The Burial of Jesus

"For where your treasure is, there also shall your heart be" (Luke 12:34)

Any mother at the bedside of her dying child fully compassionates their sorrows and pains. When the time of burial arrives, the finality of separation becomes very acute. The time has come for the final goodbye. Let us now together meditate on this, our Sorrowful Mother's last sorrow, the burial of her Divine Son.

Mary has looked on as her Son was nailed to the cross. She stood before Him as He breathed His last. She gasped with pain as His side was opened by the soldier's lance. She has held His cold and lifeless body in her holy arms and cleansed Him with her own veil. She now must leave Him in a cold, dark tomb and must come to grips with the reality of never seeing Him again in this life.

St. Alphonsus de Ligouri places the following words on our Mother's lips as she speaks to her dead Son: "Yes, for all your noble qualities, your beauty, grace, virtues, your charm - all the special marks of love you have shown me, the special favors you have granted me - all are now changed into so many arrows of grief. The more those features caused me to love you, the more they now cruelly make me feel your loss. My beloved son, in losing you I have lost everything."

Prayer

My sorrowful mother, I will not leave you to weep alone. No, I will weep along with you. This is the grace I ask you to obtain for me: to be able always to bear in mind and to have a tender devotion to the Passion of Jesus and your sorrows. Amen+

(Source: The Glories of Mary by St. Alphonsus de Ligouri)