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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 the Prettiest Flowers
My favorite flowers have always been peonies. These bushy, big headed, rose scented flowers are just so beautiful to behold. I have a few bushes planted in my front yard and every May when they bloom they bring with them an abundance of joy. The only problem I have with them is that I always have to remember to stake them. As they are growing they stand up nice and tall, but when they bloom, their heads are so large that the whole plant instantly falls over and I end up having these gorgeous flowers drooping over my driveway. The years I am organized and remember to stake them, the blooms stand tall when they open. Inevitably a few may droop as a reminder to me how important each stake is.
Recently in prayer I was complaining to Jesus about a certain cross I have been carrying for quite a while now. His answer to me was “All the prettiest flowers in my garden are held up by crosses” I instantly remembered my beautiful peonies and how they relied on the stake they were tied to in order to stand tall. I imagined a field of them held up with crosses, no drooping heads to be seen.
I remembered what Jesus told His disciples in the gospel of Matthew about carrying their cross. 16 24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. 25 For whoever wants to save their life[f] will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. 26 What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? 27 For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what they have done.
I started to inspect my cross more closely. I realized that I had gained so many graces through this one cross. Because of this cross, my prayer life had become deeper. “Lord to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life” (jn 6:68). I also realized that I had grown in patience, endurance and humility. Looking deeper I realized that this cross was what had led me back to Christ. While I had never really left, my relationship was nowhere near what I experience now. I spent hours contemplating the wonders of this cross. My husband and children had also benefited from the cross since they grew in compassion and many other virtues.
Someone once told me that I would one day thank Jesus for my cross and I had ducked my head, looked the other way and said “not today.” The thought of thanking Him for all this physical pain, frustration and emotional hurt was foreign to me. After reflecting on the cross and all I had received from it, I realized that I had begun to embrace it without noticing and because of it I was able to stand firm in my faith, enveloped by love and was being transformed into a new creation. I realized that in my darkest moments the cross had not been crushing me but instead was the reason I stood. Unbelievable to me at the beginning of my journey; I now embrace my cross and thank God daily for it, for with this cross comes an abundance of grace. Another gift that came with this cross was being able to join Jesus in His saving work, by offering up all my sufferings for the conversion of sinners. My suffering has value (so does yours)- Bishop Fulton Sheen used to be heard saying as he walked down hospital hallways – “so much wasted suffering.”
I always compare God to a parent, and often can understand His perfect love through my imperfect love. I thought of my children and when they are having a bad day or are going through a certain trial- how I try to be more present to them, more comforting, and do all that I can, without enabling them, to help them to get through this tough time. I can imagine my loving Father in heaven doing just the same. Standing back knowing how much stronger I would be when I overcame this trial, offering me love and support. I believe God has poured out more grace during this time than at any other time in my life. “Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me” 2 Cor 12:9
I implore you today as you read this to reassess your cross(es). How have they brought you closer to God? How have they changed you? Have they increased your mercy towards others because you now understand what suffering they are enduring? Has this cross brought people into your life you never imagined would? Has this cross allowed you to be a blessing in another person’s life? How has this cross helped you to stand firmer in your faith journey? I will end by repeating what Jesus told me “All the prettiest flowers in my garden are held up by crosses.” Let those words sink into your soul today and bring you closer to our loving God.
Finding God In The Everyday 