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Simon of Cyrene helps Jesus to carry the Cross
Lk 23: 26-27

As they led him away,
they laid hold of one Simon the Cyrenean
who was coming in from the fields.
They put a crossbeam on Simon's shoulder
for him to carry along behind Jesus.
A great crowd of people followed him,
including women who beat their breasts
and lamented over him.

Jesus could bear His Cross alone, did He so will; but He permits Simon to help Him, in order to remind us that we must take part in His sufferings, and have a fellowship in His work. His merit is infinite, yet He condescends to let His people add their merit to it. The sanctity of the Blessed Virgin, the blood of the Martyrs, the prayers and penances of the Saints, the good deeds of all the faithful, take part in that work which, nevertheless, is perfect without them. He saves us by His blood, but it is through and with ourselves that He saves us.

Dear Lord,
teach us to suffer with Thee,
make it pleasant to us to suffer for Thy sake,
and sanctify all our sufferings
by the merits of Thy own.

The face of Jesus is wiped by Veronica
Is 53: 2-3

There was in him no stately bearing
to make us look at him,
nor appearance that would attract us to him.
He was spurned and avoided by men,
a man of suffering, accustomed to infirmity,
One of those from whom men hide their faces.

Jesus let the pious woman carry off an impression of His Sacred Countenance, which was to last to future ages. He did this to remind us all, that His image must ever be impressed on all our hearts. Whoever we are, in whatever part of the earth, in whatever age of the world, Jesus must live in our hearts. We may differ from each other in many things, but in this we must all agree, if we are His true children. We must bear about with us the napkin of St Veronica; we must ever meditate upon His death and resurrection, we must ever imitate His divine excellence, according to our measure.

Lord,
let our countenances
be ever pleasing in Thy sight,
not defiled with sin,
but bathed and washed white
in Thy precious blood.

Jesus falls the second time
Lam 3: 1-2, 9, 16

I am a man who knows affliction
from the rod of his anger,
one whom he has led and forced
to walk in darkness, not in the light....
He has blocked my ways with fitted stones,
and turned my paths aside....
He has broken my teeth with gravel,
pressed my face in the dust.

Satan had a second fall, when our Lord came upon earth. By that time he had usurped the dominion of the whole world - and he called himself its king. And he dared to take up the Holy Saviour in his arms, and show Him all kingdoms, and blasphemously promise to give them to Him, His Maker, if He would adore him. Jesus answered, "Begone, Satan!" - and Satan fell down from the high mountain. And Jesus bare witness to it when He said, "I saw Satan, as lightning, falling from heaven". The Evil One remembered this second defeat, and so now he smote down the Innocent Lord a second time, now that he had Him in his power.

O dear Lord,
teach us to suffer with Thee,
and not be afraid of Satan's buffetings,
when they come on us
from resisting him.

The women of Jerusalem mourn for our Lord
Lk 23: 28-31

Jesus turned to them and said: 
"Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me.
Weep for yourselves and for your children.
The days are coming when they will say,
"Happy are the sterile,
the wombs that never bore,
and the breasts that never nursed'.
Then they will begin saying to the mountains,
"Fall on us', and to the hills, "Cover us'.
If they do these things in the green wood,
what will happen in the dry?".

Ever since the prophecy of old time, that the Saviour of man was to be born of a woman of the stock of Abraham, the Jewish women had desired to bear Him. Yet, now that He was really come, how different, as the Gospel tells us, was the event from what they had expected. He said to them "that the days were coming when they should say, Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that have not borne, and the breasts which have not given suck".

Ah, Lord,
we know not what is good for us,
and what is bad.
We cannot foretell the future, nor do we know,
when Thou comest to visit us,
in what form Thou wilt come.
And therefore we leave it all to Thee.
Do Thou Thy good pleasure to us and in us.
Let us ever look at Thee,
and do Thou look upon us,
and give us the grace of Thy bitter Cross
and Passion,
and console us in Thy own way
and at Thy own time.

Gossops Green