The Silence of Saturday

No doubt, this was a dark day.  So dark, that the only mention of the events of this day are these few verses in Matthew 27:

The next day, that is, after the day of Preparation, the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered before Pilate and said, “Sir, we remember how that impostor said, while he was still alive, ‘After three days I will rise.’ Therefore order the tomb to be made secure until the third day, lest his disciples go and steal him away and tell the people, ‘He has risen from the dead,’ and the last fraud will be worse than the first.” Pilate said to them, “You have a guard of soldiers. Go, make it as secure as you can.” So they went and made the tomb secure by sealing the stone and setting a guard.

 

Today, we find ourselves on a truly unique day in our Christian faith. We are caught between the defeat of Good Friday and the victory of Easter Sunday. We are on a time of reflection and doubt, a time of confusion and questioning. We are in the middle of Silent Saturday.

Silent Saturday is a day where we are reminded of the silence that must have filled the air on that day so long ago. It was a day between defeat and victory, a day where the disciples were left wondering what went wrong. They had seen their beloved Lord and teacher humiliated, beaten, and brutally put to death. They were shattered and deeply confused, they would have questioned everything they had believed in at that point, and they would have doubted. It was a day that was filled with uncertainty and fear, it was a day of silence, where the echo of Christ's final breath still resonated in the air.

It is during this time of waiting, this season of silence, that we must remember what Christ said to his disciples. Even though everything seemed bleak, even though they had just witnessed a horrific death, Jesus had promised that he would rise from the dead on the third day. We must remember that in our time of confusion and questioning, we can look forward to a better tomorrow. We must hold on to hope because we know that Sunday is coming.

Silent Saturday is an essential part of the Resurrection story for a reason. It is a time when we must allow ourselves to feel confused, to doubt what we have been taught, and to wonder. It is through these emotions that we will be able to appreciate the tremendous victory that Easter Sunday offers. Before we can celebrate the resurrection, we must sit in silent perplexity and learn from it.

Silent Saturday teaches us that sometimes, we must face tribulations before we can bask in triumphs. We must fall so that we can learn to dust ourselves off and rise. Like Christ's resurrection, we are promised our own rebirth after facing our own Good Fridays.

Perhaps you are going through a Silent Saturday of your own right now. Maybe you're struggling with a feeling of loss or defeat, confused and questioning why things are unfolding the way they are. We may be left asking God, "Why?" And it's okay if we do. We must remember the power in the silence and the strength in questioning. Sometimes, the only way we can move forward is to sit with our frustration, to embrace our doubts, and to listen in the stillness for the answer.

But as Christians, we must hold on to our faith knowing that God is with us, just as he was with the disciples on that Silent Saturday. Our faith reminds us that whatever happens, no matter how seemingly bleak the situation may become, our hope is in the Lord, who has already shown us the way.

As we sit in today's 'silent Saturday', let us allow ourselves to ask questions, and listen for God's answer in the quiet of our souls. May we learn the wisdom in the waiting because we know Sunday is coming, and with it, our redemption.

So, let us use this time of Silent Saturday to introspect, examine our faith, and get ready for Easter Sunday when we celebrate our triumphant Savior, who has risen from the dead.

May God Bless you all and have a blessed Saturday. Amen.