Day 5
The Way of the Cross
The road he walked for us
17th century
Grace to ask for
Lord, give me the grace to carry my own cross without bitterness or self-pity.
"A certain man from Cyrene, Simon, the father of Alexander and Rufus, was passing by on his way in from the country, and they forced him to carry the cross."
Mark 15:21
Composition of Place
Walk the road with him. It is not far — less than a mile. But he has been awake all night, beaten, scourged, already carrying the weight of what is coming. He falls.
Points for Meditation
He fell
He fell not once but three times, tradition says. The Son of God, with the weight of the cross and the weight of human sin, fell in the dirt of a Jerusalem street. If you have ever fallen under a weight you could not carry — physically, emotionally, spiritually — he knows that from the inside. He did not carry the cross effortlessly. He carried it humanly.
Simon of Cyrene
Simon did not volunteer. He was compelled. And yet — he carried the cross of God. The reluctant service became the greatest thing he ever did. Your acts of unwilling service, your moments of doing good when you did not feel like it — they may be closer to this than you think.
The women of Jerusalem
"Do not weep for me — weep for yourselves and your children." In his agony, he thinks of others. He comforts those who are trying to comfort him. The love of Christ does not take breaks. It does not suspend itself when he is suffering. It operates continuously, even from the cross.
Colloquy
What are the crosses in your life? Name them. Ask for the grace to carry them as he carried his: not with bitterness, not with resentment, but with the patient love that does not let go.
Remain in silence for a few minutes.
Do not rush to the next exercise.