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Station 13: Jesus is taken down from the cross
Immortal love …
“After this, Joseph of Arimathea, secretly a disciple of Jesus for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate if he could remove the body of Jesus. And Pilate permitted it. So he came and took his body.” (John 19:38)
The image of the Pieta comes to mind, the image of Mater Dolorosa, the Mother of Sorrows. Jesus is taken down from the cross and placed in the arms of his mother. An adult human being, lifeless in the same arms that once carried Him and the womb that gave birth to him. A mother weeps for her child who she has brought to life and cared for years, with whom she had shared countless hours of joy. She is a picture of unspeakable grief, indescribable tenderness, and wordless despair.
Mary, the mother, loves with her whole being beyond physical death. So much is expressed in this silent embrace: it is the image of a love for which bodily death is not a barrier and does not mean the end. Continue Reading