A Reflection on the 5th Station during Lent

The Rev’d Dcn. Charles Farrell

28th March 2025

“If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.”

May the words of my mouth and the meditation of all our hearts be ever acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, our strength and our redeemer.

Standing at the Fifth Station of the Cross, we find Simon of Cyrene compelled by Roman soldiers to carry the burden of Jesus’ cross along the path to Golgotha. The Gospels tell us that Simon was pressed into service—pulled from the sidelines and forced to shoulder a load he did not choose.

At first glance, this might seem like an unfortunate interruption in Simon’s day. Yet, as we pause to reflect, we discover in his humble act a profound invitation for all Christians, especially during Lent. For in helping Jesus bear the Cross, Simon also models what it means to shoulder our own crosses in life and journey with Christ through life’s hardships, with grace.

When I reflect on Simon, I can see the ways each of us—whether we recognize it or not—have been conscripted by life to carry crosses we did not ask for. These crosses can come in a variety of forms: grief, chronic illness, the pain of broken relationships, financial insecurity, or the ache of loneliness. While our experiences differ, we share a common truth: every person who follows Jesus is, in some measure, invited to unite their suffering with His.

Far from being a punishment, these moments of carrying our own crosses can—like Simon’s experience—lead us into a deeper relationship with Christ.

Lent, in particular, is a time that asks us to reflect on the crosses we bear and consider how God’s grace meets us in those struggles. It is a season of introspection, prayer, and repentance—a time to renew our relationship with God. We are asked to confront our weakness and sinfulness, to practice disciplines such as fasting or almsgiving, and to open our hearts more fully to God’s transformative love.

In other words, Lent is not merely about feeling sorry for our sins; rather, it is about learning to walk with Jesus under the weight of our own cross. Instead of running from our hardships or resenting them, Lent encourages us to see them as opportunities to encounter Christ and deepen our compassion toward others who are also burdened in their own unique ways.

This call to serve lies at the heart of the diaconal ministry. Deacons are called to be servants—highlighting the needs of the poor and marginalized, and connecting those needs with the Church. In that sense, Simon of Cyrene can act as a patronal figure for deacons: he shows us that holy service sometimes arises not from a grand plan or an enthusiastic yes, but from the unplanned moments in life when we find ourselves pulled in to help, even if we feel unprepared or reluctant to do so.

Yet Simon’s story also invites each of us to reimagine what it means to say yes to God’s grace in the midst of suffering. When we find ourselves weighed down by our personal crosses—an unexpected medical diagnosis, the grief of losing someone we love, the anxious uncertainty of job loss—our immediate impulse may be to cry out in frustration, “Why me?”

But Lent urges us to change that question into a prayer of trust: “How, Lord, can I find you here?” That question can transform potential despair into a holy encounter when we put our trust in God through Christ.

Perhaps we might consider that Simon’s greatest gift to Jesus was not his physical strength, but rather his willingness—even if reluctant—to walk the path of suffering beside the Lord. This act of service can be our own, too. Lent reminds us that in bearing our crosses along with Christ, we open ourselves to growth in compassion, humility, and faith.

With each step, amidst the messiness of life’s hardships, we discover that the burdens we carry can become pathways into a deeper understanding of ourselves and our sisters and brothers. May we, like Simon, find the courage to shoulder our own cross, and in doing so, share intimately in the redemptive work of Christ during this Holy Lent.

Amen.