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Thursday, May 8, 2025

Bishop of Donkorkrom Vicariate Calls on Faithful to Reflect on the Simon of Cyrene Figure in their Lives

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In a homily during the Good Friday Service at the St. Fidelis Parish, Tease, in the Kwahu Afram Plains South District, the Most Rev. John Alphonse Asiedu, SVD, Bishop of Donkorkrom Apostolic Vicariate called on the faithful to reflect on persons they had helped, and people who had come to their aid in their time of great need.

He urged them to value such moments and persons – their Simons of Cyrene.

He upheld that, in one way or the other, each one, on their pilgrim journey, must have either come across a “Simon of Cyrene” in their lives, or become one for others; to influence their lives, or to ease their pain and their suffering.

Bishop Asiedu further underscored that whether Simon was forced to help Jesus carry his cross or not, was not the issue, but what stood out was the fact that he accepted to carry the Cross anyway, and through which act, he was able to bring some relief to Jesus; “It gave him some breathing space, to regain his energy and to continue the journey and be able to fulfil the plan of his Father; to reach Calvary and be crucified,” he underlined.

The Bishop alluded that Simon of Cyrene did not voluntarily come to help Jesus, but was compelled to do so, and clearly he didn’t know who Jesus was; neither did he know why he was going to be crucified.

On this premise, he highlighted the fact that often times, people may offer help, without even being conscious of the importance of what they are doing, and the beneficiaries too may not value the good being done to them, but which often goes a long way to influence or enhance their lives.

“That is how God works,” he remarked.

He charged the Faithful to sit for a while and reflect if they have been helped in anyway by anyone or received consolation, when they were “in trouble, in agony, in sorrow.”

He underpinned that somehow “we each have experienced Simon of Cyrene in our lives, and we will continue to experience him in one way or the other, by the various ways and means that God makes interventions in our lives to help us, to console us, to strengthen us,” he said.

The Chief Shepherd urged the faithful to open their “eyes and ears of faith, to listen attentively, to look carefully, and critically,” so that they do not take their Simons of Cyrene for granted, adding that should they be the ones the Lord decides to use as a Simon of Cyrene for others, they should do it willingly and with love.

“It is only by faith that we will be able to discern such moments and also offer our support to help others as Simon helped Jesus,” he acknowledged.

The Good Friday Service at Tease had been preceded by public Way of the Cross during the morning hours and the Divine Mercy Prayer shortly before the Service, which was presided over by the Chief Shepherd.

He had been assisted in the Service by Rev. Fr. Michael Awua Ansah, Chaplain of St. Fidelis Senior High Technical School, Tease, who helped in presenting the Cross for veneration.

By Sr. Sylvie Lum Cho, MSHR (DEPSOCOM, Donkorkrom Apostolic Vicariate)

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