Wisdom, the Pearl of Great Price

"The third fall led to the destined encounter with Simon of Cyrene. Like the murderer on the right hand of Christ who only perceived and acknowledged Christ as he was being crucified, Simon only turned inwardly to Christ after picking up the Cross. It is only through suffering, through our own involvement and entanglement in the threads of destiny, that we develop the capacity to gain knowledge and insight. If, despite or because of such situations, we turn to the world of spirit, we may pass through the gateway into the world beyond, and are accepted there in love."
--Judith von Halle, Secrets of the Stations of the Cross and the Grail Blood, pp. 125-26