Hoping For The Seemingly Impossible
“On Holy Saturday I do my best to live in that place, that wax-crayon place of trust and waiting. Of accepting what I cannot know. Of mourning what needs to be mourned. Of accepting what needs to be accepted. Of hoping for what seems impossible.” ~ A Homemade Year: The Blessings of Cooking, Crafting, and Coming Together
No one likes to feel helpless. And no one likes to be told to hope for something that we believe to be impossible. I often think of little Susie Walker in the Miracle on 34th Street when she thought that Kris Kringle wasn’t going to be able to supply her Christmas wish. She is in the back seat of a car and was saying over and over to herself, “I believe, I believe.” From the look on her face, you could easily imagine that she did not believe.
But then, she saw something in the distance and screamed out to have the car stopped. She ran to a house — “her” house — and went inside. Her mother had no idea what was happening until she explained to her that she had asked Kris Kringle for the house and she knew in her heart of hearts that the house was, indeed, hers.
We are like Greer and Susie Walker, hoping for what seems impossible. That is what Holy Saturday is all about. Liturgically, Holy Saturday is a day of nothingness. It has to be because Jesus was dead in the tomb. Some ran away fearing that they would be the next victims of the Romans. Others hid in fear but nursed a hope that Jesus could turn even the reality of His death around.
There are quite a few times that we have experienced hopelessness. We also remember times hoping against hope, thinking that nothing good could happen while, at the same time, believing that something good could also come about. Some of our hopes have been dashed, others have been wildly fulfilled.
Our ultimate hope, the hope of joining the Lord’s resurrection, is not impossible. Tonight we will celebrate Jesus’ resurrection from the dead. That Mass, the Vigil Mass of Easter, is the quintessential Mass in the Church’s liturgy.
We wait in silence even as we nurse a well-founded hope in our hearts.
FAITH ACTION: If possible, attend the Vigil Mass of Easter tonight to celebrate the victory of Christ over sin and death.