A Beacon Of Light… “Weep Not For Me, But Weep Rather For Yourselves”
By FR. RICHARD D. BRETON JR.
(Editor’s Note: Fr. Richard D. Breton Jr. is a priest of the Diocese of Norwich, Conn. He is currently the parochial vicar of St. Andrew Parish in Colchester and St. Francis of Assisi Parish in Lebanon. He received his BA in religious studies and his MA in dogmatic theology from Holy Apostles College and Seminary in Cromwell, Conn.)
- + + As we continue the arduous road to Calvary, our hearts are reeling with emotions. This Lenten journey has exposed within us those areas where we have failed to love Jesus. The Fifth and Eighth Stations of the Cross, awaken within us the part of humanity we dislike the most. The humanity of ourselves!
Today we will encounter Simon of Cyrene, and the weeping women of Jerusalem. Each unique in their own way, but, similar to us in our interaction with others.
The Fifth Station: Simon Helps Jesus Carry His Cross. Reflecting on this station, we find ourselves traveling through the sands of time, and yet, why do we feel like we have been here before? Why are we experiencing the feeling of seeing ourselves in a mirror? Precisely because, in Jesus, we see our very selves.
Jesus represents all of us carrying our daily crosses. We began this journey by accepting the condemnation that was destined for us by our first parents Adam, and Eve. Having accepted the cross in life, we have found ourselves struggling under the weight of the human condition. We have fallen, we have become weak, and we have found ourselves alone on this journey.
We Need A “Simon”
How many times do we live our lives alone? Independence has become our mantra and we find ourselves becoming distant from others. Our relationships begin to suffer, our friends become distant, and even Jesus takes a backseat in our lives. We are the captain of our own ship, and we fail to see that the ship has sprung a leak! What can we do? How do we stop the ship from sinking?
The Fifth Station, however, is our remedy! Jesus has just fallen the second time. He is getting more and more weak. The weight of the cross is getting to Him; humanity’s sins are piling up!
The soldiers are afraid He will collapse before getting to Calvary. They want Jesus to endure the infamous death of a criminal. They want Him to feel the pain of crucifixion. They want to make a spectacle of Him.
The soldiers begin to question if Jesus has the strength to go on. They only knew Jesus needed help! Soon Jesus meets Simon of Cyrene.
Simon was an unassuming man who was there watching these horrific events unfold before his eyes. He was participating from the outskirts of the crowd, but would soon be in the center of it all.
Simon was a healthy man, and his strength was recognized. Soon he was summoned to assist the Lord in carrying the heavy cross. Simon didn’t want to help! He was very content to just watch. He was happy where he was.
Sometimes we need a “Simon” in our lives too. There comes a time when we need to recognize our dependency on another for help.
Seek Help
One of the responsibilities I have as a priest it to prepare couples to marry. I take this responsibility very seriously. There are times when I experience the joys of marriage preparation, but there are also moments of difficulty. In my marriage preparation, I remind couples of the ups and downs of married life. It’s not always a “honeymoon” — sometimes there will be struggles. The litmus test of married life is how the couples deal with these moments.
Sadly, I have seen many marriages destroyed by lack of the ability to seek help. My own family has seen the struggles of married life. Many marriages could have been saved if only there was a better understanding of what getting help means!
Sadly, many believe asking for help makes you a failure. Society teaches this to our children. They are constantly bombarded with ideas that they don’t need anyone else but themselves to do anything.
This provides a false sense of stability because it denies the very history of the salvation of man. In every age man has needed the help of others to succeed. When society encourages self-centered interaction, it opens the door to a path of life that potentially leads to self-destruction.
Recognizing one’s imperfections and seeking the necessary help is a sign of growth and maturity. It is never a sign of failure, in fact, it is a sign of strength and perseverance. The Fifth Station of the Cross opens our minds to allow deep thoughts to seek help when needed.
The Eighth Station: Jesus meets the women of Jerusalem. Having arrived at the Eighth Station of the Cross, we find ourselves peering through the crowd gathered before us and we notice a group of women from Jerusalem. We can see they are very distraught; they are concerned for Jesus as He passes by.
The Lord recognizes them and speaks to them, saying: “Weep not for me, but weep for yourselves.” Why would the Lord say this to the holy women? Jesus knows the hearts of these women and yet their intentions may be all well and good, but Jesus also recognizes that now is the time to open the door of our reflection a little bit more.
Of all the things on Earth we know the least, it is ourselves. Oh, we know all the sins and defects of everyone else. We can see the mote in their eyes, but we fail to see the wooden beam within our own.
This station challenges us to look deeper within. The words spoken to the women of Jerusalem some two thousand years ago are very relevant to today’s times. How many times do we point the finger, judge others, or make excuses for ourselves?
This defect of our humanity has been playing out right before our eyes. We have seen this in the corruption of the media and their lack of providing a balanced interpretation of the happenings around us.
We have seen this in the disgraceful riots and violence that has crippled many of the cities in our nation, and yet, the media and political leaders have turned a blind eye to certain situations, while condemning others.
The recent impeachment of former President Donald Trump was an example of this. The Democrats were only focused on the perceived faults of the January 6 violence perpetrated on the Capitol, while they ignored the violence that has continued for months.
This example precisely touches the heart of this station. We need to begin looking at how we participate in the disorder around us. Why do we have the beam in our eye, while there is only a mote in the eyes of others?
Remember the words Jesus spoke: “Weep not for me, but weep rather for yourselves.” These words welled up from the depths of the Heart of the Savior as He reminded the Jerusalem women of His love for us. In every encounter with Christ, the Lord will always show us a better path.
Conversion Every Day
The Eighth Station beckons us to change our destructive ways. Again we are shown that every day is an opportunity of conversion.
This week I will close our reflection with the prayer prayed by Venerable Fulton Sheen:
“O Jesus, let me see the personal equation between my sins and Calvary. Let me weep not for Thee apart from me, but for Thee on account of me. Let me see that if I had been less proud, the crown of thorns would have been less piercing; that if I had been less self-willed, the Cross would have been less heavy; that if I had been less sinful, the road would have been much shorter. Give me the grace to weep for my sins, and since sorrow and joy share the same source, which is the fountain of tears, give me also to understand that my sorrows may one day, through Thy Love, be changed into everlasting joy.”
