This fear is responsible for so much of our lust and greed, so much of our denial and arrogance, so much of our silly clinging to power, so much of our hectic and anxiety-driven activity. Everything else we fear, every struggle we have, is some taste of, some chilling approach to, the experience of losing our life. All that is left is this decaying shell that once held his or her life.ĭeath is our ultimate fear. And, in a matter of hours, the body becomes quite cold and life-less - dramatic evidence that this person no longer exists.
Breathing stops, and in an instant, the life of this person has ended. These are blessed experiences because they all brought me face-to-face with the mystery of death itself. I have had the blessed experience of being with a number of people who have died, of arriving at a hospital shortly after someone has died, of attending an autopsy, and of praying with health sciences students over donated bodies in gross anatomy class. We don't easily contemplate dying, but we rarely contemplate being dead. In that tomb, he is dead, exactly the way each of us will be dead. Today we contemplate Jesus, there in the tomb, dead.
On Holy Saturday we enter into the mystery. The liturgy this evening is the vigil - the preparation for and entry into the celebration of Our Lord's Resurrection. On Holy Saturday, there is no liturgy at all. On Good Friday, there was no Eucharist - simply a communion service, with the Body of Christ from the Holy Thursday Eucharist. Holy Saturday Reflection Daily ReflectionĬlick here for a photo of and information
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