I sat cross-legged on a basement floor one evening each week for three years in a class on the Upanishads, a holy text from India. As the only non-Hindu student, I was a resource for questions about related Bible verses and Christianity. The latter topic was the most challenging.
Most of my youth was spent in either Southern Baptist or Independent congregations. When venturing into unfamiliar territory, I’d include the disclaimer that Christianity diversifies some of its dogma across roughly 200 denominations.
I’ve explored several of those denominations during my six years in Georgia, including Unity and Methodist. Each has enriched my spiritual journey.
The depth, rituals and diversity of the liturgical traditions of Christianity attracted me to the Episcopal/Anglican branch in 2019. My Episcopal church is filled with contemplative opportunities, from Lectio Divina to centering prayer, and that’s where I heard about the practice of silence on Holy Saturday.
Holy Saturday, one of several names for the day before Easter in the Christian faith, can be observed as a day of mourning and loss before the celebration of resurrection and new life. Holy Saturday marks the day after the crucifixion – Christ’s body sealed in a tomb.
The darkness before the breakthrough.
Any spiritual path could be enhanced by the practice of silence, and many include it. Imagine the power of a pause from all the words produced by us or around us. Breathing in and listening to God instead of a steady murmur of confession or petition.
I will never think of Holy Saturday, or Good Friday, the same way again.