Play this music as a preparation for prayer.
Behold your heart and the world that it holds.
After that long harrowing day,
finally, they brought him to his resting place.
It’s not the kind of burial you’d expect for a king,
not even the kind you’d want for a friend:
An unceremoniously rushed burial in a borrowed grave
with a small traumatized but loyal crew.
They couldn’t even wash his body properly
as prescribed by custom.
They would have to wait till after Sabbath.
What are you supposed to do after such a trauma?
How are you even supposed to feel?
Devastated, that’s for sure,
but could they have also felt some kind of relief–
that finally, the awful, awful suffering of Jesus
had mercifully ended?
These days we are no stranger
to such experiences and feelings.
People have witnessed loved ones
struggling just to breathe.
Many have agonized at the thought
of them suffering in hospitals and dying there.
And by force of circumstance,
their burials too–like the Lord’s–
have to be unceremoniously rushed:
no wakes, no flowers, no Masses.
Indeed we live in times so strangely like our Lord’s!
But we know what happened next.
On the third day, he would rise again.
The stone would be rolled away,
and Jesus would step out of his tomb–
changed, but also the same.
His risen body would shine,
even if it would remain a wounded body.
And because of his suffering, death, and resurrection,
this world too has been changed,
even if it still seems the same.
People would still make free choices–
even if often foolish and wrong.
Things would still go wrong,
like diseases and deaths.
It would still be a wounded world,
but this time, every nook and cranny–
even its darkest, most horrible corners–
would shimmer with the Risen Lord’s presence.
He will be there
if only we seek him.
These days we have been hiding away.
Actually, it feels more like
we have been hidden away.
With a large reluctant stone,
we’ve sealed the entrances and exits of our lives–
only for now, we hope…
In our newfound space and silence,
we wait and wonder:
“Who will roll away the stone for us?
And how long before that happens?”
Tradition has it that in those days
between Good Friday and Easter Sunday,
the Church had only one member:
Mary, the Mother of Jesus.
Only she waited in hope.
She had no idea
what she was waiting–or hoping–for.
But wasn’t it the same
when she said “Yes”
so many years ago
to the Angel of the Annunciation?
She waited and hoped
even if she wasn’t sure
exactly what loomed before her then.
Today, in these most uncertain and frightening of times,
Mary our Mother teaches us to wait in hope–
yes, even if and especially because
we have no idea what’s in store.
It is possible to be hopeful, brave, and loving
even if we are sad and afraid.
Let us pray that when the stone is rolled away,
we will be a changed and better people
even if like the Lord, we will still bear our wounds.
We hope that the world too
will likewise be a changed and better world.
Thank you for joining us in this
Way of the Cross in this Time of Pandemic.
At the start of every station,
you have been invited to
“behold your heart and the world that it holds.”
That is exactly what the Holy Father has done
in his extraordinary Urbi et Orbi blessing
on the 27th of March.
Walking through the empty square of St. Peter’s
that rainy early evening,
Pope Francis held the world in his heart
and carried us all in his prayer.
As we close our Way of the Cross,
let us join him in silent prayer,
beholding our heart and in it,
holding this shaken and frightened world in prayer.
With heads bowed,
let us accept his special blessing.
“Behold the Wood” (St. Louis Jesuits). Image for Station (Fratel Venzo).
“Pope Francis” (Vatican News)
Feel free to share your thoughts, questions, and prayers below.
If you wish, visit ENTRUST,
our virtual prayer wall.
Post your prayer intention there.
Share your prayers with our global faith community.
Click HERE.
It’s not too late
to join our online Palm Sunday Procession.
Go HERE.
Finally, thanks once again for joining us
in our Way of the Cross in a Time of Pandemic.
We will hold our annual online Holy Week Retreat
starting this Holy Thursday.
Check it out HERE.
29 replies on “XIV. Jesus is buried.”
Thank you, Fr Johny, for all the reflections which I find very helpful, relatable, challengings, and appropriate even after a year of pandemic. Congrats to the media team who prepared everything that we have underwent on this Way of the Cross.
THANK YOU, FR. JOHNNY.
God be with you always.
Dear Lord,
I hope that the lessons brought by this pandemic won’t be put to vain. May all of us learn a lesson from this extraordinary event. May everyone offer their sufferings to You in order for us to receive Your grace. I hope that each of us was able to hear Your soft voice amidst all the chaos caused by this pandemic. I hope that all of us will respond to Your call to become ‘wounded healers’ when all of this is over. May we all be responsible to ourselves, our neighbors and to our country. May we all be responsible in taking care of the Earth. All this I ask in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Mama Mary, refuge of sinners, pray for us.
Thank you for being God’s instrument in reflecting on the Father’s generosity in sending his only begotten Son to save us. You are truly God-sent!
Thank you Father for this Way of the Cross in this time of pandemic. My family and I followed your suggestion to not do it all at one go but to pray one station each day. It’s 2am Black Saturday and we just prayed the 14th Station after praying the rosary and Chaplet of Mercy. God bless you and keep you safe and healthy.
For the sake of His sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world. ?
Much appreciation and thanksgiving for all the unconventional reflections and thought provoking insights, Fr. Johny Go! Your choice of music video intertwined perfectly with the message you’re hitting through. May God bless you team and ministry now and forever!
Thank you Fr J and Team! It had been a grace-filled stations of the cross. The prayers, the reflections, the images, the songs, and invitations were so carefully selected and led everyone to a deep encounter with Jesus as we followed his steps to Calvary.
The wood of His Cross is a testament of the Jesus has for us all. Thank you Lord for carrying our crosses. May we in turn help others carry theirs. Amen.
Thank you for making us go through this journey. I am confident even morw now that if I give You control Lors all will be well. God bless us all.
Thank you po, for your wonderful reflections! God bless you and keep you safe and healthy!
Thank you, Fr. Johnny for leading us in prayer this Holy Week! Offered prayers for you and your team! Blessings!
Thank you for this meaningful Stations of the Cross, Fr. Johnny.
Thank you Fr Johnny for this opportunity to have this intimate moment with Jesus, especially during this time when everything seems to be so abnormal.
I would want to be able to go back to the station again, especially during my prayer time. Will you be archiving this?
Thank you.
Thank you Father John for your Stations of The Cross reflections! I always attend your talk either at Mary the Queen or Immaculate Concepcion! May Jesus continue to give you good health and the passion to write more for the Church!
God bless Father! May i ask you to please pray for Doreen who is a Person Undet Investigation for Covit 19. Also for Blessie to be healed of depression and for her to have a loving relationship with her Mother. Praying for you and all the priests here and abroad!
Monet Shaughnessy
Dear Fr. Johnny, thank you very much for this. It has been incredibly powerful for me not only because of the pandemic but also because I just lost my mom at the end of February. Suffering can be the crack that lets the light in; this meditation has been a light for me as I journey through my grief for my mom and for the world. May God bless you always.
My heart overflows with so much gratitude to our Lord for giving us this meaningful and faith-filled opportunity to take into heart His passion and death in this time of pandemic; to Mama Mary, for accompanying us in this journey filled with hope and courage; and to Fr. Johnny, for guiding us with his insightful, profound reflection points and well chosen music videos.
As we await in joyful hope for God’s redeeming love, may He find us all deserving of His mercy and faithfulness. We pray that He will restore us and transform us as we grow in holiness.
I wait, we wait and the world waits…HE is coming again in all His glory!
Thank you Fr. Johnny for this timely insightful way of the Cross. We are truly dismayed, scared, afraid of this pandemic and uncertainty of what is in store for us. But you have enlightened, encouraged us by your word of God’s compassion and mercy, of Mama Mary’s hope and availability . May we never allow despair to rule our lives but keep the faith in Jesus name. God bless has all.
Ely
Lord we know that through your grace we will be able to get through this trying times. Give us the strength and patience to wait for better days. May we all become a better version Of our selves. Through the intercession of our Blessed Mother Mary help us ?
I wait, dear Lord, for a new day, a new way of living as exemplified by the life You have given up for us. May the dawn of Easter bring much comfort and hope in all of us.
Mama Mary, let me be like you in waiting.
Thank you for this online Way of the Cross. It has been a great source of consolation. I have experienced much grief during this pandemic. And yes, I am afraid, and I don’t know what the future holds. Despite my fears and lingering uncertainties, indeed, it is possible to be hopeful, brave and loving. Learning from the Blessed Mother, I wait in hope. I pray to emerge a better person from this experience. Thank you, Fr Johnny, and God bless you.
Hi Father! Thank you so much for having us on this journey of reflection and hope. I am deeply grateful for and greatly comforted by the daily pockets of prayer (and song!) I’ve found in the last two weeks — not because the future is clearer now, but because we know that we can trust as the Lord did, and wait in hope with Mama Mary. ?
Thank you very much! 14 days we walked and prayed with you all.
Lord, yes, I am one with you in the tomb. The virus locks us inside. We can’t freely go out. Mama Mary, the model of hope in times of uncertainty we entrust ourselves to you. Let me make us of this period in evaluating my self in relation to God and others.
Lord Jesus, have mercy on us. in you we put our trust and hope.
Thank you father for guiding us in this spiritual journey. God bless po.
Thank you, Fr J, for coming up with this extraordinary Way of the Cross series. The reflections you provided helped make it a personal journey. It was humbling, seeing how much Jesus suffered for my sins, yet glorious knowing that He has redeemed me so I can share a new life with Him.
Immensely touched and inspired by the daily reflections on each Station of the Cross. Thank you for bringing the Stations to our homes. As we commemorate Christ’s sufferings and Resurrection this year in a most unusual way because of the pandemic, let us continue to pray and hope amidst the despair. God loves us all ?
Amen! Mama Mary, we too wait in hope.
Thank you for this Way of the Cross in a Time of Pandemic, an opportunity & experience to bring us closer to our Lord & grow in holiness.
Thank you, Fr. J, for your virtual Way of the Cross especially during this extraordinary time. It is indeed very timely. May the Holy Spirit continue to accompany us during the holiest week of the year and help us to become renewed Filipino Christians after the ECQ. Let us continue also to turn to Mary, our Mother of Hope, during this period of waiting and spiritual growth.
Thank you for this opportunity to have this intimate journey with Jesus’ passion during this pandemic time. A personal and meaningful experience indeed.
I just completed this ‘virtual’ way of the cross. It is very appropriate and relevant during these times while undergoing community lockdown. Much appreciated, FrJ and company. Thank you.
Thank you, Father Johnny. I’m glad that despite being stuck at home, my family and I were able to nourish and broaden our faith. Through this, we were able to journey in this difficult and trying time in reflection and meditation with Jesus. This was truly a meaningful experience that we will surely continue even when our day to day lives start returning to normal.