The Ninth Station of the Cross: Preparing to Help Others

Courtesy: Libreria Editrice Vaticana

"A large number of people followed him, including women who mourned and wailed for him. Jesus turned and said to them, 'Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me; weep for yourselves and for your children. For the time will come when you will say, "Blessed are the barren women, the wombs that never bore and the breasts that never nursed!" Then they will say to the mountains, "Fall on us!" and to the hills, "Cover us!" For if men do these things when the tree is green, what will happen when it is dry?'" Luke 23:27-31 (NIV)

Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints are encouraged by church elders to be prepared for any disaster, whether natural or man-made. That includes having things like extra batteries, water, etc., so that the family is prepared for the emergency and so they are ready to help others if need be.

As He was being led away to be crucified, Jesus encouraged the women of Jerusalem who were following Him and weeping to be prepared for hard times. In the celebration of the Stations of the Cross by Pope John Paul II in 1991, the minister prayed this prayer:

"Lord, grant us gentle spirits that we may comfort those who mourn."

In the same manner that LDS Church members prepare themselves physically and practically, we are encouraged to do the same in a spiritual matter by Jesus. He says for us to be prepared by knowing the truth of God's love and grace, and for us to have gentle spirits groomed by the Holy Spirit so that when bad times such as disasters (see the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks or earthquakes) or economic downturns (like what we are experiencing now) come around, we can be confident that God is watching out for us and we can offer that same comfort to those around us.

Jesus offers that comfort to us (see Matthew 11:28-29) and in being Christ-like or like Christ, we can offer God's comfort to others.

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