This day rests in between. The tragedy of Good Friday behind us and the triumph of Easter still to come. We have the luxury of knowing the end of the story. Can you imagine the disciples on this day? I bet they paced back and forth replaying their regret. Disappointment resulted from not standing with Jesus and all the hope of a kingdom now laid dead in a tomb.
Like the disciples, we wait. Hoping a Savior will emerge in the mundane and ordinary. Retracing our steps of “should have’s.” Waiting welcomes us back to the precarious in between. The pain remains fresh from the past while we still hope for Christ to triumph. Sometimes He seems silent and other times distant. Physically, emotionally, or spiritually, we pace back and forth.
I recently come across the words of Pope Benedict XVI. He reflected on being born on April 16, 1927, Holy Saturday. And he says this:
To be sure, it was not Easter Sunday but Holy Saturday, but, the more I reflect on it, the more this seems to be fitting for the nature of our human life: we are still awaiting Easter; we are not yet standing in the full light but walking toward it full of trust.
Easter is coming, but to some degree we live in the midst of Holy Saturday. The waiting seasons of life teach us to trust. Mangled in our lives the feelings of doubt, disappointment, and pain bring us to Jesus Christ. Not merely that the story will end well, but He is who He says He is. Faith directed towards a Savior learning to wait and to walk towards the light.
Good Friday and Holy Saturday prepare us for Easter. Not just out of the tradition, but because this season echoes life on this side of eternity. Embrace today, because we are learning to trust the Savior even when hope seems far from us.
Photo credit to Jessie Schnall, you can see more of her work at Portraits by Jessie.