Dear Friends,
In the Catholic/Christian world, today is Holy Saturday. (Except for our sisters and brothers in the Orthodox tradition, whose calendar aligns with the Jewish observance of the moon’s cycle.) Holy Saturday sits between Good Friday, a vivid reminder of Christ’s crucifixion, and Easter Sunday, the joyous celebration of the resurrection. Holy Saturday is a place of limbo, of paradox, of waiting.
While this mysterious liturgical experience only comes once a year, I would suggest that we humans are often thrust into places of limbo, of paradox, of waiting. You might be in-between a medical test and the outcome, cultivating hope but holding your breath at the same time. You might be seeking a connection with family or friend, yet tenderly hold back to respect the rhythms of their life. You might be gratefully breathing in the potential of Spring, while keeping hat and mittens nearby…just in case.
I bring that human pattern to my prayer today, living in the in-between, the both/and of life. But, for me, during this year’s Holy Week, the stakes seem much higher. I have journeyed with Jesus, embraced his lessons of love and forgiveness, even experienced surrender and sacrifice in my small world. But this year’s time of limbo seems to have no end. The sacrifices that are demanded of human beings around the world multiply – injustice, brutality, murder, deceit, abuse, violence. During Good Friday’s prayer, it felt like Love, itself, is being attacked.
Tomorrow is Easter, and I wonder, am I simply celebrating this foundational truth in my faith tradition? Or am I standing up for the teachings of Jesus Christ in a world of pain and, yes, sin. Is it our shared belief system that creates the Kingdom of God on Earth? Or are we part of, and witnessing, a mystery of Love that is far beyond our comprehension?
As a student of non-dual thinking, I say, yes, yes, yes and yes. As a human being, I allow my tears to fall and my heart to open. As a Christian, I see Love in every speck of life around me and, with Hope, I join the Dance of New Life! Will you dance with me?
With love, Lisa