It is Holy Saturday morning. Jesus is in His tomb, resting, Or is he Harrowing Hell ?In some ways I like the image of Jesus just resting on this day. He has worked very, very hard all his life and he deserves a rest, a chance to just lay still for awhile. It is a comfort to me to think he is resting now, peaceable, his suffering and sorrow over.
Yet would he not be thinking of all those souls in hell, waiting for release? Would he not, after that stone had been rolled across the tomb, jump up from where they lay him, thinking, “Man, let’s go free those souls!”? Would he not leap with joy at the chance to bring salvation to all those people, to go find Judas, forgive him and bring him home?
Maybe he is doing both, resting inside and freeing others. Maybe he rested awhile, to share in the rest of the dead, and then rose to set all people, all creation free.
I reflect today on the service to come, the Great Vigil. I remember Holy Saturday Night services I have attended. Tonight I will be at All Souls hunkering down for the duration – I know it will be a long service – this parish does everything, they take their time, give each service its due. Last night’s Good Friday service lasted 1 hour and forty-five minutes. I knew it would be long one when the choir started to sing -- sing! The Passion. It was long and beautiful and God gave me a great blessing at the end of service, one I won’t forget.
But my heart tonight will also be at St. Michael’s , my home parish. I will not hear Deacon Mary Lou sing the Exultet. In fact I will hear no deacon sing the Exultet. All Souls does not have a deacon right now, though they do have a gentleman studying for the deaconate at the School of Deacons. I think deacons are cool, and a very, very, important part of the church. They lifted up the servant ministry that all of us are called to. They bring the concerns and needs of the world to the church, and the church into the world – again something we are all called to do. I think of the deacons who touch my life and bless me, which would be a long list if I named them all, and pray that all parishes everywhere may have the blessing of at least one deacon serving them.
So a blessed Easter to you all. May the grace of this Holy Season bring the whole Earth closer to peace.
3 comments:
I appreciate your comments on deacons. All the more reason that it is good that I have been a deacon since before I was a priest. The bishop who first ordained me was the one who taught me, "Once a deacon, always a deacon." There are things about ministry that we can learn as deacons that we need when we are called also (not further or higher or in addition, but also) to be priests.
Jumping up to free those souls--what a wonderful image.
Howdy, Sis!
I've bben reading your new blogs, usually the same day that I open your e-mail notification of one. I just haven't had time to comment. Holy was a very busy but also very blessed week for me. I attended a service or prayer meeting just about every nite, two Good Friday worship services, and four Resurrection Day services!
People sometimes look at me as tho' I'm weird -- an "odd duck", eh? -- when I divulge how often I'm in church. But hey, I simply LIKE being there! Corporate worship is a place where I often meet the Lord in blessed ways of awareness, and this occurs in the setting of my brothers & sisters in the faith, some of whom are as eager as I am to experience God's awesome Presence while gathered with the Body of Christ.
Have you been to my blogsite any? I haven't gotten any comments / replies posted there yet. So, I'm lonely out here in blog cyber-space! :-) My URL for the blogsite is http://glenalans.blogspot.com
Give it a check-up & let me know what you think. Also, any tips on how to make it more attractive & readable would be appreciated.
Tu hermano en San Antonio
Glen Alan
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