We are now entering the Holy Triduum, the three days which begin with Maundy Thursday, ending with the earliest celebrations of the Resurrection. The greatest mystery to me within the Triduum has always been Holy Saturday — what to make of it, and what to do.
What is there we can do on Holy Saturday? Nothing. There is absolutely nothing we can do on Holy Saturday, and that is the point. It is a day of desolation and nothingness, a day of darkness and utter emptiness. On this day, Christ lies in the tomb. He is dead and gone, and there is nothing we can do about it, for we are the ones who put him there.
Holy Saturday represents the ultimate end result of our human machinations and efforts. God has come to us in order to save us, and we have killed our Savior. There is nothing to do now except wait… and waiting is the hardest part in this instant age. Holy Saturday is the silent pause between what we have done and what God will do – what only God can do.
On this day God is silent, yet God is still at work. Scripture tells us Holy Saturday is the day Christ descended and ministered to those in Hades, or the place of the dead (1 Peter 3:19, Ephesians 4:9-10). This is not a trivial or side matter, which is why “He descended to the dead” finds mention in the Apostles’ Creed. Christ goes to Hades not as a victim, but as a victor.
God’s great reversal begins here. Christ is crucified, and Satan and the forces of evil think they have won the day. Yet the crucified one turns right around in what can rightly be thought of as a one man rescue mission into enemy headquarters! He storms the place to free those held captive. Tradition affirms that Christ led Adam and Eve out by hand. This is significant too, for we are the spiritual children of Adam and Eve and the Fall.
On this day, Christ’s dead body remains in the tomb. Yet on this day the redemptive work of God goes on in powerful ways. The trouble is we can’t see it. What Holy Saturday represents to me more and more is the hidden working of God, in all times and situations.
Did Jesus Really Rise?
Facebook is good for some things after all… I saw this posting from a friend and thought I’d pass it along: http://www.alisachilders.com/blog/did-jesus-really-rise-from-the-dead-a-historian-an-atheist-a-skeptic-a-theologian-and-an-ex-con-weigh-in
My favorite part comes from Chuck Colson, ex-Watergate villain who turned into a follower of Jesus. Talking about the possibility of a lie or resurrection conspiracy, he writes:
The real cover-up, the lie, could only be held together for two weeks, and then everybody else jumped ship in order to save themselves. Now, the fact is that all that those around the President [Nixon] were facing was embarrassment, maybe prison. Nobody’s life was at stake.
But what about the disciples? Twelve powerless men, peasants really, were facing not just embarrassment or political disgrace, but beatings, stonings, execution. Every single one of the disciples insisted, to their dying breaths, that they had physically seen Jesus bodily raised from the dead. Don’t you think that one of those apostles would have cracked before being beheaded or stoned? That one of them would have made a deal with the authorities? None did.
See you Sunday!
