Station fourteen:Jesus is laid in the tomb

We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You.
Because by Your holy cross, You have redeemed the world.
 
It was Preparation day and the Sabbath was beginning to grow light. Meanwhile the women who had come from Galilee with Jesus were following behind. They took note of the tomb and how the body had been laid. Then they returned and prepared spices and ointments. And on the Sabbath day they rested, as the Law required.
Luke 23: 54-56
 
Jesus’s body is laid in the tomb. There is peace and stillness as the earth waits expectantly for the Son of Man to rise again. It is a time of waiting and hope for all creation, but one of uncertainty and despair for Jesus’s friends and followers.
 
Many forcibly displaced people seek asylum in foreign lands. Though many are in relative safety compared to their homeland or the journey they have just completed, they are still vulnerable and subject to policies and controls which make them destitute or put them into detention. This is a time of agonised waiting, not knowing if they will be recognised as ‘worthy’ of help. They may be allowed to stay and build a new life filled with hope, or they may be returned to their homeland and the danger that awaits them there.
 
We pray for all those who have sought safety away from their homes and wait for a decision upon their claims. We pray for a spirit of understanding and charity for those who are responsible for taking such decisions. May all who seek asylum be granted the opportunity to start a new life in safety, where they can use their gifts and talent to the benefit of their new lands.
 
I love you, Jesus, my love above all things,
And I repent with my whole heart of having offended you.
Never permit me to separate myself from you again,
Grant that I may love you always, and then do with me what you will.