14 - Jesus is Placed in the Tomb

Remember the Angel's words to Mary: 'the Lord is with thee'?  Separated by death, but still within the reach of prayer, Mary holds on to the hand of her son and God for as long as she can.  The Apostle John stands with her, having been appointed by Jesus to remain close.  And so the artist portrays the early gestation of Jesus' new church.  Mary and John represent the chosen agents of the Church, but with them stand two new-comers, Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus, who'd previously been too cautious to show allegiance.  They represent the many who come to hear the Gospel and accept it, the ordinary faithful, who sooner or later, make a positive choice to trust that Jesus knows best after all.

Let's pray for the courage to bear witness to Jesus - 'the way, and the truth, and the life' (John 14:6), and to do so in how we live out our lives.  And let's draw grace from the sacrifice that Jesus made in His holy body; let's do that through the action of the Church that He left us.