God met many of us through the Stations of the Cross Assembly. One exchange with the Lord I wanted to highlight here. The following text was from a Journal at Station III. The Cross is Laid on Simon of Cyrene. This entry was so striking to me...that I thought I would pass it on to you:
Stations of the Cross on April 14, 2006
The act of obedience in taking up the cross proves Jesus’ humility and submission to the will of the Father. He also identifies himself with not “just sinners” but the CRIMINAL, literally. Only criminals were crucified. Jesus was obedient unto death, even death on a cross. He was man and couldn’t bear the weight of that cross. My heart breaks for him, humiliated and stumbling. He was Creator! Now the creature, subjected to torture, false accusations and death. Slow & cruel.
I can’t imagine the Cyrene’s response. I can’t imagine having to carry that cross while Jesus stumbled along beside. Maybe he would have rathered to carry Jesus Himself! And to think, Jesus is the one who then carries the Cyrene’s sin on Himself. Amazing, His body, Jesus’ body, couldn’t carry the weight of the cross yet his body, heart and soul bore the weight of the sin of the entire world!CRW