There is an invitation at 9pm tonight to place a candle or a light in the front window of our home as a sign of hope to concide with the Easter message of light and bope and also as a sign of hope during this Covid 19 pandemic
Thought on Saturday – April – 11/04/2020
‘Aspire not to have more but to be more.’ ~Saint Oscar Romero
In his book ‘Dipping into Lent’ Fr. Alan Hilliard speaks of a conversation with another priest about the Easter Ceremonies last year. “How did the Easter ceremonies go?” I asked. “Grand”, he said. “What did you talk about at the Easter Mass?” “Nothing much,” he said, “just to need to roll back a stone or two and let the light in.” I’ve never forgotten what he said.
As we know Easter 2020 is just so different to last year. All our churches are closed to the public due to the coronavirus pandemic. Some churches are trying to reach out in new ways by streaming live the Easter ceremonies but without any congregation. Later on this evening there is an invitation from RTE at 9pm to place a candle or light in your window as a sign of solidarity and hope during this crisis.
Every Church will also have all the lights lit inside, from cities all the way out to every town and village in our country. It is a sign of Easter hope and that the Easter message of the light of Christ’s victory over darkness is not forgotten. This message is so important during this crisis.
Today Holy Saturday is a day of waiting. You could call it the ‘in between day’. You could also call it a strange day. Darkness seems to have got there first. The fallout from Good Friday is massive. The disciples have fled. There is total grief, shock, dismay. Everything seems to have collapsed with the death of Jesus. Nothing makes sense. Darkness has truly taken over.
Sometimes we have to wait in darkness, wait in the middle of our struggles, wait in our anxious and lonely days before something may happen. There is lots of waiting during this current crisis that we are all going through. The biggest wait is wondering when it all will end. If darkness has got there first, then when the light does come, it will completely shatter it. This is the Easter story.
The resurrection of Jesus will shatter the darkness. It has no escape. In its place is a great sense of hope, new beginnings and a new journey. We are not on our own. Many like you and me are in waiting. We wait for the light to shine into our darkness. We are Easter people and without the light of the Resurrection we have nothing to hold onto. Life is meaningless without it.
As we wait I wish you a very Happy Easter. Mind yourself and each other during these very difficult times. We will continue to roll away the stones to let the light in. We will also continue our prayers for you and each other during these days of Easter.
