Day 8 – Jesus is Buried in the Tomb

Day 8 – Jesus is Buried in the Tomb

“I will heal them and lead them;  I will give full comfort to them and to those who mourn for them, I, the Creator, who gave them life.”  Isaiah 57:18

The Blessed Virgin Mary’s seventh and final sorrow is the burial of her Son in the tomb. We have entered into the sorrows of the Mary knowing that through them we are not mucking in the misery, but rather coming into a deeper joy. There is no human life without sorrow. We all experience travails, miseries, difficulties, sad moments, and frustrations; that’s just part and parcel of human life. But the beauty of looking at the life of the Blessed Virgin Mary is to see how she was able to transform her sorrows—which when you look on the scale of things were very significant—into the greatest of joys.

What distinguishes this sorrow from the preceding ones is the definitive nature of the loss. Whatever God has in store, she will never be able to go back to the way things were before, at Nazareth, with Jesus there. She has to release that, to allow herself to accept that loss, in order to receive the new gift God wants to give. This is not easy. And when we are faced with detachment in our own lives, Mary shows us the way.

The Virgin Mary shows us that happiness doesn’t consist in keeping control, but in relinquishing it to the Father. Though she doesn’t understand it, she trusts in His plan.  Once again, she says her “yes” to God, entrusting her Son to the Father as well as herself, knowing He will care for her.

Though her sorrow is still fresh, Mary recognizes that she has been given a new mission. She is now mother of John and of all Jesus’s followers. She is Queen of the Apostles. God will work through her to be the instrument to bring together all the Apostles after the death of our Lord. The first chapter of Acts tells us, “All these devoted themselves with one accord to prayer, together with some women, and Mary the mother of Jesus” (Acts 1:14). Mary became the catalyst for the joining together of the Church. She took on her new mission, she took on a new responsibility.

The Virgin Mary’s sorrows prepared her for this new mission. As a witness to Jesus’s life in the most intimate way, she also is able to witness to the transformative power of the Good News. In the years after Jesus’s Resurrection and Ascension into heaven, she continues to gather, form, pray with, and encourage the disciples (cf. Acts 1:14). As it was for Mary, witnessing to Christ’s love in this life will be our greatest glory in the life to come.

Questions to Ponder:

What are some instances where I have learned how to let go of people, situations and control, leaving all in the hands of God the Father?

How can I grow in my trust in him?

Prayer

Virgin Mary, Mother of Sorrows, but also Mother of Joy, you wrapped your Son in love before wrapping him in the Shroud. Teach me to let go and trust in the Father’s plan. Show me how to hold on to faith, hope and love. Guide me on the Way—your Son—toward the life He has in store for those who love him and keep his commandments. Mary, I renew again today my trust in the Father. By following your example, guide me through sorrows to deeper joy in my life, and to the happiness of eternal life forever in heaven. Amen.

Hail Mary…

Jesus, I trust in you!