Image by Beautiful Light Photography
2 Corinthians 12:7-10 Joel 2:15-27
It breaks our heart when we see Jesus fall for the first time because his broken, beaten, battered body has to bear the burden of the cross. When he falls for a second time, it hurts again because at this point, he has met his mother, received help from Simon of Cyrene, and found a moment of relief with Veronica, who wiped his face clean. And yet, in spite of the support, he still falls for a second time.
There are many people out there who struggle with all sorts of addictions: drugs, alcohol, pornography, etc. One thing that many people do when they want to break free from addictions is get some kind of help through a support group. However, entering into rehabilitation doesn’t guarantee that people will stay on the straight and narrow.
A few years ago, I met someone who loved making people laugh. Later on, I heard that this person ended up getting arrested multiple times for alcohol abuse and disturbing the peace. It turned out that he was suffering from depression. I had no idea of the struggles he carried inside of him because he had friends and a good relationship. He sought out help, but many people wrote him off as a lost cause and showed no compassion, which caused him to hurt others and himself in the process.
The good news is that in spite of his struggles with alcoholism and depression, this person has gone into treatment and thanks to the magic of social media, I know that he’s been improving. I continue to pray for him, though, because these addictions and the issues he’s been dealing with won’t go away even after he finishes treatment.
My constant prayer is that if I ever get to meet him again, I’ll get to see him smile and make everyone laugh like the way he did when we first met.When you meditate on this particular station, I hope that you offer a prayer for all those who are struggling with addictions.
It’s really hard to have compassion for them sometimes, especially when they do bad things. However, part of being daughters of Christ is helping people back up, no matter how far down they have fallen. Even if it just means praying for them.
Reflection
Why does having strong support in our struggles make a difference?
Are there people out there that you consider a lost cause or sins that you consider unforgivable? Why?
