The Devotion in honour of the Burial of Our Lord.

Several readers have asked for more information about our devotions in honour of Our Lord's Burial.

We have had devotion in memory of the Burial of Our Lord for over 20 years. In early years we used some borrowed texts. But we do not use them now. As a result, the burial has been expressed through well known traditional Latin prayers that are part of our established spiritual life. This seems an improvement.

The devotion is a memorial (anamnesis) and logical completion of the day: Our Lord's Body is accompanind to the tomb. During the procession, His Passion is remembered yet again.

The devotion takes place like this:
1. After the Good Friday Liturgy the image of the Body of Our Lord is incensed and the Sixth Sorrow (1 Pater and 7 Aves) is said in memory of the descent of Our Lord's Body from the Cross. During this dolour, the people carrying relics of the Passion (Crown of Thorns, Nails etc.) prepare to form the cortege.

2. The procession departs reciting the first sorrowful mystery of the Rosary before reaching the station which is not far from the chapel.

3. At the station the body is placed on the way-side altar, it is incense and a lamentation from Matins is sung.

4. The procession resumes again and the sorrowful mysteries of the Holy Rosary are completed by the time everybody has entered into the sepulchre. Thus on the way to the tomb we are recalling the events of the Passion of Our Lord.

5. Inside the tomb the Body is incensed again; hymns concerning Our Lord's Passion are sung for as long as there are people to venerate the image by kissing it and anointing Our Lord's wounds with perfumed ointment.

6. Then the concluding section of the day's Passion from St. John is chanted.

7. Finally the Seventh Sorrow of the placing of Our Lord in the sepulchre is recited and the procession then returns slowly and silently back to the sacristy keeping the memory of Our Blessed Mother and the disciples leaving the tomb and returning home in mourning.