Saturday, April 3, 2010

Christ in the Tomb

Today is one of my favorite days of the year.  In a way, Christ is absolutely telling us that it is ok to sit back, relax, and rest with him.  I try to spend some time every year on this day with Christ in the silence of the tomb.  What a blessing!  Holy Saturday gives us a chance to slow down and reflect upon the saving mystery of Christ risen from the dead.  But, if we don't contemplate Christ dead, lying in the tomb, we will never be able to fully understand Christ as risen from the dead.
One thing that I notice about modern Christianity is that we spend most of our time (just think about the 34 weeks of ordinary time) thinking and reflecting upon the teachings of Christ.  This is very important.  But, did you ever stop to think about the radical nature of Christianity?  Without Christ lying in the tomb, there would be no recollection of his teachings.  Without Christ, lying in the tomb, yet rising from the dead, Jesus would have been an obscure figure in ancient wisdom literature.  But when Christ, after lying in the tomb, gets up and shows that he is unlike anything we have ever, or will ever, see, everything changes... forever!
I think we often pacify or pasteurize the great mystery of the incarnation.  We make Jesus a little too common (he is fully human after all) when we forget about his divine majesty, seemingly set aside on the cross and buried in the tomb, but put on full display in the brilliance of Sunday Morning.
Spend some time today, on this Holy Saturday, with Christ.  Kneel at his tomb, be with him now so as to remain in him forever.

1 comment:

  1. A very beautiful reading you have given me.

    ReplyDelete

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