Simon of Cyrene

Saint Simon of Cyrene

Simon of Cyrene was the man compelled by the Romans to carry the cross of Jesus of Nazareth as Jesus was taken to his crucifixion, according to all three Synoptic Gospels.

Quotes

• And when they had mocked Him, they took the purple off Him, put His own clothes on Him, and led Him out to crucify Him.

Then they compelled a certain man, Simon a Cyrenian, the father of Alexander and Rufus, as he was coming out of the country and passing by, to bear His cross. And they brought Him to the place Gòlgota, which is translated, Place of a Skull.

• • Mark 10,20-22 (NKJV).

Quotes about

• Simon of Cyrene is forced by Roman soldiers to help Jesus carry the cross to Golgotha. Mark appears to be well informed about him and names his sons who must have been known to Roman readers: Alexander and Rufus.
  Rufus, son of Simon, is probably the same one whom Paul greets in the letter to the Romans. It is possible that Rufus occupied an important place in the Christian community of Rome, since the Apostle calls him «chosen in the Lord».
  Canal S. Bovo is a small Alpine village, the capital of the Vanoi Valley. In 1829 a terrible flood destroyed the village and dragged the rubble down the valley. The young bricklayer Domenico Micheli stole the large Crucifix from the rubble of the church and, overcoming a distance of about ten kilometers, carried it on his shoulders to Imèr, where he established his home.
  During natural disasters, one puts one's treasures in safety. So for that young bricklayer the Crucifix was his treasure! Domenico Micheli with the Crucifix on his shoulders recalls the Cyrenian.
  • Simone il Cireneo viene costretto dai soldati romani ad aiutare Gesù nel trasporto della croce verso il Golgota. Marco si mostra ben informato su di lui e ne nomina i figli che evidentemente dovevano essere noti ai lettori romani: Alessandro e Rufo.
    Rufo, figlio di Simone, è probabilmente lo stesso che Paolo saluta nella letttera ai Romani. È possibile che Rufo occupasse un posto importante nella comunità cristiana di Roma, poiché l'Apostolo lo dice «eletto nel Signore».
    Canal S. Bovo è una piccola borgata alpina, capoluogo della Valle del Vanoi. Nel 1829 una tremenda alluvione disfece il villaggio e trascinò le macerie a valle. Il giovane muratore Domenico Micheli dalle macerie della chiesa sottrasse il grande Crocifisso e, superando la distanza di una decina di chilometri, lo portò sulle spalle a Imèr, dove pose la sua dimora.
    Durante le calamità naturali si pongono in salvo i propri tesori. Dunque per quel giovane muratore il Crocifisso era il suo tesoro! Domenico Micheli con il Crocifisso sulle spalle richiama il Cireneo.
    • As quoted in q:it:Adolfo L'Arco , La Donna del Sanctus, Laurenziana, Napoli, 1990.

External links

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