‘Are we there yet’ – who hasn’t heard that from the back seat of the car, or a bus or train. Usually from a young person, possible a child, or in the film Shrek, from a very annoying donkey!
Patience seems to be in
short supply these days, especially on the roads. We have come to expect things
to be done quickly. Interestingly a few weeks ago I was with a small group in
the Church of the Ascension, the Orthodox Church in Rugby. Their ‘liturgy’ has changed
little in the last 1500 years. Our hosts spoke about this feature of the
Orthodox tradition that doesn’t go in for swift changes.
And so today, what name do
you give this ‘in-between’ day, between Good Friday and Easter Sunday. A priest
friend of mine posted on Facebook a raft or resources, music, readings and
prayers, which he referenced as Silent Saturday. The Orthodox makes much of
Christ’s descent into hell and setting captive souls free, principally Adam and
Eve, and then binding Satan and ushering in new creation. In the Western Church
this was known as the ‘Harrowing of Hell.’ See What is the
Harrowing of Hell?
A more common name for this
day is ‘Holy Saturday.’
For many others of course this is simply Easter Weekend or even Bank Holiday Weekend with little or no reference to the crucifixion, resting in the tomb or the resurrection. I would hazard a guess many in our prisons would hold that view, and possible aggrieved or frustrated that they cannot be with family and friends over the Bank Holiday Weekend.
For some of course they will adopt the Jewish calculation for the start of the day which begins at 6pm on Saturday, i.e. Saturday 6pm is the beginning of Easter Sunday. Many will be holding Easter Vigils and Resurrection Celebrations this evening.
Several other Christian
Faith Communities will be holding a Dawn Service, complete with a New Fire,
from which the special Paschal Candle is lit, often with great ceremony being
taken into the darkened church with the call of, ‘The Light of Christ.’ From this candle all other candles are then
lit, so the light of Christ spreads amongst his people. Coventry Cathedral has
a Dawn Service with Baptism and Confirmation at 6am.
I like Dawn Services and have led and participated in very many over the years. My first experience was a large, lively Anglo Catholic Church in central London. I have taken part in Dawn Services on Bodmin Moor, by the River Tyne and outside Stafford Castle.
And today many Churches
across the country will also have been a hive of activity preparing floral
displays and other decorations, dressing the Church following its 'stripping' on Maundy Thursday.
And it is here that I have
an issue, it is here where I detect that cry, ‘are we there yet.’ Can we get on
and begin the celebrations, we aren't comfortable with a dead Messiah.
Have you ever really
pondered on the utter desolation felt by Jesus’ disciples?
Now that same day two of
them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem. They were talking
with each other about everything that had happened. As
they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus himself came up
and walked along with them; but they were kept from recognizing him.
He asked them, “What
are you discussing together as you walk along?”
They stood still,
their faces downcast. One of them, named
Cleopas, asked him, “Are you the only one visiting Jerusalem who does not
know the things that have happened there in these days?”
“What
things?” he asked.
“About Jesus of
Nazareth,” they replied. “He was a prophet, powerful in word and deed
before God and all the people. The chief priests
and our rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death, and they
crucified him; but we had hoped that he was the one who was
going to redeem Israel. And what is more, it is the third
day since all this took place.
All their hopes, dreams,
expectations, gone and buried deep in a tomb behind a huge stone.
What I long for is for the
Faith Community to sit into this despair for at least some time on Holy
Saturday. Maybe in the morning, followed by a simple shared lunch and then together
begin the decorations and preparations as we slowly turn the corner from despair
to celebration.
Along with considering the despair
of Jesus’ first followers we can also seek to sit in lamentation for the utter
carnage currently engulfing our world.
In many, many places across
the world a parent will have buried a dead child, a child for which they had
hopes and dreams. Now, all gone, wiped out by bomb or bullet.
What about those in our
prisons, or those who are homeless or poorly housed. Or children living in
poverty. Or what about yet another death of a young person in London, shot to
death by teenagers.
Can we not watch with those for
whom all hope is gone, the pain is real and visceral. Must we simply jump from
Good Friday to Easter Sunday and never sit in the pain and anguish of our
world, even if for at least an hour!
Pain and suffering are not
easy to live with, and we will often try distraction techniques, or plain
simple avoidance.
St. John of the Cross, a
16th-century Spanish Carmelite friar and mystic, is renowned for his profound
insights into the spiritual journey, particularly the experience of suffering
“The evening news is the Dark Night of the
Soul.”
“The evening news is the
Dark Night of the Soul.” This is a more modern interpretation, but it captures
the essence of St. John’s teaching. The constant stream of suffering and
negativity in the world can be overwhelming and lead to a sense of despair. This
is a collective “Dark Night” that we all experience to some degree. St. John
would encourage us to respond to this suffering with compassion, prayer, and a
renewed commitment to living a life of love and service.
‘Are we there yet?’
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Jesus made the journey through pain and suffering and invites us to follow in his footsteps!
'It is finished' - John Groban
https://youtu.be/M6qW8P70nUU?si=auIQzOuKISos5HO_
