Holy Saturday

Mary waiting for the Resurrection
Lourdes, France, Way of the Cross, white marble, Maria de Faykod

A mother always knows. He was in her heart as He went down to Sheol. She knew. She knew His Godforsakenness. She was not in the same dreadful plight but she felt it, felt his fear and sorrow and loss in the place where God's love is not. A piercing sword in her heart. Indeed.

Did the Mother plead, now, with the Father for their Son? 'Let this bitter chalice pass from Him, but not my will but Thy Majesty's will be done'? 

He had to go where the God-forsaken and the forsaken-God are. To experience what they do, in order to be human, like us, in all things except sin. All things. To be very far from His Father, to be where those who run from the Father are, so that the farther they run from the Father, the more they run into the arms of the Son.

Shema, Ysrael. The Lord is One.

The Cross is truly Trinitarian. The all-loving Father shares everything with His Beloved Son in Whom the Spirit of Love dwells eternally, a Spirit of sympathy and love and of longing for all to know Love, again or for the first time.

‘Father, forgive them.’

Them?

Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God, have mercy on me, a sinner. 

You risked all, in your humanity, for me. And lost?

I betrayed you. You abandoned all that you had: your Godhead, your human life, gave all until there was no more you could give. For me. And I betrayed you. My selfish desires were more important to me than Your love.

Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God, have mercy on me, a sinner. 

But God raised You up in your humanity, to eternal life, on the third day. United eternally with Him in Divinity and now also in the humanity you share with us, eternally.

‘Where I am, you will be, too. You know the Way. I am the Way.’

O amazing love, O sweet condescension for our sake. O blessed gift.

Blessed be the God of Israel. He has visited His people and redeemed them.

Yes, I will go with you. Whither thou goest, I will go.