March 30, 2013
-
Reflections on Holy Saturday
On Holy Saturday, I like to imagine myself as one of the 12 disciples. I sit and I think about my fear… Will I be arrested? Will they come to kill me too? Will I be hiding out for the rest of my life? And especially, where do I go from here?
I imagine the disciples were scared out of their wits. The man they followed, lived with, and loved was brutally punished and sadistically crucified. He was killed and now he lay in a tomb rotting… corroding… decaying… lifeless… Their 3 year journey is over.
Is there any hope at all?
I believe that I would be stunned. We have it easy with hindsight… We know that Jesus resurrected… They even knew that Jesus promised that his resurrection would happen… but I doubt that was at the forefront of their mind. Peter didn’t listen to Jesus the entire time. Peter was a man of little faith… He was walking on water with Jesus, and then he doubted, even though he had already walked several feet! Jesus told him that he would be killed and rise again, but Peter doubted that too, causing Jesus to rebuke him… And finally, early in the morning, before Jesus was killed, Peter denied even knowing Jesus. If this was Peter’s state of mind, what were the other disciples thinking?
What would you do in this situation? Would you remember Jesus’ words, or would you be scared for yourself? Can you imagine how stressful it would be to lose the person you love the most… leaving you stranded, alone, fearful, and confused? I would certainly be scared… What a dark day that would be for me…
