Jesus falls for the third time. Those around him are losing patience. Whips are out, he cannot hold the cross, he has simply collapsed beside it. There is a weariness brought on by the amount of suffering he has endured that has almost taken him beyond his powers. All he can do is lie there. So many people must be feeling degrees of this at the moment. Those who are physically ill, those at the end of their tethers with family, those who are desperate to see family and worried about how they may be getting on, perhaps they have heard rumours about illness in the home their parents are in. We can always find consolation in prayer. It may be that we have rarely prayed, or not seriously. But now is the time to ask for support, for peace of mind, for the strength to face whatever the future may bring.
Kendal Catholic Priest 