V. We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you. (You may bow your head or genuflect)
R. Because by your holy cross, you have redeemed the world.

Read and Listen: (Jn 19:39-42)

Nicodemus (the man who had first come to Jesus at night) likewise came, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes which weighed about a hundred pounds. They took Jesus' body, and in accordance with the Jewish burial custom bound it up in wrappings of cloth with perfumed oils. In the place where he had been crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb in which no one had ever been buried. Because of the Jewish Preparation Day they buried Jesus there, for the tomb was close at hand.

Reflect

The sufferings of Jesus finally ended with his death. We often say that at least, now the dead is freed from all pains and could rest in peace. That is actually our prayer for the departed. "Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord. May they rest in peace. Amen." With Jesus being laid on the tomb, it is we who await peace from Him, for we know that He will rise again, as He promised. Indeed on the third day, he rose from the dead and imparted the peace of the Father to his disciples (Jn 20:21). Death is not the last word, but a prelude to the true peace and lasting life that we all long for. St. Paul says, "If we have died with Christ, we believe that we are also to live with him" (Rom 6:8) Visiting cemeteries and praying for the dead is a commendable work of mercy. But the dead also teach us something. Their tombstones reveal the amount of time they lived on earth with the date of birth and the date of death. The hyphen (-) between those two dates is a simple punctuation mark, but it spells a lot on how a person lived his life. That is what matters, and is known, most to God. We can attest to the lives of those near and dear to us. But the whole of our and others' lives is known only to God. He surely loved the departed one because He saved him for the eternal life. We believe that the departed continue to love God and us by interceding also for us. They are enriched by the life that Jesus bestows on them. We pray that they fully attain that gift of life in Christ at the end of time. Our present task is that while we live on earth, we can gladly offer our life as a pleasing sacrifice to the Lord. There may be the date of our death written on the tombstone, but as with the saints, it only marks the beginning of a new life in the Lord.

Pray

Dear Jesus, my Lord and Savior, you went through the whole experience of dying and being buried. You were also given a decent burial. In my Christian life, I die and am buried with you. But I also rise with you to new and eternal life. In your death, not even my human weaknesses and sins could keep you to the earth forever. Your Father took you back to His life. With you and in you, I now share that life everlasting. Grant me the grace to be alive always in your saving love. Help me share that love to my other brothers and sisters, your brothers and sisters in the one Father in heaven. With them, I profess the faith of the Church: "You have died. You have risen. You will come again." Amen. (You may say the Our Father, one Hail Mary and one Glory be for the intentions of the Holy Father. Then say the final prayer below either back to the altar of the church or in front of the last station.)

Final Prayer

Dear Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, I thank you for the grace to have walked with you in these stations of your Cross. Though I feel myself unworthy to do so, you allowed me to carry your cross even in a spiritual way. What a great privilege and honor you have granted me! From here on, back to my daily life, I carry my own cross. I humbly and sweetly take it. I know that you are with me to help me carry it. Grant me also the wisdom and vision to see, understand and help others carry their crosses in life. This becomes also a way for us to love one another, as you have loved us. In dying to self daily, may we attain the new life in you with the Father and the Holy Spirit. Amen.