Reflection by Joseph Grabowski
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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 NRSVCE)
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Imagine you were just going about your normal daily routine, maybe trying to get all the groceries for a big family gathering, and there’s a roadblock on your way to the store. It could be for a race, a parade, or a funeral procession: whatever it is, it’s between you and what you need to accomplish that day.
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On the first Good Friday, Jesus was the “distraction,” preventing people to go about their normal, daily lives. When our Seminary community was visiting the Holy Land, we walked in His final footsteps, carrying a wooden cross.
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For Jesus, the path would have been the most difficult walk of His life. Having been up since the previous day, He was emotionally and spiritually tested in the Garden and physically beaten. He would have lost so much blood and then He was humiliated further by being forced to carry the method of his death on his shoulders – a cross made even heavier by the weight of our sins.
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As people were preparing for Passover, Jesus was in the way. He was pushed through the crowd as people jeered at Him. He must have found, though, some solace in the unwitting assistance of Simon of Cyrene.
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For us, as we walked the Via Dolorosa – the Sorrowful Way – our encounter with Carrying the Cross paled in comparison with the experience Jesus had to endure. We may have been exhausted from walking so much for the previous week; spiritually overloaded from “living” the Gospels, but we knew once we reached the final Station, we could just walk away.
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As we Carried the Cross, we noticed that those along the way had mixed reactions, just like you might have if faced with a roadblock as you’re trying to get your groceries. Some people ignored us and went about their day. Others gawked, taking out their phones and recording us. Still others stopped, made the Sign of the Cross, and offered a prayer up to the LORD. Finally, there were some that pushed past us indignantly – one shop owner even admonished us for being in front of his stall.
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For us, Carrying our Cross wasn’t physically difficult; we had our friends to help us, and it was Jesus who carried the full weight of the Cross. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light (Matthew 11:30 NRSVCE.)
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We are all called to Carry our own Cross each day, and to be a personal witness to Jesus Christ, despite the adversity we are facing. Hopefully, the next time we are slightly inconvenienced –instead of ignoring, gawking, or admonishing – we can offer a prayer for the source of that inconvenience and be like Simon of Cyrene. May we be kind to individuals who seem to be in our way, as we remember that they are beloved children of Jesus, and we can help them to Carry their Cross.
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Joseph Grabowski is a Pre-Theology I year seminarian for
the Archdiocese of Newark.
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400 South Orange Avenue | South Orange, NJ 07079 US.
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