The Fourteenth Station
Jesus is laid in His tomb
John 19: 38-42 - After this, Joseph, who was from the town of Arimathea, asked Pilate if he could take Jesus’ body. (Joseph was a follower of Jesus, but in secret, because he was afraid of the Jewish authorities.) Pilate told him he could have the body, so Joseph went and took it away. Nicodemus, who at first had gone to see Jesus at night, went with Joseph, taking with him about one hundred pounds of spices, a mixture of myrrh and aloes. The two men took Jesus’ body and wrapped it in linen cloths with the spices according to the Jewish custom of preparing a body for burial. There was a garden in the place where Jesus had been put to death, and in it there was a new tomb where no one had ever been buried. Since it was the day before the Sabbath and because the tomb was close by, they placed Jesus’ body there.
And so, because He died, sin has no power over Him; and now He lives His life in fellowship with God. In the same way you are to think of yourselves as dead, so far as sin is concerned, but living in fellowship with God through Christ Jesus.
Meditation:
People have returned to their homes for the Sabbath. The streets of Jerusalem are dark and quiet after a day of noise and chaos. John, Joseph of Arimathea, Nicodemus, and Mary go from The Place of the Skull to Jesus’ burial tomb. Joseph and John carry Jesus into the tomb. They lay him on a rock bench in the burial chamber. The men move a big boulder in front of the entrance to block it. They will have to come back after the Sabbath to finish preparing His body. They bow their heads, and sadly walk home to their own Sabbath celebrations. They all know that none of them will ever be the same again. They have been changed forever.
Prayer:
Lord Jesus, sometimes I really hate myself for the unkind things I say or do. Help me to let those old bad habits and ways die, so that I can experience life with You in a new and content way. The darkness that comes to be in our lives can either be seen as the darkness of a cold tomb or it can been as the darkness of a womb about to give birth to something wonderful. Lord, in my walk with You, help me to give birth to something wonderful in my life and in the lives of those around me. This I ask in Jesus’ name. Amen
Ending the walk
You have now completed the 14 Stations of the Cross. The people of St. Anne’s hope this has been a meaningful experience for you.
As you finish the walk, please do so in a contemplative manner, holding to your heart the love that Jesus offers.
If you like, pray the prayer of St. Francis (or pray your own prayer):
Lord, make me an instrument of Your peace,
where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
and where there is sadness, joy.
O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console, to be
understood as to understand, to be loved as to love;
for it is in giving that we receive; it is in pardoning that we are pardoned; it is in dying
that we are born to eternal life.
Go in peace and may God bless you.