Tractatus Prior, Pars Altera, Cap. 34. De veneranda sepultura Domini lesu,

Tractatus Prior, Pars Altera, Cap. 34. De veneranda sepultura Domini lesu,

I bless you and give thanks to you, Lord Jesus Christ, fragrant life, brightness of eternal light, for your most delightful burial with precious spices; although it was not necessary for you to ward off corruption, it was nonetheless greatly accepted out of the devotion of those who serve you, and it was also fitting to be admitted according to the Jewish custom, as is read of certain patriarchs and kings buried in such a manner. I praise and honor you for the careful wrapping of your sacred body in a clean linen cloth, and for the proper covering of your blessed head with a white and pure shroud, which was later found in the holy tomb. I praise and glorify you for your sorrowful burial at the place of your sepulcher, for the reverent laying down of your body and your humble reclining in the new tomb hewn from rock, given to you by the noble councilor Joseph, where, since it was late, you were honorably buried with many tears and firmly sealed under a great stone. Rejoice, venerable Joseph, for your great act of piety and for such a sublime work of love in Christ. I thank you very much and commend your nobility, because you have done this most honorable deed, for you not only sought permission from Pilate to bury Him, but you also opened your own tomb, which you had prepared for Him to rest in after death. O how greatly God valued you, that He chose to be buried with you rather than in any other place in the world, where indeed all the ends of the earth and the regions of heaven are under His power. I tell you, most distinguished of men, that from now on you will be honored before God and among people as long as the world stands and the number of the faithful flourishes. This venerable tomb will be more honored than all the tombs of saints and kings, more glorious and renowned, and celebrated throughout the whole world. Many pilgrims will come to this holy place from the farthest corners of the earth and will worship here, where the Body of the Lord rested. Here, then, Jesus was buried; here, He was placed on the cross; here, He was mourned by the women; here, He was guarded by soldiers; here, Christ rose on the third day; here, Jesus appeared to Mary Magdalene; here, an angel of the Lord appeared from heaven; here, the guards of the tomb were terrified and became like dead men. So you should also stay here a little while by the tomb, to mourn with the women for the Lord Jesus, who was buried for you. It's fitting to express the duty of mourning for Him, from whom you desire to receive the reward of eternal joy. So consider how deeply all the faithful of Christ were grieving at that time, especially the holy women, when they saw Jesus being taken away from them and laid in the tomb, for whose love they had disregarded everything. They had followed Him through the vastness of the earth, having devoted themselves so often with their resources, and they loved Him so much that they could hardly bear to be separated from His sweet presence, even for a little while, with whom they wished to live forever and joyfully converse. Indeed, the greater the love was, the more intense the sorrow became. Above all, the minds of the sorrowful were troubled, because the hope of rising again seemed taken away, and their faith was in a way buried with Jesus in the tomb. There was no consolation left for the miserable, except to mourn the dead or to prepare spices, so that if they could not raise the dead, at least they could preserve him from corruption with their most faithful anointing. But you holy and devout women who love Christ with unceasing affection, don’t weep too much, don’t despair completely; remember the words of Jesus that He foretold, and wait a little while, for after three days He will undoubtedly rise again. Then you will see him in great clarity and the joy of your hearts, whom you now mourn as buried in weakness and sorrow. Then. There will be a new joy for all his friends, but now they are deeply saddened as they speak about his death and burial. Your anointing won't be necessary for him at that time, because rising from the dead, he will appear in the highest glory. For he will be clothed with the robe of immortality, and death will no longer have power over him. Learn, too, to reflect fruitfully on the burial of Jesus regarding the dissolution of your own body: It is necessary for the earth to receive what you have taken from it; you are dust, and to dust you shall return.^✦ So why are you so proud, when soon you'll be reduced to decay and buried in the ground? What do you quickly desire in this world, which will soon be cast away and trampled underfoot by men? Therefore, seeing the graves of the dead, remember that you are to join them soon. There, indeed, is a house established for every living being. There, the rich and the poor will lie together on a common bed, prostrated, content with a small space of earth. There, the noble person is not distinguished from the ignoble, nor is the weak trampled by the stronger. There, money won't benefit the greedy, nor will clever deceit help the cunning. There, the delicacy will be the food of worms, and once beautiful in its robe, a heavy stench will fill the nostrils. There, the height of men will be humbled, and the praise of the proud will vanish. Look how every mortal being tends toward nothingness, and how all flesh, corrupted by sin, returns to its origin. Therefore, strive to live in such a way that you mortify the deeds of the flesh by the Spirit, so that your decaying body may earn your soul a happy rest in peace. If you're living today in sorrow and hardship, you'll have a holy rest on the Sabbath and then a most joyful Easter in the resurrection of the righteous. The more strictly you live in this world, the more peacefully you'll rest in the grave. The more firmly you cling to the cross now, the more securely you'll reach Christ. The more bitterly you lament your sins now, the less you leave behind to be burned by avenging flames. Mourn, mourn, while there is still time for grace, while the door of mercy is open, while repentance is accepted by God, and redemption is abundant with Him. Mourn also the miserable state of the world and the great softness of humanity, since so few are found to be true imitators of the Crucified, while so many grow cold from spiritual fervor. Let your daily practice be to meditate on Jesus Christ, and always place this crucified one before you; do not turn away from the cross of Jesus, but enter the tomb with him, living and dying, so that when Christ, your life, appears, you may rise with him in glory. Amen. On the Resurrection, prayers are divided into two parts. On the Resurrection of Christ and His Appearances.