Our lives are spent in anticipation of resurrection, both in the present life and in the one that is to come. In a way, our entire lives are a kind of a theological purgatory, as we await our own resurrection in Christ. We are stuck in Holy Saturday until we can find our way to the other side.
Something strange is happening in this passage from the Gospel of Luke. We witness a brief flurry of activity before the silence and stillness of the sabbath descend in the aftermath of trauma. Perhaps we can learn something about coping with suffering from this faithful observance of the day of rest.
Holy Saturday is a day of waiting. It’s a day to spend some time contemplating and praying and most of all watching with those who are suffering, whether physically, mentally, spiritually, or emotionally.
Instead of focusing on dyeing Easter Eggs or doing the church flowers, I will be thinking about Jesus knowing true separation from God so that he could bring us all closer to God.