Catholic Outlook Magazine | Lent & Easter | 2024 Issue

FINDING STRENGTH
when we fall
BY JOHNATHAN SOOSAIPILLAI
As we journey through Lent, reflecting on
Christ’s journey to the Cross, we asked
Johnathan, a youth leader from St John XXIII
Parish, Glenwood-Stanhope Gardens, to reflect
on the Station of the Cross that resonates
most with him.
The Ninth Station – Jesus falls for the third
time.
Jesus’ journey to Golgotha was a tiresome and
gruesome one. Having been brutally whipped
before having the weight of the Cross placed
upon Him, Jesus would have been in a state of
agony beyond our comprehension. The Ninth
Station of the Cross encompasses this, having
fallen for the third time, I am reminded of the
weight of the burden that Jesus bore for us.
In trying to comprehend the trials that Jesus
suffered, I remind myself of the importance of
Jesus’ humanity in taking up the Cross. He willingly
accepted the plan of His Father, giving up His
divinity to walk amongst us. Jesus encompassed
perfection in the human form, with His body, soul
and mind aligned with God’s will for His life. He
endured what no human had and will again.
Within my life, I will never have to face a pain or
task as grave as Jesus’ sacrifice for us. Yet, we all
face our own struggles and hardships, and it’s
within these moments that I like to remember the
example that Jesus set for me. In falling for the
third time, most of us would consider giving up
and remaining on the ground. However, Jesus got
back up, He persevered and continued along the
hardest path of all because He knew He had to
fulfil God’s will for His life.
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