They led him out to crucify him. They enlisted a passer-by, Simon of Cyrene, father of Alexander and Rufus, who was coming in from the country, to carry his cross. (Mark 15:21)
John's Gospel tells us that Jesus carried his own cross. The other three gospels tell us Simon helped Jesus. Often cross carriers had already been so abused in prison they didn't make it to the place of execution. A helper might be commissioned along the way to be sure the guards got to do their killing job.
We don't know the extent to which Simon was forced to help Jesus. But he did, and that's how he is remembered thousands of years to today - as a helper. We don't need to complicate it.
A once vital Catholic man and his wife declined mentally and physically and their front and back lawns turned into waist high weed fields. Eventually some Protestant men got a group together from their own parish and spent the day with brush-hogger and scythes taming the place. Soon afterwards it became known that someone from the group said to a Catholic man, "You people don't even take care of your own."
Is this always true? No. Is it sometimes true? Yes. Was it true in this case? Yes. Is it a shame? Yes. Simon of Cyrene was a helper.
