Thirteenth Station — Jesus Is Taken Down from the Cross

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You, because by Your holy Cross You have redeemed the world. The Thirteenth Station. Jesus is taken down from the Cross. Joseph of Arimathea, a secret disciple, came forward when the public ones had fled. He went to Pilate. He asked for Your body. Permission was granted. He climbed the ladder. He pulled the nails. With Nicodemus, he lowered Your body into the arms of Mary. The image is captured forever in the great Pietà of Michelangelo. The Mother holding the dead Son. The God-Bearer now bearing the body of God for the last time on earth. Lord, in this station I want to be quiet with Your Mother. To sit beside her, in spirit, as she holds Your body. Mary, you knew Him from the beginning. You felt Him grow inside you. You held Him as a newborn. You watched Him take His first steps. You taught Him His first words. You made Him meals. You washed His clothes. You watched Him grow up. You let Him go, when His ministry began. And now you hold Him for the last time on earth. Cold. Bloody. Wounded. Still your Son. Hold the parts of me that have died, Mary. The dreams that did not come true. The relationships that ended. The seasons of life that are over. The version of myself I will never get back. Hold them gently, the way you hold your Son. Hold also the people I have lost in death. The relatives whose funerals I attended. The friend who passed too soon. Cradle them in your arms, the way you cradled Jesus. Carry them, with your prayers, into the resurrection. Help me, Mary, when the day comes that I must hold a dead loved one in my arms. May the strength you had then be granted to me. May the faith you had, that the story was not over even though the body was lifeless, be granted to me too. There is a stillness here, Lord. A pause between the noise of the crucifixion and the silence of the tomb. Let me stay in this stillness for a moment. Let me feel the weight of what You did, before I rush to the resurrection. Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen. Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou amongst women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.