a series of reflections based on this online stations of the cross
In this station we are invited again to consider who we know who is struggling, and how we can support or encourage them. While not directly in the Gospel accounts of Jesus, the narrator shares a passage from Galatians where we are invited to “bear one another’s burdens” (Gal. 6:2).
As we experience this coronavirus, figuring out what it means to support one another has taken some work. The ways I generally show support to others is through offering time and presence. I don’t often have financial resources to give to causes, but I am happy to find ways to show up and volunteer. I don’t often know what gifts to give friends, but I am always eager for conversation over shared hot beverages, a meal, or a card game of some kind. But in this time of restricted socializing, showing support and care for others has to take on different shape, and I’m not sure I’ve figured it out yet.
So what does it mean to bear one another’s burdens in a time of restricted contact and socializing? What does it mean to walk alongside someone who falls a second time, and offer care and compassion again…and again? Who do I know who is struggling, and how can I encourage them? How does the church bear one another’s burdens in new and different ways now?
Hmmm…all good questions.