"On him they laid the cross, that he might bear it after Jesus" (Luke 23: 26).
We see in Simon's carrying the cross a picture of the work of the Church throughout all generations. The Church is the cross-bearer after Jesus, and He did not suffer so as to exclude your suffering. He bears a cross, not that you may escape it, but that you may endure it. Christ exempts you from sin but not from sorrow. Remember that and expect to suffer. But let us comfort ourselves with this thought, that in our case, as in Simon's, it is not our cross but Christ's cross which we carry. When you are attacked for your piety, when your religion brings the trial of cruel mocking on you, then remember it is not your cross but Christ's cross which you carry. How delightful it is to carry the cross of our Lord Jesus! You carry the cross after Him. You have blessed company. Your path is marked with the footprints of your Lord. The mark of His blood-red shoulder is upon that heavy burden. It is His cross, and He goes before you as a shepherd goes before his sheep. Take up your cross daily and follow Him. Do not forget, also, that you bear this cross in partnership. You only carry the light end of the cross. Christ bore the heavier end. And remember, though Simon had to bear the cross for only a little while, it gave him lasting honor. Even so the cross we carry is only for a little while, and then we will receive the crown, the glory.