Waiting and Grieving
It is the end of Holy Week.
Jesus of Nazareth has been executed and lies in a tomb. All hope and promise are gone. There is nothing more to say.
Thanks to askoldsb and royalty free images
This is a day of few words,
a day of listening to silence,
a day of pondering all that has gone before,
a day of sitting with grief, with confusion …
a day of waiting for …..
what?
You may find this piece of music , ℗ 2017 WaterTower Music and used in the film Dunkirk, helpful.
If you wish, look at the Bible readings for Holy Saturday.
And / or spend some time in meditation, using the Lectio Divina technique to delve into Old Testament poetry found in Lamentations.
“Now we wait, in this Holy Saturday moment.
We feel. We grieve.
We sit, in the desolation of the tomb, with death all around us,
and we wait out the resurrection promise of Jesus.
This is holy waiting and it is vital.
We honour the dead and we respect those who are suffering,
because resurrection cannot be rushed.”
Silent God
Silent God,
empty, soundless,
like the long dark nights
without life,
I wait, gently hoping
for your touch which says,
“I’m here.”
But the void remains
unfilled.
Silent God
Why do you hide your face
from me?
Why withhold your breath
which kindles life?
Why, God, silent God
Do you watch your loved
one,
alone and waiting,
yet not reach out,
to only whisper:
“I am here”.
Yet I will watch,
And in my mind’s eye,
soaring deep in my soul,
I will see and
I will know –
You are here.
Edwina Gateley, from I Hear a Seed Growing