Bear Their Burdens

Caitlan Rangel reflects on how we can help others bear their burdens, as Simon of Cyrene and the weeping women helped Jesus bear His. 

Sometimes, in the face of my seemingly ordinary life, I wonder if I am “doing enough” in the “living with heroic holiness” category. (That’s a box we can check off in the “goals” section of our planners, right?)  

And then I look around and see Lego blocks on the floor, books on the table, and baskets of unfolded laundry, and suppose to myself that I will not be frightening attackers with the Blessed Sacrament (shoutout, St. Clare), caring for the most vulnerable without personal spiritual comfort (you’re amazing, St. Teresa of Calcutta), or offering my life for another’s in Auschwitz (St. Maximilian Kolbe, you are something else).  

But, the Holy Spirit gives me consolation and nudges me toward something I can do: Look for a way, Caitlan, to help others bear their burdens. 

As we read the story of Jesus’ Passion, we hear about people who help Jesus carry his cross and bear his burden along the way to Calvary—Simon of Cyrene and the weeping women. If it’s been a while since you’ve read the text (Luke 23:26-31), it’s worth a read, because the details make a difference for how we help others bear their burdens in our daily lives. 

Simon was minding his own business, “coming in from the country” when they “seized” him and “laid on him the cross, to carry it behind Jesus.” Simon did not volunteer to bear Jesus’ cross.   

How many times do we, like Simon, find ourselves bearing the crosses of others simply because we are put in that situation? For example, caring for children who have a stomach bug and are getting sick every which way; trying to support a spouse in job stress or job transition; or seeking after wisdom for how to care for a chronically ill child or parent.  

Sometimes, like Simon, we are simply “coming in from the country”—making dinner, getting home from work, attending to daily life—when another’s cross is laid on us. Even if at first we feel unwilling or resentful, God can still work in and through us. Holy Spirit, give us the grace to carry the burdens of others and see the face of the suffering Jesus in their faces.  

And then we have the weeping women—the “women who bewailed and lamented him.” They saw Jesus suffering and were moved to compassion. They wept for the suffering Lord they loved.  

Sometimes, we are like the weeping women—we witness pain and suffering in someone we love and are moved to compassion. We desire to love, comfort, and support them. Think of times you have listened attentively to a friend in confusion or distress; made a meal for a family going through sickness, job loss, or the transition of a newborn; visited a family member or friend who has gone through trauma; tended gently to a sick child, parent, or spouse; prayed for someone in their suffering. Holy Spirit, increase your goodness, faithfulness, and gentleness in us.  

Click to tweet:
When I can love others in small but true ways, I sense that I am doing what God calls me to do today. #CatholicMom

When I listen to the Holy Spirit and look for ways to help others bear their burdens, I no longer feel discouraged at not being St. Clare, St. Teresa of Calcutta, or St. Maximilian Kolbe. Rather, when I can love others in small but true ways, I sense that I am doing what God calls me to do today. And the consolation that I am taking one step at a time on the road with Jesus is a mighty consolation indeed. 

Copyright 2023 Caitlan Rangel
Images: (top, bottom) Neithan90, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons; (center) Anonymous from France, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons