Blessed Rest

“Let us strive to enter into that rest.” 

Hebrew 4:11

It’s been a pretty hectic few days. On Maundy Thursday, I went through two versions of the Stations of the Cross in Jerusalem via YouTube, and listened to Catholic convert Steve Ray on Parousia. After lunch, I prepared haroseth, mixing apples, raisins, walnuts, dates, almonds, cinnamon, and sweet red wine in a bowl. At a Seder meal, haroseth symbolizes the mortar which the Israelites used to bind the stones and bricks in their back breaking work for their Egyptian masters. Haroseth has been a symbolic part of the Jewish Passover for at least 2,000 years.

Before 3 pm, we prepared the Seder meal ceremonial plate and paraphernalia, with a bone from a goat, bitter herbs, the haroseth, an egg, salt water, wine glasses and unleavened bread. Usually we have guests, but this time we just had a zoom get together for our Seder meal. 

Yesterday, Good Friday, I attended Father Johnny Go’s “Letting Good, Letting Evil, Letting God” retreat in the morning then we joined our community’s recollection and liturgy after lunch. What I found interesting was Father Go’s mention of what philosopher Hannah Arendt said about Adolf Eichmann. Arendt was a witness at Eichmann’s trial where he was convicted of a crime against humanity for the atrocities committed against the Jews. Arendt said Eichmann’s crime was his failure to think for himself. He was just following orders! And then Fr. Go related that to what was happening today with social media. Sometimes we do not think and just repost and forward! We need to think critically so evil will not proliferate. In order to think well, I think we also need to rest well. It will not do to always keep ourselves busy, so that we are always preoccupied. We need space for God to fill us up. 

One of the gifts that God wants to give us is the promise of rest. In Hebrews 4:1, the writer says, “God’s promise of entering His place of rest still stands.” Today, Holy Saturday is a day of rest after two days of blessed busyness. There is no mass today until the Easter vigil tonight. So we wait with the disciples, with Jesus’ mother, with all the faithful. Jesus’ body lies in the tomb, but we know in faith, that we do not wait in vain. Today, like all the times we wait for God’s answer to our prayers, we wait in hope and faith. God is working. Even if all others see is the tomb, we know the tomb is empty and our Savior lives. We can rest gratefully in that truth.