Holy Saturday: Day of Silence & Hope

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Accompanying…In Silence & Hope

After the storm, there is calm. Similarly, after Good Friday, there is Holy Saturday, a day of great silence. It is the day that the disciples of Jesus stood in shock, fear, mourning and utter desolation as their Lifeline was taken away. Everything is over with Good Friday; that was their feeling. The onslaught of COVID 19 has overwhelmed humanity leading to lockdown world around. There is silence everywhere: it is a silence of fear, perplexity, mourning, solidarity, and hope.

On Holy Saturday we turn our eyes to Mother Mary who accompanied Jesus from the womb to the tomb. What would be her sentiments today? Like any mother, Mary might have had the pain of the death of her Son and she might have cried. Pope Francis refers to the weeping of Jesus at the death of Lazarus says, “I think of so many people crying: isolated people in quarantine, lonely elderly people, hospitalized people, people in therapy, parents who see that since there is no salary they will not be able to feed their children” (Pope Francis). Today along with Mary, we too cry in silence as we accompany the victims of COVID 19.

Holy Saturday is also a day of hope. Mother Mary is the binding presence that provides continuity between the death of Jesus and the resurrection. From the day she said ‘yes’ to God, she went through different kinds of suffering, loneliness, rejections, and confusion which culminated at the loss of her own son. But she remained steadfast. In Mother Mary who pondered and treasured in her heart all that happened in her life, we have a perfect example of finding a way through in life’s darkest moments. “The experience of a hidden God cannot always be avoided, but even in the depths of darkness when God seems concealed, the transforming light of God is able to shine. God labors intensely in this hiddenness” (General Congregation 35: 2.7). Let us walk with Mother Mary in hope and draw inspiration from her so as to see a silver lining among the dark clouds.
(Source: LIFELINE an online Retreat 2020 by JCSA)

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