Easter Vigil

Saturday was the Sabbath and a very difficult one for Mary, the apostles and the disciples because Jesus had died. Jesus had been buried without the traditional burial rites because it was too late in the day when he was taken down from the cross for them to perform them as the Sabbath was about to begin. They had no idea that when the women returned to the tomb on the first day of the week, they would find that Jesus wasn’t there.

I can only imagine what they must have been thinking. They had felt so full of hope! They had believed! What they hadn’t understood, was everything Jesus had told them regarding his death and resurrection.

I vividly remember when my son died. He had been visiting his sister in another state and we had to wait until his body was released and he could be returned for burial. Those days of waiting were the hardest for all of us. Once we saw him, we could say goodbye; we had the rituals of wake and funeral and burial. They weren’t easy times but performing the rituals brought a certain amount of peace.

They were also reminders of our shared belief in the resurrection. This was something the apostles didn’t have. Yet, they knew that the burial rituals would bring them some peace as well, but they would have to wait until after the Sabbath. We can only imagine how their despair turned to joy the next morning. We are fortunate that the pain of death for us is lessened because of our belief that we will be reunited with our loved ones for all eternity.

Lord, how difficult this day of waiting must have been for those who loved you. Thank you for the gift you have given us to know that we will be with you and those we love in the eternal kingdom of heaven. Amen.