Jesus Christ, beginning with Jesus being condemned to death and ending with His body being laid in a tomb. The pious practice of praying the Stations of the Cross originated in medieval Europe when pilgrims were unable to visit the Holy Land, so instead “visited” these Holy places through prayer. Today, you’ll find Stations of the Cross in almost every Catholic Church, particularly prayed on Lenten Fridays. I often reflect on the fifth station or event, Simon helping Jesus carry his cross. The soldiers were impatient with how long it was taking Jesus to carry the heavy Cross alone. They pulled Simon of Cyrene out of the crowd and made him help Jesus with his burden. Simon did not want to help, to get involved. Have you ever been asked to help in a difficult situation? What was your reaction? Perhaps you were reluctant as well. Like Simon, we each have the opportunity to reach out to our loved ones, our neighbors, or a stranger in need. That’s what we do when we visit the poor, help at a food bank, cook a meal for those in need or even help someone shovel their snow. For Vincentians we choose to help. But like Simon, we sometime have no choice in challenges we have. We must learn, as Simon learned, that life is not just or fair – and not even predictable. Often life seems downright arbitrary. We also will be startled by crosses thrust upon us when we least expect them. Unemployment, sickness, addictions and other challenges are part of everyday life for many. When that happens, we often cry “Why me?” But we must quickly move beyond that to prayerful acceptance. We must not spend our life looking for “reasons” for our crosses. We may never know why. God used Simon, so Simon could be said to have done the will of the Father. God wants us to do this as well. We should strive to want what the Father wants, accepting it and embracing it and making it our own. Only by our own free will do we choose to do the Father’s will. In the end I think Simon’s heart was changed. Seeing Christ suffering, being close to Him, seeing the blood dripping from the crown of thorns, this must have changed Simon so that he wanted to help Jesus and relieve His suffering, even for just a few minutes. Lord, grant us the desire to relieve the suffering of those who need our assistance. Deacon John Girolami DTS SSVP Spiritual Advisor ONRC |
