By Fr. Antony Christy, SDB –
The only day of the year when the Church does not celebrate the Eucharist and the Holy Communion is not distributed, except in case of viaticum (or communion for the dying). It signifies the fact that Jesus is laid to rest in the tomb; we believe that he went down to the dead.
The Silence of the tomb will soon be pierced by the bright light of resurrection, but the silence in itself has great Christian lessons to offer us.
The first of all lessons is Entreating the Lord with the capacity to wait on the Lord. To be patient and allow the Lord to take control of the situation, to commend our spirits into the hands of God and allow the Lord to take charge of our life.
The second lesson is Endurance. It is to remain with the confusions, problems and trials of our life without losing heart, until that day the seed sprouts to life, until that day when everything comes together to reveal God’s presence and plan.
The third lesson is the call to Equanimity. In Indian philosophy we know that samadhi is not a state of achieving something but a state of losing everything; it is a state of nothingness, a state where needs and expectations, likes and dislikes, affections and hatred…everything seems of no great importance. Nirvana, is emptiness, a state which is full of emptiness, all Silence! There is stillness that may initially make us restless, but will slowly lead us to serenity and the serenity will lead to an transformative encounter with the Risen Lord.
Let us venture into this silence! Today, why don’t you check your capacity to be in silence and solitude?
Fr Antony Christy is a Salesian Priest from 2005, who has a Masters in Philosophy (specialisation in Religion) and a Masters in Theology (Specialisation in Catechetics). He is currently pursuing his doctoral research in Theology at Salesian Pontifical University, Rome. Walking with the Young towards a World of Peace and Dialogue is the passion that fires him on.