After this, Joseph of Arimathea, secretly a disciple of Jesus for the fear of the Jews, asked Pilate if he could remove the body of Jesus. And Pilate permitted it. So he came and took his body.

John 19:38

Pilate does nothing to keep Jesus from crucifixion but he does allow Jesus’ body to be placed in a tomb. This was a great act of mercy on his part. Usually, crucified corpses were left to hang on a cross to be devoured by birds and other animals. They remained as a symbol of what happened to people who opposed Rome.

Why did Pilate allow the body of Jesus to be buried? We do not know. Perhaps Pilate’s conscience bothered him because he knew he had failed to do his job; he had failed to rule justly.

While we will all sometimes fail in our responsibilities, we have a choice when we fail. We can listen to our conscience, repent, and do what is right — or we can try to ignore the poor decision. Pray today for the grace to listen to your conscience when you know you have failed to take responsibility.