Holy Week - Easter 2022Sample

Imagine how Mary Magdalene must have felt on Saturday after the crucifixion. She had personally experienced Jesus’ healing power; she had heard his voice as he taught, seen his eyes of compassion as he healed the sick and raised the dead. She was a devoted servant of his entourage and, most importantly, fervently believed that he was God in the flesh, the long-awaited Messiah.

And yet, Jesus was dead. She saw his brutal execution. She sat across from the tomb as his body was carried in. Her thoughts bombarded her. Memories of Jesus’ ministry must have alternated with the horrific images from the day before of his swollen eyes shut in his unrecognizable face.

Aside from her grief and confusion, she wanted to get on with Jesus’ burial. Even if he wasn’t God, he was her friend, and she loved him. In times of despair, it can help to have some work to do. At least it is a distraction. Together with the other women, she had gathered the necessary supplies, but they didn’t have time to finish the job before the Sabbath began at sunset.

On Saturday, Mary Magdalene was at home grieving, wondering what the last few years of her life had been for. All was lost.

So, what did she do?

She obediently followed the commandment.

She returned to the basics of her faith. She remembered the Holy Word of God given to Moses centuries before. When she didn’t understand what God was doing and perhaps questioned if He was even there, she rehearsed what she did know. While her eyes were fogged with tears, she kept her spiritual eyes fixed upon her God. She was obedient to the seemingly irrelevant, simple commandment that she knew. To rest. To wait. To trust.

You probably know the rest of the story. Mary went to the tomb on Sunday to finish burying her friend at the earliest possible moment. But instead, she became the first person to see the Risen Jesus!

The lesson here is simple. All of us have troubled times in our lives. Big problems, little problems, times when God seems silent and far away. Dead even. Times of grief and doubt. What should I do when I don’t know what to do? Rest. Wait. Trust. Rehearse the basics… the spiritual ABCs. On my Silent Saturday, I am to do the right things I know to do.

Meditate on this: If Mary Magdalene had not obeyed the commandment to observe the Sabbath, if she had ignored the Sabbath and sneaked to the tomb on Saturday, she would have missed the greatest experience of her life. She would have missed seeing the Resurrected Jesus.

If you are in a time of confusion, anxiety, or despair, resolve to be obedient. It’s ok to be sad, but amid your Silent Saturday experience, set your eyes on Jesus. Just as our Lord did in Luke 9:51, be determined. Resolve to follow him completely. Most likely, some clarity will eventually come. But even if it doesn’t, even if you never understand the “why” of your situation, you can find comfort in knowing that you are being faithful in the waiting. And that at the end of the journey, you will, just like Mary Magdalene, hear him lovingly call your name and see Him with your own eyes!

REFLECTION

How can you, like Mary Magdalene, return or stay committed to the basics of your faith? How can you refocus on the Lord if you’ve gotten off track?