Day 40 - Holy Saturday

Today is the day in-between,
the day after death,
the day before life.
A day of silence.
A day of solitude.

On the seventh day of the week of our redemption, when Jesus had fulfilled all he was sent by his Father to do, he rested in the tomb, and the women whose hearts were broken with grief rested with him. Of all the days in history, Holy Saturday is the day of God's solitude. It is the day on which the whole creation waits in deep inner rest. It is the day on which no words are spoken, no proclamations made. The Word of God through whom all had been made lay buried in the darkness of the earth.

This Holy Saturday is the most quiet of all days.
Its quiet connects the first covenant with the second,
the people of Israel with the not-yet-knowing world,
the Temple with the new worship in the Spirit,
the sacrifices of blood with the sacrifice of bread and wine,
the Law with the Gospel.

This divine silence is the most fruitful silence that the world has ever known. From this silence, the Word will be spoken again and make all things new.

- Henri Nouwen, Walk with Jesus