Sunday, March 15, 2026: The Thirteenth Station: 

Jesus’ Body is Removed from the Cross

Scripture: Matthew 27:57-58

When it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathe´a, named Joseph, who also was a disciple of Jesus. He went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate ordered it to be given to him.

Reflection:

“Then Jesus, crying with a loud voice, said, “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.” Having said this, he breathed his last.” When Jesus dies on the cross; many people might interpret this as Jesus giving up. He’s over fighting to stay alive for these people who don’t seem to care that he lives or dies. But in my interpretation, it was his last act of unconditional love.

PRAYER:

We are filled with sorrow thinking of Mary cradling your lifeless body. Too many mothers and fathers today suffer the deaths of children due to the forces of injustice, including the violence of forced migration. Help us remember and honor the countless, unnamed many who die on the journey to safety, and especially the parents who mourn.

Story:

Jamillah was a Ugandan migrant who died in the Mexican border town of Ciudad Juarez while hoping to find safety in the United States. Her death alone in a public hospital halfway across the world from her family was unexpected, unnecessary, and unjust. Her body laid in the morgue in Ciudad Juarez for 9 months while her family and local advocates collaborated so that she could have a proper Muslim burial.

Muslim communities and nonprofits who had never even met her mobilized to raise funds and advocate for release of her body. When it became impossible to repatriate her remains, communities in Juarez and El Paso came together to honor her life and family’s wishes. Under the scorching sun, people across continents gathered in person and via Zoom to say goodbye.

“It was a powerful moment, one I will carry with me forever,” writes Edith Tapia, an advocate present at the burial. “I was overwhelmed by the solidarity and kindness of everyone who was present, and everyone whomade the moment possible.”

- From the testimony of an advocate in the CLINIC network