Day of Silence

Holy Silence

“Holy Saturday should be a reminder to us that even those things which seem to be the worst tragedies are not always what they seem.”

Catholic Daily Reflections website, April 20, 2019)

Holy Saturday in Christendom is a day of silence. In the story of Jesus, it was his time in the tomb while the Hebrews honored the sabbath. The crucifixion shattered his community, and ended the hopes and dreams of his followers. They were in grief and fear—grief over his loss, and fear that they would be next to suffer the judgment of the Romans. The killing of Jesus, their messiah, was the worst possible tragedy for those who loved and believed him. But we all know that the story continues—with Easter, the resurrection, then Pentecost and the launch of a new religion. None of it was without tragedy, many of the original disciples were also killed, but what emerged has been a force for good (and, unfortunately, for bad) for two thousand years.

There is no life without tragedy. Every single one of us will encounter it along the way. The only way to get to resurrection is to endure the silence of the tomb, in whatever form that takes. We go through mini-deaths when we lose people we love. We grieve and we fear. We fear that life will never feel good again, that there will never be another person who can take the place of this one we loved so much. It is important to grieve loss. When we try to skip that piece, to skip over the silence of the tomb, we inevitably suffer later and longer. We can delay grief, but we cannot escape it any more than we could escape the ordeal of being born. In his poem, “A Servant of Servants,” Robert Frost gave us these lines that have been echoed in many songs over time: “He says the best way out is through.” It's true. When we have reason to grieve—the best way out is through.

Today, on this quiet, rainy Holy Saturday, I will plant some flowers in memory of my grandmother, Mama Richardson, who always cautioned me not to plant anything until after Good Friday. She was the best gardener I ever knew, so I take her advice to heart. I hope you will spend some time in holy silence today. Let the quiet wash over you and give you peace.

                                                      In the Spirit,

                                                            Jane