The Eighth Station of the Cross: Answering the Call

Courtesy: Libreria Editrice Vaticana

"A certain man from Cyrene, Simon, the father of Alexander and Rufus, was passing by on his way in from the country, and they forced him to carry the cross." - Mark 15:21 (NIV)

Sometimes, life will press you into extraordinary situations. Simon, as was described in the Scripture, just happened to have in Jerusalem when Jesus was receiving his punishment from the Romans. Jesus was by then weak from the loss of blood due to the brutal flogging he had received earlier as well as having had no sleep due to his being arrested. It was not certain to the Roman authorities if Jesus would even survive the trip from the prison to Golgotha, where He was to be crucified.

That was when Simon was pressed into the greatest story ever, being called upon by the Roman guards to carry the cross for Jesus.

In the celebration of the Stations of the Cross by Pope John Paul II in 1991, the minister prayed this prayer:

"Lord, grant us willing spirits that we may be your instruments on earth."

God may call us into extraordinary circumstances at some point in our lives. It may be to save another's life, or to stop an injustice from happening. We have to be willing to be open and ready to step out in that way, rather than being selfish and consumed with our own self-interest.

When we do that, then we can truly be God's instrument on earth.

(Editor's note: This is part of a series of the Stations of the Cross.)