“GENEROUS LENT 2017”
Lenten Reflections
Saturday, 15th April 2017,
Holy Week
SACRED PASCHAL TRIDUUM - HOLY SATURDAY
WAITING IN SILENCE
At His death, the whole creation reacted. Earth trembled, darkness covered the whole land, the sun grew dull (Lk 23: 44-45)... and now all is still. Today the church invites us to wait at the Lord’s tomb, meditating upon His passion, death and descent into the dead, awaiting in prayer and fasting, His resurrection. Mother Mary is with us, who still ponders all this in her heart (Lk 2:19).
The Savior has died. He rests in the tomb. Many hearts were filled with uncontrollable grief and confusion. Was He really gone? Had all their hopes been shattered? These and many other thoughts of despair filled the minds and hearts of so many who loved and followed Jesus.
Jesus descended to the land of the dead, to all the holy souls who had gone before Him, so as to bring them His gift of salvation. He brought His gift of mercy and redemption to Moses, Abraham, the prophets and so many others. This was a day of great joy for them. But a day of great sorrow and confusion for those who watched their Messiah die on the Cross. Jesus was accomplishing His act of redemption, the greatest act of love ever known, and so many were in complete confusion and despair. It shows that God’s ways are so far above our own ways. What appeared to be a great loss actually turned into the most glorious triumph ever known.
So it is with our lives. Holy Saturday should be a reminder to us that even those things which seem to be the worst of tragedies are not always what they seem. God the Son was obviously doing great things as He laid in the tomb. He was accomplishing His mission of redemption. He was changing lives and pouring forth grace and mercy. The message of Holy Saturday is clear. It’s a message of hope. Hope and trust in God’s perfect plan. Hope in the fact that God always has a greater purpose. Hope in the fact that God uses suffering and, in this case, death as a powerful instrument of salvation.
Today our cities, towns are full of noise. There is noise in the skies and on the roads, noise at home and even in the churches. And above all there is noise in our minds and hearts. We need to create silence, because the Word of God is not heard in the noise of today. There can be no real relationship with God, there can be no real meeting with God without silence. Silence prepares us to meet God and follows it. In silence the Saviour speaks to us. He tells us something special, something very precious. What is that…let me listen to him very keenly. Perhaps he is telling me I LOVE YOU.
Prayer: Lord, I thank You for this day of silence as we await Your Resurrection. May I also await Your triumph in my life. Help me to see my struggles through the lens of Holy Saturday, remembering that You are faithful in all things and that the Resurrection is always assured to those who put their trust in You. Jesus, I do trust in You. Amen.
