9th Station: Jesus Falls for the Third Time

Almost there, Jesus falls again. His body, exhausted and racked with pain, presses again against the earth. How refreshing it would be to rest a while, but the soldiers hasten him up to his feet and Jesus gets up to complete his way to Golgotha.

We too at times feel drained of strength, pressed down by worries, by discouragement, by the pains and problems that come our way.

Perhaps our first inclination is to give up the journey, to escape the burden: by running away, by blaming another, or by indulging in some excess that prevents us from facing the problem.

As Jesus got up again, hopefully we too can muster the strength, the faith to carry on in the face of difficulties, to fulfill our daily tasks as tedious as they may be, to smile when it's so much easier to frown, to see hope in our future when our present looks so grim, to try once again when our efforts for good come to failure.

Our future is the result of our life's journey, beset with little and great crosses of every kind every day. Sharing in the life and death of Jesus along our way, we have it within our power to overcome obstacles, to attain life everlasting.