Holy Saturday

Joseph of Arimathea took the body, wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, and placed it in his own new tomb...He rolled a big stone in front of the entrance to the tomb and went away. Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were sitting there opposite the tomb. (Matthew 27: 59 - 61)

Today is the great Sabbath rest as we await the Lord's resurrection. We wait with Jesus with the knowledge that he will rise, eager to share with us his joy. As we wait with Jesus we wait in hope, sure that new life will be born out of the many seemingly dead end situations in life. Resurrection life is not only something we look forward to in the distant future.

Today I will be speaking on the topic of Suffering: perspectives and responses that help us live 'between the times'. Holy Saturday is an appropriate day to approach such a topic. Many people find their lives a contradiction to the 'health and wealth' gospel that they are fed. The question that arises is 'why should we suffer this handicap...this emotional illness....this relational loss....if Jesus has died for us?'

Indeed as the Suffering Servant passages tell us, "By his wounds we are healed" (Isaiah 53: 5). What does this healing consist of? Yes, certainly we will receive new bodies in the life to come...to replace the frail ones we bear now. Yet even now, healing is available to us. As victims of unfortunate circumstances it is easy to become perpetrators as we react with anger, bitterness and cynicism, spilling the toxic poison to those around us. Today, in this time of quiet, the 'tomb' time, there is an opportunity for us to open ourselves up for God's 'creative' healing. There is an opportunity to sit opposite the tomb, like the women in the Gospel. In that still, quiet place, we are invited to look at our pain and suffering in a different light. We are invited to trust that something is at work in the darkness of our tomb. We are like the child in the womb, waiting in darkness, trusting that something creative is happening. Our time of 'birth' will come. In our sufferings, we are invited to respond appropriately, trusting in God's resurrection promises.

The resurrection happens when we respond to trials with patient trust knowing that our God loves us more than we can imagine. The resurrection happens when we allow compassion for the world to be birthed from our wounded hearts. The resurrection happens among God's people when the strong learn to embrace those who are weak.

In the waiting time this dark Saturday, let the darkness bring to fullness within us what God dearly desires for his beloved ones. And let us patiently await the birth of joy in our lives.