They wrapped him in a shroud, laid him in a tomb which had been hewn out of the rock. They rolled the stone against the tomb and all withdrew. ...Mark 15: 46
Then a member of the council arrived, an upright and virtuous man named Joseph. He had not consented to what the others had planned and carried out. He came from Arimathaea, a Jewish town, and he lived in the hope of seeing the kingdom of God. This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. He then took it down, wrapped it in a shroud and put him in a tomb which was hewn in stone in which no one had yet been laid. It was Preparation Day and the sabbath was imminent.
Meanwhile the women who had come from Galilee with Jesus were following behind. They took note of the tomb and of the position of the body. Then they returned and prepared spices and ointments. And on the sabbath day they rested, as the Law required.
Short Reflection: Little do we know
The universe is full of wonders and mysteries.How did it come to be and why is it there and why is it so big with trillions of stars and billions of miles seperating galaxies
Our faith too is full of mysterious wonders: the Death and Resurrection of Jesus is one of these wonders and it itself is full of unanswered questions. e.g. If Jesus was the Messiah, how could he have died like a criminal? Where did he go when he died, where was this Hades and where is Life in Glory?
The apostles, Mary, and the women, realised that they really knew very little about Jesus, and how his power worked. They knew, loved and trusted him but there were so many questions that confused them too. If he was really God the Father's Son, how could he now be dead? Was he now only a loved memory - but just that? When they committed Jesus to the tomb that day, they wondered about the meaning of it all -as indeed do we today.
On a day like today or whenever we have a death in the family or among friends, especially among young people, we are forced to reflect on the fragility of life and on when will our turn come. Nobody has yet managed to escape the experience!
What, who or where is Heaven? What do we really know about the afterlife? Is Jesus, and/or our relatives who have passed on before us, waiting for us there? Will they be there to beckon us on, welcome us home? What do 'near death experiences' tell us? Why could'nt Jesus have told us more? Can you trust God with the afterlife?
The scripture says, 'Eye hath not seen or ear heard nor hath it entered into the heart of man what things God has prepared for those who love him.' Yet it is good to reflect on that Jesus saying , 'I must go and prepare a place for you in heaven.', But what d He mean?
Story: The doctor's insight
Old Pete was dying with a severe heart attack in the nursing home. The consultant was called, he was a trusted friend of Petes. They had often gone fishing together. All the nurses and helpers were doing their best but to no avail. Pete knew the score and asked to talk with the doctor alone. They all left the two alone.
'Harold tell me the truth', said Pete, 'when I die what will happen next?' Dr Harold said, 'I suppose they will prepare your body for the mortician and funeral.' 'No, I don't mean that, that doesn't worry me. It's the God and Judgement thing, I worried about. In fact I'm terrified.' The doctor said, 'Pete, I've known you for years since your wife died and you always seemed like a good man to me. Would you like me to get the priest for you? 'NO! I need you to tell me, man to man, what you think God is like, I'm just about to meet him and I'm really afraid, Pete said.
'Ok' said Harold, 'this how I see it, you know my dog, Rex? Whenever I go into a house, he knows he is not allowed in. Rex just sits outside and waits and as soon as he hears me coming out he gets excited and starts barking and jumps around with joy. He is so happy to be back in my company.
If I open the door all Rex wants to do is rush in to be with me. That's how I see God. No matter how many times I leave him, ignore or neglect him, he is still always happy to see me. I think God will be so happy to see you when you go to him. It will be like being reunited with pure love.' They say that God wanted to give mankind a sign of his unconditional love and thats why he made dogs. I think you will do fine with God.'
Changing: William Henry Davies
William Henry Davies was born in Newport, Monmouthshire, Wales, the son of a publican. He finished school under a cloud at the age of 15, having been given twelve strokes of the birch for shoplifting with a gang of school-mates. He never settled into any regular work. He was a difficult and somewhat delinquent young man. He eventually left Newport, took casual work and started to travel. His Autobiography of a Super-Tramp, published in 1908, covers his life in the USA between 1893 and 1899, and includes many adventures and characters from his travels as a drifter. He travelled through many of the States, sometimes begging, sometimes taking seasonal work, but often ending up spending any savings on a drinking spree with a fellow traveller. At one stage, on his way to Memphis, Tennessee he lay alone in a swamp for three days and nights suffering from malaria.When he had recovered he travelled to New York and then to the Klondike.
Attempting to jump a freight train at Renfrew, Ontario Davies lost his footing and his right foot was crushed under the wheels of the train. The leg later had to be amputated below the knee and he wore a wooden leg thereafter. His biographers have agreed that the significance of the accident should not be underestimated, even though Davies himself played down the story. In his poem "The Fog", published in the 1913, a blind man leads the poet through the fog, showing the reader that one who is handicapped in one domain may well have a considerable advantage in another. Davies first poems were published when he was 34. Most of his poetry is on the subject of nature or life on the road and exhibits a natural simple, earthy style - yet full of insight. He found his salvation in the contemplation of nature around him.
What is this life?
What is this life, if full of care We have no time to stand and stare? No time to stand beneath the boughs And stare as long as sheep and cows, No time to see, when woods we pass Where squirrels hide their nuts in grass. No time to see, in broad daylight Streams full of stars, like skies at night, No time to turn at beauty's glance And watch her feet, how they can dance; No time to wait till her mouth can Enrich that smile her eyes began? A poor life this if full of care We have no time to stand and stare! William Henry Davies
A Gentle call to action:
Play some quiet classical music, think of Jesus’ death, his time in the tomb, his waiting on his Father’s call to resurrection.
Imagine the power of life returning to his body, but it feels different, richer , puer, more powerful, more focused, more Godly, more glorious, more how it was before he first came to earth as a child when he created the world with the Father and Spirit. It was good to be back.
If today is a quiet day for you, visit a cemetery, stand among the monuments and pray for deceased members of your family and others who have no one to pray for them.
If you have the care of Children you could check out our Lent for Children/Holy Week/ Easter site or the Stations of Light devotion for Easter Sunday
Prayer
Almighty and ever-living God and Parent, whose Only begotten Son descended to the realm of the dead, and rose from there to glory, we praise you.
Grant that your faithful people, who were buried with him in baptism may, by his resurrection and his Spirit, obtain eternal life with you, their families and friends.
Amen
Prayer image of the Day
"Since it was the Jewish Day of Preparation and the tomb was near at hand, they laid Jesus there" ...John 19: 42
"Today a great silence reigns on earth, a great silence and a great stillness. A great silence because the King is asleep. The earth trembled and is still because God has fallen asleep in the flesh and he has raised up all who have slept ever since the world began. . .
He has gone to search for Adam, our first father,as for a lost sheep." Greatly desiring to visit those who live in darkness and in the shadow of death, he has gone to free from sorrow Adam in his bonds and Eve, captive with him - He who is both their God and the son of Eve. . . "I am your God, who for your sake have become your son. . .
I order you, O sleeper, to awake. I did not create you to be a prisoner in hell. Rise from the dead, for I am the life of the dead." (Catechism, Profession of Faith, 635)
The universe is full of wonders and mysteries.How did it come to be and why is it there and why is it so big with trillions of stars and billions of miles seperating galaxies
The doctor said, 'Pete, I've known you for years since your wife died and you always seemed like a good man to me. Would you like me to get the priest for you? 
William Henry Davies was born in Newport, Monmouthshire, Wales, the son of a publican. He finished school under a cloud at the age of 15, having been given twelve strokes of the birch for shoplifting with a gang of school-mates. He never settled into any regular work. He was a difficult and somewhat delinquent young man. He eventually left Newport, took casual work and started to travel. His Autobiography of a Super-Tramp, published in 1908, covers his life in the USA between 1893 and 1899, and includes many adventures and characters from his travels as a drifter. He travelled through many of the States, sometimes begging, sometimes taking seasonal work, but often ending up spending any savings on a drinking spree with a fellow traveller. At one stage, on his way to Memphis, Tennessee he lay alone in a swamp for three days and nights suffering from malaria.When he had recovered he travelled to New York and then to the Klondike.
