HOLY SATURDAY EVE

SATURDAY HOLY WEEK 2020

A REFLECTION FOR EASTER EVE

“When it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who was a disciple of Jesus. He went o Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus; then Pilate ordered it to be given to him. So Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen cloth and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn in the rock. He then rolled a great stone to the door of the tomb and went away. Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were there, sitting opposite the tomb.” (Matthew 27:57-61)

So, there it is, the ugly shape of beautiful wood, rough hewn by human hands.

LORD, WHERE ARE YOU NOW?

And there it is, a tight shut tomb, a borrowed grave, sealed with stone and silence.

LORD, WHERE ARE YOU NOW?

And there it is, your broken body, shrouded in linen, clothed in darkness.

LORD, WHERE ARE YOU NOW?

And somewhere stand your people, crying, weary of crying, they will not sleep tonight.

LORD, WHERE ARE YOU NOW?

And here we are, saying, “if only”, recognizing to late what our sin has cost.

And so, we wait............................

Mary Magdalene and the other Mary sit opposite the huge stone.

They are powerless; they can do nothing to change what has happened.

All they can do is wait.

For all who have walked through the valley of the shadow of death, for all who have watched a loved one die, this is a familiar place.

It is the kind of waiting we know between death and a funeral.

We may feel numb, cold, empty. It may feel like a nightmare, we can hardly believe it has happened.

In all our losses..redundancy, illness, separation..we come closer to the depths of sadness and pain, sometimes of despair and hopelessness.

So, this night we sit with all the Mary’s, all the Peter’s and keep vigil, remembering those we have known and lost.

SILENCE

Be still, my soul: the Lord is on your side; bear patiently the cross of grief or pain; leave to your God to order and provide; in ev'ry change he faithful will remain. Be still, my soul: your best, your heav'nly Friend through thorny ways leads to a joyful end.

Be still, my soul: your God will undertake to guide the future as he has the past. Your hope, your confidence let nothing shake; all now mysterious shall be bright at last. Be still, my soul: the waves and winds still know his voice who ruled them while he dwelt below.

Be still, my soul: when dearest friends depart, and all is darkened in the vale of tears, then shall you better know his love, his heart, who comes to soothe your sorrow and your fears. Be still, my soul: your Jesus can repay from his own fullness all he takes away.

Be still, my soul: the hour is hast'ning on when we shall be forever with the Lord, when disappointment, grief, and fear are gone, sorrow forgot, love's purest joys restored. Be still, my soul: when change and tears are past, all safe and blessed we shall meet at last.