"T_he W_ay of the C_ross"

T_HE W_AY OF THE C_ROSS by C_aryll H_ouselander

Chapter 7: JESUS FALLS THE SECOND TIME

      Hardly has Veronica wiped the dirt from His

face than Christ is down in the dust again. He has

fallen under the heavy load of the cross!

      How different it is in reality to the picture on

the wall! There Christ seems rather to be genuflecting

under the cross than falling under it; He bows His

head, certainly, but hardly a hair is out of place;

His robes, the snowy white tunic and the scarlet

cloak, are still clean and are not torn.

      The reality, that which happened two thousand

years ago and the reality which happens in the lives

of those in whom Christ lives today, is not like that.

Christ is thrown down onto the ground, His face in

the dust; He is unable to get up until others come

forward to heave the cross up from off His back, and

perhaps help Him to His feet again. It is yet another

example of how Christ makes Himself need the help

of others to redeem the world.

      They do not know that they are unwittingly tak-

ing part in the redemption, those young Roman

soldiers who pull the cross from Christ's prostrate

body and help Him to His feet. They are carrying

out the day's work, obeying orders blindly. It is their

business to see that death does not cheat them of

their victim until they have dealt with Him in the

way they are commanded to, until they have crucified

Him. It is only because it happens to be Jesus Christ

whom they are lifting up and helping to His feet

again, Jesus Christ whom they are loading with the

cross once more for the last stretch of the road, only

because it is Jesus Christ, that, all unknowingly, they

are taking a part in the redemption of the world.

      Today the young soldiers of the ideologies un-

knowingly take their part in the world's redemption,

carrying out their orders to keep their prisoners

alive for so long as it suits their masters, when they

drive them along the desolate roads to exile and

ultimately to death. They too take part in the re-

demption when their prisoners are those in whom

Christ lives, "other Christs" in whom His passion

is being lived out.

      Likewise those warders and executioners who

must support criminals who are condemned to death,

criminals who have purified their souls by contrition

and go gladly to the death that expiates their sin;

they too, all unknowing, through the heavy, sordid

duty they carry out, play a part in the world's re-

demption.

      Christ is down in the dust. This second fall is

harder than the first; He is nearer the end of His

tether now, more dependent than before on others

to help Him to get up and go on. It may have been

something trifling, almost absurd, that threw Him

down. Perhaps something as small as a pebble on

the road; yes, that would have been enough to send

Him hurtling down, with that terrible burden on His

back, and His own exhaustion as He nears the end of

His bitter journey.

      It is the same today, the same for those "other

Christs" who have gone a long way on the road and

who fall, not for the first time now, under the heavy

cross of circumstance—those who have carried this

cross for a long time, who have become exhausted by

the unequal struggle and fall, who with Him are

down in the dust. It is for them that Christ falls for

the second time and lies under the crushing weight

of His cross, waiting for those who will come forward

to lend their hands to lift it from His back and enable

Him to go on to the end of His way of suffering and

love.

      The crushing weight of circumstances today

makes the Christian life a cross which, even though

it is a redeeming cross, is hard to carry: the economic

conditions; the weight of public opinion—the con-

tempt for those who choose the hard way because it

is Christ's way; the weight of material hardship—

the weight that grows heavier and heavier as those

who must carry it come nearer and nearer to the

end of the journey: the weight of the cross—the sheer

material weight that was heavy enough to throw

Christ down, to throw God face down in the dust. If

something as trifling as a pebble in the road or a

false step could throw Christ down on the road, so

may a tiny provocation, a sudden temptation, a mock-

ing word—a fragment that adds to the struggle—

bring the man staggering under the cross down: the

servant is not greater than his master.

      It is not only soldiers and warders under orders

who can lift the cross from Christ's back today, not

only they who can help Christ to His feet again.

Everyone who labours to lift the burden of material

misery from the backs of the poor gives his hands

to free Christ from the crushing burden. Everyone

who concerns himself to change public opinion and

to make the Christ-life honoured in the world helps

Christ to His feet again. Everyone who forces his

way against the indifferent mob, against the unthink-

ing multitude who see nothing but folly in Christ and

His Cross, helps to drag back the great burden from

His exhausted body. Everyone who approaches Christ

fallen under the cross, coming to Him in friendship

and love, to relieve Him of the burden of the Christian

life lived in isolation and loneliness in opposition

to the whole modern environment, helps Christ to

His feet in the world again and sets Him on His way.

      Everyone who recognizes who it is that has

fallen there, who it is for whom the burden of cir-

cumstances, of materialism, of temptation has proved

too persistent and too heavy, lends his hands to lift

the cross from the prostrate Christ and to set Christ

on His way to the consummation of His love once

more.

Prayer

Jesus Christ,

exhausted on the long road

to Calvary,

fallen for the second time

under the weight of the cross,

allow me to be among those

who come forward

out of the crowd

to heave back

the great load

that crushes You

in my even-Christian.

Do not let my hands

or my mind

or my heart

be idle,

or indifferent to

or unaware of

the conditions of life,

the difficulties

and problems,

facing those

who struggle against heavy odds

to live the Christ-life

and to share in the work

of Your love.

Grant that I may never

disassociate myself from You

in the Christian

who has fallen under the burden

of Your cross,

who, worn out

by the struggle

against temptation,

against circumstances,

against public opinion

and the opinions of his own people,

is down in the dust,

crushed by the burden

of humiliation,

failure

and shame.

Give me grace

to help to lift You up

in that man,

to set him on his feet,

to help him on his way

on the road You have trodden.

And when I fall,

send me those

who will lend their hands

to lift my burden

and enable me, too,

to follow You

to Calvary.

[ To Next Chapter ]

T_HE W_AY OF THE C_ROSS by C_aryll H_ouselander
Chapter 7: JESUS FALLS THE SECOND TIME
Hardly has Veronica wiped the dirt from His
face than Christ is down in the dust again. He has
fallen under the heavy load of the cross!
How different it is in reality to the picture on
the wall! There Christ seems rather to be genuflecting
under the cross than falling under it; He bows His
head, certainly, but hardly a hair is out of place;
His robes, the snowy white tunic and the scarlet
cloak, are still clean and are not torn.
The reality, that which happened two thousand
years ago and the reality which happens in the lives
of those in whom Christ lives today, is not like that.
Christ is thrown down onto the ground, His face in
the dust; He is unable to get up until others come
forward to heave the cross up from off His back, and
perhaps help Him to His feet again. It is yet another
example of how Christ makes Himself need the help
of others to redeem the world.
They do not know that they are unwittingly tak-
ing part in the redemption, those young Roman
soldiers who pull the cross from Christ's prostrate
body and help Him to His feet. They are carrying
out the day's work, obeying orders blindly. It is their
business to see that death does not cheat them of
their victim until they have dealt with Him in the
way they are commanded to, until they have crucified
Him. It is only because it happens to be Jesus Christ
whom they are lifting up and helping to His feet
again, Jesus Christ whom they are loading with the
cross once more for the last stretch of the road, only
because it is Jesus Christ, that, all unknowingly, they
are taking a part in the redemption of the world.
Today the young soldiers of the ideologies un-
knowingly take their part in the world's redemption,
carrying out their orders to keep their prisoners
alive for so long as it suits their masters, when they
drive them along the desolate roads to exile and
ultimately to death. They too take part in the re-
demption when their prisoners are those in whom
Christ lives, "other Christs" in whom His passion
is being lived out.
Likewise those warders and executioners who
must support criminals who are condemned to death,
criminals who have purified their souls by contrition
and go gladly to the death that expiates their sin;
they too, all unknowing, through the heavy, sordid
duty they carry out, play a part in the world's re-
demption.
Christ is down in the dust. This second fall is
harder than the first; He is nearer the end of His
tether now, more dependent than before on others
to help Him to get up and go on. It may have been
something trifling, almost absurd, that threw Him
down. Perhaps something as small as a pebble on
the road; yes, that would have been enough to send
Him hurtling down, with that terrible burden on His
back, and His own exhaustion as He nears the end of
His bitter journey.
It is the same today, the same for those "other
Christs" who have gone a long way on the road and
who fall, not for the first time now, under the heavy
cross of circumstance—those who have carried this
cross for a long time, who have become exhausted by
the unequal struggle and fall, who with Him are
down in the dust. It is for them that Christ falls for
the second time and lies under the crushing weight
of His cross, waiting for those who will come forward
to lend their hands to lift it from His back and enable
Him to go on to the end of His way of suffering and
love.
The crushing weight of circumstances today
makes the Christian life a cross which, even though
it is a redeeming cross, is hard to carry: the economic
conditions; the weight of public opinion—the con-
tempt for those who choose the hard way because it
is Christ's way; the weight of material hardship—
the weight that grows heavier and heavier as those
who must carry it come nearer and nearer to the
end of the journey: the weight of the cross—the sheer
material weight that was heavy enough to throw
Christ down, to throw God face down in the dust. If
something as trifling as a pebble in the road or a
false step could throw Christ down on the road, so
may a tiny provocation, a sudden temptation, a mock-
ing word—a fragment that adds to the struggle—
bring the man staggering under the cross down: the
servant is not greater than his master.
It is not only soldiers and warders under orders
who can lift the cross from Christ's back today, not
only they who can help Christ to His feet again.
Everyone who labours to lift the burden of material
misery from the backs of the poor gives his hands
to free Christ from the crushing burden. Everyone
who concerns himself to change public opinion and
to make the Christ-life honoured in the world helps
Christ to His feet again. Everyone who forces his
way against the indifferent mob, against the unthink-
ing multitude who see nothing but folly in Christ and
His Cross, helps to drag back the great burden from
His exhausted body. Everyone who approaches Christ
fallen under the cross, coming to Him in friendship
and love, to relieve Him of the burden of the Christian
life lived in isolation and loneliness in opposition
to the whole modern environment, helps Christ to
His feet in the world again and sets Him on His way.
Everyone who recognizes who it is that has
fallen there, who it is for whom the burden of cir-
cumstances, of materialism, of temptation has proved
too persistent and too heavy, lends his hands to lift
the cross from the prostrate Christ and to set Christ
on His way to the consummation of His love once
more.