The Second Station: 

Jesus Carries the Cross

“And carrying the cross himself, he went out to what is called the Place of the Skull …”

-John 19:17

We all have our crosses to carry, those hidden battles we fight when we think no one else is looking. How easy it is to become so focused on my battles, my problems, my cross that I forget to look to those around me. Rich or poor, shy or outgoing, near or far, doesn’t it stand to reason that each of us fights our own hidden battles?

Jesus is given his cross and made to carry it, and so are we. But let us not do so alone. Let us help one another shoulder our burdens. Think of our brothers and sisters in Kariobangi, Kenya, searching for work so they can provide for their families. How can we help them-and so many others like them-shoulder their burdens?

As we work to improve the lives of the poor for the poor, those whose crosses are the heaviest, perhaps we will be surprised by what we find. Perhaps, if we truly seek the face of Christ among those who are poor, we will discover something new about ourselves, about what it means to be rich and poor, about what it means to pick up our cross and follow in the way of Christ.