Saturday, March 30, 2013

Waiting in the void - Reflection on Holy Saturday

Imagine what it was like today for disciples.  We are lucky, we know what tomorrow brings.  We know that He is here with us in the tabernacle, but they didn't know that.  To us Easter is great.  We have a beautiful Mass, dinner with our families, and chocolate Easter bunnies.  But imagine what Easter was for the Apostles.  The two days before had been a nightmare culminating with the horrific death their Messiah and friend.  We know how much Jesus loved them and when a loved one like that dies and leaves us it creates such a hole in our souls.  Imagine then what it's like if you have been walking, talking, and learning the God who is love itself, the hole would be a chasm.  Imagine the fear and doubt, what will happen next?  And then you remember Lazarus and some of the other things Christ said.  Didn't he say something about dying,  and whatHe said about the Temple.  Peter remembers what Christ told him during the Last Supper and gathers them all to wait.  

How sad and frightened they must be.  They have Mary with them and that is a comfort to them.  They wait on her and hold her hand, but is calm.  She has an inner peace that comforts them as they comfort her.  Some can't stay, two have to set out for Emmaus.  What will tomorrow bring for them?  Imagine you simply had to sit there and wait.  You believe still in your heart that Jesus is the Son of God, you have seen Him have power over death, but what happens tomorrow has never happened before.  How could you imagine what is about to happen?  The fathers of our faith had to wait in faith.  They had to believe that Christ wasn't simply a prophet, so they waited to see what would happen.

We know what happened and yet we doubt what God can and is doing in our lives.  We don't know what God will ask of us so we too have to sit and wait in faith.  But we must be convinced in our hearts that the God who died for us and rose again will lead us home, if we only follow Him.

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