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Why Were You There Simon?
Matthew 27:32
As they were going out, they met a Cyrenian named Simon; this man they pressed into service to carry his cross.
Simon of Cyrene appears only briefly in the Gospels. Matthew, Mark, and Luke mention him in only a single line, yet Christians have remembered him for two thousand years. When I meditate on the walk to Calvary, I find myself wondering: Why were you there Simon?
St Paul tells us that “We know that all things work for good for those who love God,* who are called according to his purpose” Rom8:28
We sometimes think that we live in a random world. Think things just happen and when we encounter Simon in the bible, we think it was just a random occurrence. A Roman soldier picks a guy out of the crowd to carry the cross of a convicted criminal who had been beaten so badly he might not make it to his own crucifixion. In my walk with Christ, I have come to see that what I believed was random was God reaching out and meeting me when I needed it most.
So, when I think of Simon of Cyrene, I have to believe that this was not a random act We will never know in our lifetime why Simon was there, but I have a few guesses, and as I imagined myself speaking with Simon, there was always this one question- Why were you there Simon? I can think of 4 versions of Simon-let’s meet him together.
The First Simon- Why were you there Simon? Were you there because you were one of the people who would go out to see the crucifixions and mock the criminals. Were you one of the ones who would stand on the side of the road and throw stones at people who you felt were ruining the world you lived in and were finally receiving what they deserved? I can imagine your surprise in being conscripted to walk like a criminal. You didn’t know the privilege of what you had been forced to do and the millions of Christians who for generations would thank you. Maybe God wasn’t happy to let you stay where you were. Simon, you got to carry the cross, to feel the humiliation of it, people down the road had no idea you weren’t the criminal- they saw you as what you despised most. Did people jeer at you, did they push and throw rocks? At what point in the walk did you realize the humanity of the person being led to his death and repent? Did you look into the eyes of Jesus and realize that the criminal is a child of God too?
The Second Simon-Why were you there Simon? Were you one of those like Veronica who stood on the road to give comfort to those who were being led to their death. Knowing that some were guilty and that some because of the corruption of your time were probably falsely accused. Were you there often to look into the eyes of those who had no hope and try to remind them of their dignity- so that their last thoughts would be – you are still a child of God? Simon if this was you- God answered your prayer- blessed are they.. You got to give comfort to God Himself- even if you didn’t know it. God met you on your walk and desired to know the love you gave to your fellow man.
The Third Simon-Just dumb luck- Why were you there Simon? Were you rushing from one place to another? Pulled out of a crowd? Did you question God as you were carrying the cross- Why me? Why now? Was this the first time you spoke to God in a while- was it a cross that made you seek Him? Simon, sometimes God meets us in our rushing and slows us down- because He loves us and wants us to see Him before it’s too late. Nothing slows you down more than a 100 pound cross.
The Fourth Simon– why were you there? There are countless scenarios, so I’ll let your imagination take you to this Simon.
We don’t know how long Simon carried the cross for. We don’t know what happened after he handed it back to Christ. The fact that Mark’s Gospel tells us who he is (the father of Alexander and Rufus) gives us hope that at least after all was said and done Simon remained with the disciples.
Simon got a singular privilege- to carry the cross of Christ, to be close enough to Jesus as to be covered in His blood, to be able to look into the eyes of Love. But Simon isn’t the only one. Jesus meets us all and shares with us the privilege of carrying a cross for a little while. The beauty of the cross is that it brings us closer to Him. Sometimes, the weight of it can be overwhelming, but as we walk, we realize we are not alone and that He walks beside us.
“If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.” Luke 9:23
Simon didn’t get to choose his cross, we often do not choose our crosses either — illness, loss, disappointment, sacrifice. What cross is God asking you to carry? My prayer for you is that God give you the grace to embrace your cross, because our crosses are what help us reach salvation. How radiant is that precious cross which brought us our salvation. In the cross we are victorious, through the cross we shall reign, by the cross all evil is destroyed, alleluia (lauds)
All Hollows
Every October I start to cringe. It seems our world starts to display its fascination with death. Goblins, ghouls, zombies, and spiders abound. The scary and ugly part of what the secular world displays is a far cry from the beauty of what our Catholic faith teaches us.
And when this which is corruptible clothes itself with incorruptibility and this which is mortal clothes itself with immortality, then the word that is written shall come about: “Death is swallowed up in victory. Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting? 1 Cor 15:54-55
So, what is the beauty of death? Did you know that you are part of the universal church? When we proudly proclaim we are all one body- it is because the church divided into 3 parts that celebrate together. The Church Triumphant (those in heaven), the Church Suffering (those in purgatory) and the Church Militant (that’s us! Struggling everyday in this valley of tears) Our goal as Catholics is to recognize that we are part of this one body- and one day we will rejoice with the saints in heaven and enjoy the beatific vision.
When I look at the lives of the saints I am filled with hope. I see saints like Padre Pio, St Catherine of Sienna, and others who’s lives on earth were so exemplary that after death God does not show us a rotting corpse, but an incorruptible body, some who hundreds of years later still are intact and emit a beautiful scent. This is a small foreshadowing of what awaits us all, when Jesus comes again, our mortal bodies will once again be joined to our souls not in the thoughtless meanderings of a zombie but in grateful contemplation of the Divine.
Death is not an end- I once heard someone say one day when you read my obituary it will say I died, but don’t believe a word of it- I will be fully alive more alive than I have been in my physical life. I will be in heaven rejoicing. That is the goal to know that we will spend eternity with the one who loves us best. In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places. If there were not, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back again and take you to myself, so that where I am you also may be. John 14 2-3. When my kids come home to visit, I spend so much time making things perfect for them- preparing a place for them that they will enjoy and feel loved in. If I in my human frailty can do this, can you imagine what God is preparing for you?
So let October come, let the world clothe itself in the scary and spooky. I will keep my eyes focused on heaven where my help comes from, and my hope is made real.
Finding God In The Everyday 