Well, here we are, HOLY WEEK. Where does the time go? I am currently leading a retreat at St. Joseph’s in Charlton, MA. I want to share with you one of the reflections I have shared with the wonderful people there. So here we go.
Holy Saturday gets lost in the liturgies of Holy Week. I am not speaking of the Vigil Mass but the earlier part of the day. Most folks spend the day getting ready for Easter Sunday. With all the rushing around, we forget that daytime Holy Saturday has value. I fondly remember spending quiet time in Church reflecting on the events that had just happened to Jesus. Many people don’t get to do that these days.
Holy Saturday is that in-between time, the waiting time. You see, we know the end, or really the beginning of the story, but the apostles don’t. They are waiting to see what will happen. We know that Jesus rises from the dead and that the apostles carry on the mission, but they were still in the dark. If you think about it, most of our lives are lived like HOLY SATURDAY, waiting! We experience painful Good Friday days and the Joyful Easter Sunday days, but most of our lives are Holy Saturday moments. Between those two mountains is a valley called Holy Saturday. Think about all the waiting you do. Waiting for an appointment, waiting for college acceptance, waiting for the birth of a child, waiting at the bedside of a loved one. Waiting is difficult, but we need to learn how to live in this time and space. With Holy Saturday fast approaching, I offer you something to think about.
How will you spend part of your Holy Saturday? Can you carve out time for silence on that day? Take some time to stop and reflect on your Lent. Can you spend some quiet time in the Church focusing on the events that we just remembered? You may also recall the challenge I offered you at the beginning of Lent: Can you live your whole life as if it were Lent? Jesus did. I am beginning to think ‘Jesus Lives Lent and we live Holy Saturday, in the midst of unknowing and waiting. What about you? We can’t stand on the mountain of sorrow all our lives, nor the mountain of complete joy, and although we visit there, we spend most of our time in the valley known as Holy Saturday.
I pray that your Easter be blessed and Joyful. May you remember all you have learned during Lent 2026.
Till next week,
