The Great three days of the Easter Tridium, Good Friday, Holy Saturday and Easter Sunday speak deeply to this time of grace humanity is experiencing. The suffering of Good Friday, the silent waiting on Holy Saturday and the future of hope on Easter Sunday. Let's look at each and how they can give us hope in this challenging time.
Good Friday
The crucifixion of Jesus is a profoundly moving tragedy. His story is full of the very things that are shocking to us: false accusation, betrayal, assault, mockery, bullying, torture, and brutal murder. It is a conflicted image to look at because within the suffering is sacrifice and love.
On Friday, we are invited to gaze upon this conflicting image to soften our hearts towards suffering and grief, knowing that God shares in it without hesitation or limit. Our pain is God's pain.
This gazing, or contemplating is essential work and should never be underestimated or ignored. Deep contemplation upon the mystery of divine and human suffering leads to newfound compassion and understanding, which is vital at this juncture in human history. Without compassion, we become self-orientated, even self-obsessed; the very things we need to avoid in times of isolation.
Holy Saturday
Holy Saturday is just as crucial to the story Good Friday or Easter Sunday. It is the time if silent waiting. Of yearning. Of being unmoored or untethered. That though which all of creation is made and connected is dead...absent. The creator is suddenly unconnected form creation.
What happens next? That's the question of Holy Saturday, and it is our question now.
This feeling of being unmoored is a globally shared sensation in this time of grace. There is very little of our lives that have not been upended. But there is one thing that we do know...the sun will rise tomorrow.
Easter Sunday
On Sunday, we are greeted with grief transfigured into hope in the resurrected Christ. The suffering and pain of Friday and the hopelessness of Saturday are transformed forever into hope and joy in Easter Sunday.
We are resurrection people!
We are people that can take the pain and stare it down with passion and love, knowing that it is transfigured in Christ by the resurrection. We are people that have a story of love to tell. We are able to say to the world that the sun will rise tomorrow and that humanity is never abandoned. We can speak of a future to our neighbours that is stronger, more loving, and more compassionate.
In this time of grace we too are being resurrected; being transformed into the image of God from one moment of God's presence to the next.
Go in peace to tell the story of resurrection in your lives.