place must needs be found among the least of all the members of Thy Body.
CHAPTER XXXV
☙ Of the adorable Burial of the Lord Jesus
O LORD JESUS CHRIST, sweet Savour of life, and Brightness of the everlasting day, I bless Thee, and give thanks SJ to Thee, for the careful preparing with precious spices of Thy sacred Body for Its burial. This was not indeed needful for warding off corruption; but Thou didst accept it as showing the devotion of Thy friends, and as being in accordance with Jewish custom — witness the instances of like burial recorded of certain of the Patriarchs and Kings.
I praise and glorify Thee, for the loving enwrapment of Thy sacred Body in a clean linen cloth, and for the respectful binding round of Thy everblessed Head with a pure white napkin, which was afterwards found in the Holy Sepulchre.
I praise and glorify Thee for the removal, amid many tears, of Thy Body to the place of Its burial; for the reverence with which It was placed there; for Thy condescension in lying in the new tomb hewn out of a rock, which was provided for Thee by Joseph, a noble counsellor; where, because the hour was late. Thou wast, by Thy weeping friends, honourably buried, and wast tightly closed up therein with a heavy stone.
Rejoice and be glad, O venerable Joseph, that so pious an office was thine, and that thou wast able to do this charitable work for Christ. I
