Saturday, the Fourth Week of Lent

Fourteenth Station of the Cross – Jesus is laid in the tomb

   The laying of Jesus in His tomb is the final station of the cross.  The Stations are intended to help us focus on the tremendous sacrifice His gave for us.  We should do our best to relate to His suffering and death in order to better realize that our sins, and the sins of the whole world, caused His suffering.

   Only a pure, perfect sacrifice could be offered as expiation for our sins.  As fallen creatures we are not able to offer such a sacrifice.  We will never be perfect until made so by God’s grace.  We can’t pay the necessary price for our failings.  Only one who is sinless can pay that price.  Jesus, out of pure love for us, became a man so that He could pay it for us.

   Many would include a fifteenth station; Jesus rises from the dead.  They say that we should not end on a sorrowful note but recognize that the tomb was not final.  I understand why some would want to add that fifteenth station, but I do not believe it is appropriate for a couple of reasons.

   First the stations aren’t intended to come to a joyous conclusion.  We desperately need to recognize the pain and agony of our Lord and fully grasp that we caused it.  Some would like to blame it all on the Jewish leaders or Pilate, but our sins were as much as fault as theirs.

   Secondly, if we include Jesus rising from the dead with the stations we are, in my opinion, encroaching on the glorious celebration and joy of Easter.  With Christmas, Easter is one of the two most important days in the life of Christians and the Church.

   Let’s use the stations to come closer to our savior in His final hours and leave our joyful celebration of His resurrection for Easter Sunday.