After Jesus’ wrenching encounter with His mother, he stumbles on in the walk to his crucifixion. His step falters and He stumbles. The Roman Legionnaires, perhaps thinking this man needs to help, turn to the crowd for help. They see a man in the crowd, tap him on the shoulder with their Roman sword, and just like that, he is impressed into the service of Rome by serving this bloody, disgraced, condemned man carrying His cross. We don’t know much about Simon, except that he was from North Africa in what is now Tripoli. The fact that he is in Jerusalem at Passover would indicate that he is a Jew. What did he think of Jesus? Did he accept Him as Messiah? Did he reject Him as so many others of his faith had? We don’t know. Whatever his origin, surely he had not planned to have his day interrupted by this demand to carry a cross!

As I meditated on this, I considered how important it is that we help each other shoulder our crosses, even when it may not be in our plans, or on our hearts to do it! It may not have seemed a very important thing to Simon, or a glamorous act of service that would win praise from his fellow men. In fact the opposite. But still, 2000 years later, we remember his act of service. I thought, “Maybe we expect our service to be more important or significant than it often is. Jesus didn’t say, “I was sick and you healed me,’ He said, “I was sick and you cared for me.” He didn’t say ‘I was imprisoned and you liberated me.’” He said, “I was in prison and you visited me.” He doesn’t ask us to feed the 5000. He asks us to bring our loaves and fish to Him. Notice in each example, the demand was for service, not miracles. Anyone can care for someone else. All of us can visit the lonely and forgotten. All of us have “loaves and fish” (talent, treasure, time) to offer to God. It may not seem like much, but in the hands of our Lord, it is all that is needed.

Patrick Morley wrote: Spiritual excellence is not about moving up the ladder of leadership to greatness. It is about descending the ladder of humility to servanthood. Our service to one another can be a simple thing. Every time we show love, especially to the unloved, the struggling, the disenfranchised, in whatever simple way we can; cooking a meal, calling a friend, writing a note, giving a smile, a tiny gift to show appreciation and love, we help Jesus carry His cross in today’s world. God often sends vertical help, from heaven to earth, through horizontal means, from person to person.

One lesson I learned from this 5th station of the Way of the Cross, is that simple acts of service can become transformative when we realize that, in doing them, we can help our Lord carry His cross. We share His burden. We share His resurrection.

Dearest Lord, as Your saint, Mother Theresa said, “We can do no great things, only small things with great love.” Help me see and do the small, insignificant looking acts that show your love to those I encounter today, just as Simon helped you carry your cross long ago. Amen