Br ENRICO MAIORANO, ofm cap. Student Biblical Sciences and Archaeology - Jerusalem "On the road to Calvary, Jesus surely encountered many people. Many were indifferent, accustomed to that spectacle - seeing the umpteenth person condemned to death pass by - some certainly insulted and mocked Him. In the midst of this crowd, we remember a certain Simon of Cyrene, who became Jesus' companion on the last stretch of His road." In the third installment of our Lenten journey to discover the Gospel figures who met Jesus during the days of His passion, we stop at the fifth station of the Way of the Cross. Br ENRICO MAIORANO, ofm cap. Student Biblical Sciences and Archaeology - Jerusalem "The Gospels tell us that soldiers stopped a man from Cyrene, in North Africa, as he was returning from the fields. Perhaps this was his usual route, or perhaps that day he was passing by chance... The fact remains that the last stretch of Jesus' route becomes the same route as Simon's. The fifth station of the Way of the Cross recalls this very episode". Br ENRICO MAIORANO, ofm cap. Student Biblical Sciences and Archaeology - Jerusalem "The Gospels emphasize that Simon "was forced" to carry the cross. So we are not to imagine a particularly willing, benevolent or compassionate man. He was forced by the soldiers!" Br ENRICO MAIORANO, ofm cap. Student Biblical Sciences and Archaeology - Jerusalem "Simon did not know Jesus. But in this last stretch of the road he was the one closest to him. Probably, Simon took one side of the wood, and on the other side was Jesus, so they continued along the way of the cross side by side. It was probably a silent encounter, perhaps Simon only heard the groans of pain of the man of the cross. Surely, however, their eyes met. Probably that was the moment in which Simon accepted to carry the cross with Jesus". Br ENRICO MAIORANO, ofm cap. Student Biblical Sciences and Archaeology - Jerusalem "We do not know what happened on Calvary, but Jesus' gaze conquered Simon forever. The Gospels even give us the names of his sons, 'Alexander and Rufus', so they were certainly known to the first Christian community, they probably belonged to it. Probably Simon was part of it too, thanks to that sharing that took place on the last stretch of the road to Calvary". Br ENRICO MAIORANO, ofm cap. Student Biblical Sciences and Archaeology - Jerusalem "We see Jesus crouching on the ground, towered over by the cross. And behind the cross we see the Cyrenean, Simon, who takes it with him. But at that moment it is Jesus himself who takes up the cross again from Simon. So the question that this canvas asks us is: who is carrying whom?" Our journey continues along the Via Dolorosa. We climb a few dozen meters and enter what tradition indicates as the house of Veronica.