An ancient sermon for Holy Saturday says, “There is a great silence on earth today, a great silence and stillness…because the King is asleep.” It is a day when those who were sleeping for ages were raised, and as Jesus died in the flesh to take upon himself the repercussions of our sin of being separated from the Father, and as he descended into hell, the underworld trembled. It is a wake-up call for the living: to wake up from our slumber, reflect, and remember that Jesus came to our lives while we were sinners: helpless and weak. Sin separated us from God. His love called us by name and paid the price for our sins. Forgiven and reconciled with the Father, we have been adopted as his children. Have we moved away from this truth and gone back to our old way of life? Have we begun to embrace worldly ways? In silence, let us reflect, repent, and return. “It is the hour now for us to awake from sleep…for our salvation is near” (cf. Rom 13:11).

May the light of Christ rising in glory dispel the darkness of our hearts and minds. Amen.