written by Pat Thompson
Station V Simon Helps Jesus to Carry His Cross
John says that Jesus “went out bearing his own cross.” (19:17) Yet weakened by His long hours of question and torture, Jesus must have needed help. Mark says, “And they compelled a passer-by, Simon of Cyrene, who was coming in from the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to carry his cross.” (15:21)
Cyrene was in North Africa. Did you ever wonder how the gospel writers knew Simon’s name, his region, and even his sons’ name? This experience of helping Jesus to carry His Cross was surely a powerful one, so powerful that afterwards Simon must have made contact with Jesus’ followers, and he and his sons must have become believers. Why do many people think this? Paul in Romans 16:14 mentions Rufus, and some Bible commentators suggest this Rufus, who has become well-known in early Church, is Simon’s son.
Station VI Veronica Wipes the Face of Jesus
Was there a real woman who wiped Jesus’ face and--if so--was her name Veronica? The Bible doesn’t record this event, but many still suggest there might have been such a woman. Veronica comes from the two Latin words that mean “true image.” There is a face cloth, called the Cloth of Montipello, that has long been thought to contain the true image of Jesus. The face it reveals is swollen, the lips are swollen, showing a man who has been badly beaten. This image, many experts say, matches the image of the Shroud of Turin, but it is not thought to be Veronica’s veil. Rather, it is considered to be the cloth that was put over Jesus’ Face when He was laid in the tomb.
