12th, 13th, 14th Stations

 12th, 13th, &14th Stations Jesus' Death, Jesus' Taken Down from Cross, & Burial

  I wanted to combine the Twelfth, Thirteenth and Fourteenth station because it is that transition from this life to the next. Jesus takes His last breath on the cross and dies, then He is taken down from the cross and placed in the arms of His Mother, Mary. After She holds Her Son, He is placed in the tomb. The end has come to Jesus’ mission here on earth but the mission continues on. 

   Jesus’ human side can no longer survive the pain and torture of this world and commends His spirit into His Father’s hands. It is His last act before taking His last breath.  Jesus may not be physically on earth but His spirit resides in all those who hears His voice and picks up their cross and follows after Him. 

   His Mother, Mary, watches as Her Son dies for all of our sins. The pain and suffering she felt is unimaginable. Mary waits by the cross and as Her son is taken down from the cross, so She may hold Her Son one last time before being placed in the tomb. We see Jesus as our Savior, yet Mary sees Him as Her only Son. 

    It is very difficult when we loss those who are close to us. We all suffer during those days that may lead up to their passing and suffer the days that follow the passing. There are no words to express the pain that is felt. We gather together to honor, remember and lay them in peace. We leave them but they never leave our hearts and minds. 

     We can turn to Mary when we are feeling that loss stronger then other days. She understands what it is to lose and feel pain. She watched Her Son suffer, die for things that He did not do and understood this was to be the path for both of Them. We focus on Jesus’ path to the cross but I always wondered how was that path for Mary. I know painful but what were Her stations of the cross? As Her son fell, did She as well? Who was there  to help Mary as Simon of Cyrene helped Jesus? Who wiped Her tears like Veronica did for Jesus? 

      Jesus is laid in the tomb and many thought that this may be the end of His mission. The mission was not only not over but was just the catalyst and start of the Catholic Church. Those who followed Jesus gathered and waited. What was to come has continued for 2000 years. This should give us all hope. That even though our loved ones are not with us here on earth, that we all will be reunited because Jesus saved us and gave us salvation. 

       I want to take this time to wish you all a blessed Triduum and the next few days I will only be posting pictures and not writing an official blog until Easter Sunday. May God bless you all and I ask that over the next few days to come closer to Jesus and Mary.

Until Easter Sunday, God Bless, and may your Lent have brought you closer to the Trinity, your Faith and the Church.