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Via Crucis, Felix Anton Scheffler - 1757
Church of Saint Martin - Ischl, Seeon (Diocese of München) - Germany FOURTEENTH STATION
Jesus is laid in the tomb
V/. Adoramus te, Christe, et benedicimus tibi.
R/. Quia per sanctam crucem tuam redemisti mundum. From the Gospel according to Matthew 27:59-61 Joseph took the body, and wrapped it in a clean linen shroud, and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn in the rock; and he rolled a great stone to the door of the tomb, and departed. Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were there, sitting opposite the sepulchre. From the Book of Psalms. 16:9-11 My heart is glad,
and my soul rejoices;
my body also rests secure.
For you will not leave my soul among the dead,
nor let your beloved know decay.
You show me the path of life;
in your presence there is fullness of joy,
in your right hand are pleasures for evermore. MEDITATION There are times when life seems like
a long and dreary Holy Saturday.
Everything seems over,
the wicked seem to triumph,
and evil appears more powerful than good.
[1]
But faith enables us to see afar,
it makes us glimpse the break of a new day
on the other side of this day.
Faith promises us that the final word
belongs to God: to God alone! Faith is truly a little lamp,
yet it is the only lamp that can light up the night of the world:
and its lowly light blends
with the light of a new day:
the day of the Risen Christ. So the story does not end with the tomb,
instead it bursts forth from the tomb:
just as Jesus promised us,
[2]
it happened, and it will happen again!
[3]
[1]
Jer 12:1; Hab 1:13.
[2]
Lk 18:31-33.
[3]
Rom 8:18-23.
PRAYER
Lord Jesus,
Good Friday is the day of darkness,
the day of blind hatred,
the day when the Just One was put to death!
But Good Friday is not the final word:
the final word is Easter,
the triumph of Life,
the victory of Good over Evil.
Lord Jesus,
Holy Saturday is the day of emptiness,
the day of bewilderment and dread,
the day when everything seems over!
But Holy Saturday is not the final day,
the final day is Easter,
the Light that is kindled anew,
the Love that conquers all hatred.
Lord Jesus,
whenever we experience our own Good Friday,
and we feel the anguish of Holy Saturday,
give us Marys unwavering faith,
so that we can believe in the reality of Easter;
give us her clear-sighted gaze
so that we can see the brilliant dawn
that announces the final day of history:
new heavens and a new earth
[4]
already present in you,
Jesus, Crucified and Risen. Amen!
[4]
Rev 21:1.
All:
Pater noster, qui es in cælis:
sanctificetur nomen tuum;
adveniat regnum tuum;
fiat voluntas tua, sicut in cælo, et in terra.
Panem nostrum cotidianum da nobis hodie;
et dimitte nobis debita nostra,
sicut et nos dimittimus debitoribus nostris;
et ne nos inducas in tentationem;
sed libera nos a malo.
Quando corpus morietur,
fac ut animæ donetur
paradisi gloria. Amen.
The Holy Father addresses those present.
At the end of his address, the Holy Father imparts the Apostolic Blessing:
BLESSING
V/. Dominus vobiscum.
R/. Et cum spiritu tuo.
V/. Sit nomen Domini benedictum.
R/. Ex hoc nunc et usque in sæculum.
V/. Adiutorium nostrum in nomine Domini.
R/. Qui fecit cælum et terram.
V/. Benedicat vos omnipotens Deus,
Pater, et Filius, et Spiritus Sanctus.
R/. Amen.
© Copyright 2006 - Libreria Editrice Vaticana
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