Fourteenth Station of the Cross

Jesus is laid in the tomb 

   The burial of Jesus in the tomb is the final station of the cross.  The Stations are intended to help us focus on the tremendous sacrifice He made for us and the incredible gift He has given each of us.  We are called to do our best to relate to His suffering and death so that we may better realize that our sins, and the sins of the entire world, caused His suffering.

   Only a pure, perfect sacrifice could be offered as expiation for our sins.  As fallen creatures we were not and are not capable of offering such a sacrifice.  Only one who is sinless could pay that price.  Jesus, out of pure love for us, became a man so that He could free us from our sins and open the doors of heaven to those who would believe.

   Some would include a fifteenth station; Jesus rising 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 by our sins against God.

   Secondly, to include Jesus rising from the dead with the stations is, in my opinion, encroaching on the glorious celebration and joy of Easter.  We should celebrate the two as separate blessings; the redemption of our sins on the cross and then the resurrection to eternal life offered by His rising from the dead.

   Let’s use the stations to come contemplate and share in the suffering of our savior in His final hours.  Then we can better celebrate His resurrection on Easter Sunday.