Simon, the Cyrenian

   

          Though I know not thee and feel Thy close acquaintance

           Like thy dear disciples who moved with thee, Lord!

           And saw thy miracles with tear-filled devotion

           As thou brought dead to life and turned water to wine;

           I am compelled by Roman guards to bear thy cross

           Sweating and staggering to hills of Calvary;

           My life is blest in sharing thy burden

           While others stood dazed at thy blood-soaked clothes;

           A Cyrenian had that chance for which a legion angels

           Would have aspired to touch the feet that walked on Galilee;

           The holy feet that wandered in Judean hills

           And never yielded to tempting Devil;

           The face that sweated blood in Gethsemane

           Whispered and kissed Simon’s palm though sullied with sod.

                            **********************************

NOTE : Simon, a man from Cyrene, a town in eastern Libya, helped Jesus in carrying the cross from the fifth or seventh station up to Calvary where crucifixion of Jesus took place. No specific or definite details are known about this person who bore cross when Jesus felt exhausted and could not move forward with the heavy cross on his shoulders. After the judgment given by Pontius Pilate, the Roman Governor of Judea, Pilate, Jesus was subjected to torture and humiliation by the Roman soldiers and Pharisees.

 According to St. Mark the Roman soldiers “pressed into service a passerby, Simon, a Cyrenian, who was coming in from the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to carry his cross.” (Mark 15.21). Some say that he was a Jew as many Judean Jews settled in Cyrene during the reign of Ptolemy Soter (323 B.C.—283 B.C.). The Cyrenian Jews had a synagogue at Jerusalem. The sons of Simon, Alexander and Rufus, later became missionaries according to St.Mark. St. Paul also in Romans 15.21 referred Rufus as the son of Simon. Simon might have come to Jerusalem on that fateful day as a Jew to participate in the festival of Passover. The Roman soldiers might have forced him to bear the cross when Jesus could not move bearing the heavy cross.

 Some say that Simon was a pagan. Judging by his clothes the Roman soldiers might have selected this alien to help Jesus Christ in bearing the cross. Whatever be his race and sect, Simon got the privilege or the blessed chance of bearing the cross and assisting the son of God. As Christ said, “Whoever wishes to come after me, he must deny himself, take up his cross and follow me.” Simon, the Cyrenian, might have felt deep sympathy for the Lord’s suffering and might have been blessed by Jesus for his help.

References : 1) brought dead to life --- According to Gospel of John Jesus brought to life Lazarus of Bethany four days after his burial.

                    2) Turned water to wine --- Jesus turned water to wine at the feast of Cana.

                    3) the feet that walked on Galilee -- Jesus walked on the sea of Galilee to save his disciples when their ship was caught in a storm.

                     4) Judean hills -- Jesus fasted for forty days wandering in Judean desert and withstood the temptation of Satan .

                    5)  sweated blood in Gethsemane -- According to Luke's Gospel, the night before his crucifixion, Jesus prayed in the garden of Gethsemane and sweated with agony drops of blood which fell down to the ground.

        

                    6) sullied with sod --- dirty with mud as he bore the cross and lifted Jesus who fell on the floor.