Christ is risen.
He is risen indeed!
Alleluia!!
My grandson tells me that where he lives in Brooklyn, every Friday one hour before the sun goes down, old WWII air raid sirens alert his Jewish neighbors to get home in time for the Sabbath. He’s become fond of that now familiar call, of seeing parents gather up their children from playgrounds while men wearing yarmulkas and fringed tzitzit walk briskly homeward.
This same imperative hastened Joseph of Arimathea, Nicodemus, and the others as they prepared Jesus for a hurried burial. It also meant that the women among them were anxious to return after the Sabbath, to do the job more adequately, more reverently. But what of the hours in between, those hours of forced, interminable waiting and idleness?
I wondered about that as a child. Why couldn’t Jesus just rise the following morning? Why did it have to be three days? And what, exactly, did Mary, Peter, and the others do that day? I doubt they had to clean like we did—I'd have preferred the idleness. My mother used Holy Saturday as a day to house clean, “so the Easter bunny will have a clean place to lay the eggs.” And we, the recipients of those eggs, were pressed into service with dust cloths, vacuum, Windex, and soap. Too solemn a day for play, a Saturday without cartoons, it seemed a wasted and very long day.
Even then, I was pretty sure Jesus' friends had it worse than we did. There was lots to be afraid of. I wondered where they were hiding. Were they together hiding or were they scattered? Were they mad at one another? Did they cry? Did they eat? Did they sleep?
And what about Jesus? Was he just happy hanging out again with his Father and his new friend, the good thief? Did he miss his old friends? Did he also have some cleaning to do after all the blood and stuff from the cross? Does getting resurrected take time? Or is it an instant miracle? I sprayed more Pledge and polished it in circles on the dining room table and wondered some more...
I did not realize as a child that the answer had been there each time I said the Apostles Creed. There is a rather startling phrase within the Creed, "...He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended into hell. On the third day He rose again from the dead..." This long-held Christian belief, attested to with every Creed, had escaped my early attention. Jesus went to the "hell," or the afterworld, for the purpose of redeeming all those souls who'd lived and died before his coming, everyone from Adam and Eve, to father Abraham, all the prophets, to, even, his own earthly grandparents.
The first time I saw this depicted was at St. Demetrios, Greek Orthodox Church in Seattle. An Anastasis, or Resurrection, icon drew my attention and the priest explained that it portrayed the event of Jesus redeeming those who had gone before.
Which brings us to Holy Saturday...
In the Orthodox Church, the event is commemorated not only in art, but also in liturgy--on Holy Saturday! This the day is they celebrate what they call, the "First Resurrection," the resurrection of the holy souls who died before Christ's coming. It's what Jesus was "doing" on that day before Easter. Early Saturday morning, believers gather in the church before the Anastasis icon. The priest, garbed in festive white, processes through the crowd tossing into the air rose petals, bay and laurel leaves to represent the broken chains of death. All the while there is chanting and the sounds of church doors and cupboards banging to represent the gates of death and hell being shattered. Later that night, will be the Vigil as in the Western Church, but Saturday morning is a mini-celebration of joy that cannot be fully contained.
Anastasis fresco on the wall in the Chora Church in Istanbul
In Orthodoxy, the Anastasis is the most common depiction of Resurrection, more common than draped crosses or Easter lilies, and it speaks to an important truth about the power of Christ's Rising from the Dead. The Resurrection is intended to bring new life to all. It is a proleptic event, working both backward and forward in time. It is as broad as it is deep. In today's parlance, we might focus on the cosmic or quantum dimension of this central event. It is a game changer; it changes all that came before and all the comes after, it affects all humanity and all of creation. New Life is not a theological concept or an historical event. It is Christ alive in the present, acting in redemptive and life-giving ways, as available to us now as he was 2000 years ago. Alleluia!!
My plan for after Easter, was to return to the usual pattern of sending Scribbles every third Wednesday. But I could not let this week go by without a personal Alleluia to each of you who have traveled so faithfully through Lent with me. Thank you for your good company.
So, NOW, we return to our usual schedule. For those or you who joined us recently, these Scribbles may seem different from the Lenten ones, often focusing on everyday spirituality. They may be thought provoking or educational. They may inspire or they may simply make you smile, laugh, or reminisce. I won't know until I write them!
P.S. Some Reader Responses...
I prefer the softness and tenderness of Fra Angelico. There is tenderness in the other, but also drama. The dark/light of the portrait gives drama too. Perhaps, the drama gave me pause to reflect on Christ's sacrifice for us. I thoroughly enjoy the art you show us. It adds to the narrative. - Karen
The painting by Caravaggio evokes so much more emotion from me than Angelico’s. A lover of Les Miserable and Phantom of the Opera, I fear the dramatic runs in my veins, rather than the peaceful! - Peggy
P.P.S. ...
Anyone who gets back to me with correct information on how the date for Easter is decided, will get an Honorable Mention (first name) next Scribbles, And if you send the correct history for how it is that Western and Eastern Churches have different dates, you will you be honored with VIP Status!! Respond here: Kathleen