Beloved in Christ,
Today is a day of awesome silence.
A great stillness reigns upon the earth.
A sacred hush, for the King sleeps.
The earth trembles in awe,
for God has fallen asleep in the flesh,
and He has awakened those who sleep in the dust.
This is the blessed Sabbath,
the day when the Creator rests from His labors,
not in the heights of heaven, but in the lowly tomb.
He who fashioned Adam from the clay
now lies wrapped in linen,
placed in the bosom of the earth.
But do not be deceived by appearances.
Though the stone is sealed and the guards stand watch,
yet the Lord of Glory is not idle.
For even in death, He is Lord!
He descends into Hades,
not as a prisoner, but as a conqueror!
He tears down the brazen gates,
He shatters the iron bars,
He calls to Adam, “Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead,
and Christ shall give you light!”
O mystery beyond all telling!
He who was crucified in weakness
now tramples down death by death.
The sinless One takes on our sin,
the Immortal One tastes death,
that He might fill all things with life.
Even in the depths of Sheol,
His voice resounds like thunder:
“I am the Resurrection and the Life!
I am the Light that the darkness cannot overcome!”
Today, dear faithful, we do not mourn without hope.
We stand between the Cross and the Resurrection.
With myrrh-bearing hearts, we wait at the threshold of dawn.
For even now, light begins to glimmer behind the stone.
Let us not rush past this holy silence.
Let us enter it with reverence.
Let us behold the mystery:
The dead shall live, the tomb shall open,
and the Crucified shall rise as Lord of all.
Come then, O faithful,
let us keep vigil in spirit.
Let us prepare our hearts like the myrrh-bearing women.
For soon we shall cry out with joy:
“Christ is risen from the dead!
Trampling down death by death,
and upon those in the tombs bestowing life!”
Glory to His great and wondrous plan!
Glory to His silence that speaks life!
Glory to the risen Christ,
now and ever, and unto the ages of ages.
Amen.
