Praying at the tomb



The Church has an ancient tradition of "praying at the tomb" in the parish churches after the Good Friday liturgy until the celebration of the Easter Vigil.  The churches are stripped of all sacramentals such as holy water and even the altar is stripped.  The tabernacle lamp is extinguished and the tabernacle door is left open.  All of these symbolizes the death of Christ, Who lay dead in the tomb for three days.  Only the Cross used for adoration surrounded by candles remains in the Church.   It is a time for quiet prayer and deep meditation on the depth of God's love for us.  Since many of the churches are not open due to the epidemic, I encourage you to find some quiet time at home today to pray in gratitude for the saving Passion and Death of Our Lord.  One possible set of prayers to pray is this reflection on the Last Words of Christ from the Magnificat  devotional magazine.  (The photo above is St. Peter' Church in New Richmond).

We can also reflect on the sorrow of those who stayed by the Cross, especially the Blessed Virgin Mary, St. John and Mary Magdalene.

These YouTube videos provide traditional inspirational music for these days:
O Sacred Head Surrounded, and the Stabat Mater.

The image below is one of my favorites, the Pieta by Van Dyck.

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