"As they were leading him away they seized on a man, Simon from Cyrene, who was coming from the country, and laid him on the the cross to carry behind Jesus." Luke 23:26

Most of us like to plan our lives. We make appointments, organise holidays, arrange family gatherings and fill our diaries weeks in advance. We enjoy knowing what tomorrow will bring because it gives us a reassuring sense of control. Yet God often works differently.

Some of the most significant moments in Scripture were never planned by the people who experienced them. Moses was simply tending sheep when God called to him from the burning bush. Peter expected an ordinary day's fishing before Jesus invited him to leave his nets and become a fisher of people. Matthew was sitting at his tax booth when Christ walked into his life.

Our Lady had planned her future with Joseph when the angel Gabriel announced a far greater vocation. Again and again, God enters ordinary lives without warning. Perhaps no one illustrates this more quietly than Simon of Cyrene.

Simon was not one of the Twelve. He had not followed Jesus through Galilee. He was not looking for the Messiah. He happened to be in Jerusalem during Passover and was making his way into the city. Then everything changed.

The Roman soldiers stopped him and compelled him to carry the Cross of a condemned man. It was an interruption. An inconvenience. Perhaps even an embarrassment. Simon could not have known that, for those few moments, he would walk beside the Saviour of the world.

How many of God's invitations arrive in exactly the same way? The neighbour who knocks at the door just as we are about to sit down. The telephone call that comes when we are tired. The child who wants our attention when we are busy. The friend who needs to talk when we have other plans. The stranger who asks for help.

We often see interruptions as obstacles. God may see them as opportunities. Modern life encourages efficiency. Everything is timed. Everything is measured. Everything has a deadline.

But love rarely keeps to a timetable. Compassion cannot always be scheduled between appointments. Some of the holiest moments in our lives happen because we allow ourselves to be interrupted.

Jesus himself was constantly interrupted. Blind Bartimaeus cried out from the roadside. Jesus stopped.

Children gathered around him. Jesus welcomed them. A woman reached through the crowd simply to touch his cloak. Jesus stopped and spoke with her. Again and again, Christ made time for people. He never regarded them as interruptions. They were his mission.

Perhaps we should look differently at the unexpected moments in our own lives. The delayed journey. The chance conversation. The request for help. The person who simply needs someone to listen.

Instead of asking, "Why is this happening now?" Perhaps we should ask, "Lord, what are you asking of me through this moment?"

Simon of Cyrene began the day expecting nothing unusual. He ended it having carried the Cross of Christ. We never know where our next interruption may lead. Nor do we know whose life may be changed because we chose not to walk away.

Perhaps tomorrow God will interrupt your plans.

If he does, don't be too quick to resist.

It may be the very place where Christ is waiting to meet you.

A Moment for Reflection

Think back over the past week.

• Which interruption frustrated you the most?

• Could it have been an opportunity to love someone more deeply?

• Is there an interruption you now see differently in the light of the Gospel?
  

Prayer

Lord Jesus,

When my carefully made plans are interrupted, help me not to become impatient or resentful. Give me the wisdom to recognise your presence in the unexpected moments of life. Teach me to welcome every opportunity to love, serve and walk with you, even when it costs me time, comfort or convenience.

Amen.

Walking with Christ This Week

The next time your plans are interrupted, pause before reacting. Offer a silent prayer:

"Lord, help me to see this moment through your eyes."

Then respond with patience, kindness and generosity. You may discover that what seemed like an interruption was, in fact, an encounter with Christ.

By Johannes

A Lay Voice at Saint Charles Borromeo

Scripture quotations are taken from the Revised New Jerusalem Bible (RNJB), Study Edition.