Jesus Carries the Cross

Pray to the Holy Spirit and then prayerfully read Luke 23:26-43.

We meet various people when Jesus carried his cross on the road to Calvary. There is Simon of Cyrene who is forced to help Jesus carry his cross, lest Jesus dies on the road through loss of blood. Veronica is not mentioned in the Bible. It is a beautiful story of tenderness and love shown like the woman in Matthew 26:6-13. There are the women of Jerusalem who wept and wailed for Jesus. There were the two thieves, one of whom "stole Heaven from the cross", by believing in Jesus and seeking his pardon and help. There were the soldiers who kicked and whipped him and finally crucified him. Finally there was John and Mary his Mother and a few women who did not run away but accompanied Jesus to the end.

We can perhaps identify with some or all of them in our journey through life. When we carry our cross, we find some of these people accompanying us and helping us. There are others who add to our pain and misery. When we carry the cross, perhaps we at times can turn to others to help them as Jesus did to the very end, instead of only focusing on our own pain.

Everyone has a cross to carry. I am a sinner who is invited to make reparation for my sins and the sins of the world by joining Jesus on the way of the cross. As a disciple I am pruned to bear more fruit through the crosses of life. The cross reminds me that all the pleasures and securities of this world are passing. The cross reminds me of others who are suffering even more than I am so that I can comfort them with the same comfort that I receive. (2 Corinthians 1:3-11)

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