The Fifth Station of the Cross – Simon of Cyrene Helps Jesus Carry the Cross

Jesus has been sentenced to death and the road to the place of execution is long and steep at times. As Jesus carries his cross, he begins to feel weak. Finally he falls to the ground and has to be helped up again. Angry and impatient, the soldiers pull a man out of the crowd and make him help Jesus carry the cross.

The man, Simon, was himself a stranger and an outsider who was far from his home of Cyrene in North Africa. And so together these two men struggled under the weight of the cross, and under the weight of the oppression that it represents.

When people need help we must come together with the common conviction that we can no longer tolerate the challenges experienced by those who are suffering. Our faith teaches us that people are not issues or problems, but our sisters and brothers in one human family. And so the message of this station is a clear one: to be Christian challenges us to get involved and to work for justice.

This week’s reflection is taken from yesterday’s Easter Liturgy that was held in the Mary Moloney Theatre and brought a number of the Stations of the Cross into dialogue with contemporary issues of justice locally and globally. With the 2024 College theme of 'Called to Act for Justice', exploring the deep foundations of Catholic Social Justice teaching was especially timely.

Congratulations to the students who performed and proclaimed as part of the reflection, especially as it was repeated five times across the day. Thank you also to Mr Sam Weir, Director of Faith and Mission, for putting the deeply moving liturgy together.

I wish all Sacred Heart College students, families and staff all the blessings of Holy Week, the Easter Triduum and the holiday break that follows.

Bereavement  -  Your prayers are asked for the Sgubin family on the passing of Charlie Sgubin, grandfather of Ruby Year 8.  Our thoughts are with you at this sad time.

Yours in Mercy,

Dr Darren Egberts

Principal