Be a Simon

By Brigette Chirpich, Catholic Charities of Kansas City-St. Joseph

DO YOU KNOW SIMON?

This isn’t a movie starring a recalcitrant teen. This isn’t a rock singer crooning for millionsof dollars. This isn’t even about the apostles. Thisis about the guy on the sidelines; any person onthe sidelines.

Simon of Cyrene is the man gazing in horror from the side of the pathway when Jesus passed by carrying the cross. Many people lined the pathway. Many people were jeering, gawking, yelling condemnations. Some people were crying, praying, quietly supporting the person they saw as the Son of God, as he carried the unbearable cross to his death. What was Simon thinking? Did he feel the same as the mean-spirited onlookers? Did he feel sympathy for Jesus? Was he a believer? Does it matter now?

The Roman soldiers plucked Simon from the street to carry the cross for Jesus. They recognized Jesus was weak and might not be able to make the rest of the journey. They had to do it; they couldn’t let Jesus die on the path to Golgotha.

As Simon moved forward, hesitantly, he gently pulled the cross from Jesus’ shoulders and transferred the burden to his own back. The load was not light, but manageable because Simon was strong, able-bodied and had fresh strength Jesus did not have. Simon had not been beaten into submission, as Jesus had. He had not been tortured to gain a confession of sins, as Jesus had. Simon had food in his belly and slept in his home, unlike Jesus. He could bear this load for a while and let Jesus regain some strength.

Simon realized the pain Jesus was feeling. He could smell the fear and pain on Jesus as he carried his cross. He smelled it, he felt it. He also saw the resolve of Jesus to see this crucifixion through to the end. He admired the compassion in Jesus’ face. Even in the shadow of his own death, Jesus showed empathy to the people in the crowd. It was as if he was trying to absorb their sins and their pains into his body. Simon had never experienced such heartfelt concern for another person.

Leaving Jesus with the cross in Golgotha is a memory Simon carried for the rest of his life. He had to leave Jesus to the fate written for him. Simon could no longer shoulder that burden. Jesus was thankful for the help but truly determined to finish the task. Simon could not leave. He could not let Jesus face this without knowing there was someone on his side, someone feeling the pain of his death, too.

Simon’s beliefs before he was foisted into the crucifixion story are simply moot. The experience of shouldering Jesus’ burden changed Simon.

How do we know this? Because he stayed. He became part of the crucifixion story because he stayed. History recorded him because he stayed.

This version of the Simon of Cyrene story is an amalgamation of various Bible stories and histories. Feelings and imagination play into the story, and they may not be wholly accurate, but feelings are rarely recorded in history. Even so, it is not disputed that Simon of Cyrene carried Jesus’ burden for a while.

We do not need to solve all the problems of the world, nor can we. We can step up and pick up someone’s burden for a while. We can show empathy, feel their fear, understand their resolve and give them time to gain strength. We can support someone in need. We can stay.

It is not always in our plans to be a Simon. At times, we are thrust into the role by life’s circumstances. Other times, we drive by the opportunities and miss the chance to be a Simon and shoulder a load while a friend in need gathers strength.

Think about it, look for it. There is an abundance of opportunities in our world for you to be a Simon.

Learn how you can shoulder the load for someone in need atcatholiccharities-kcsj.org.