Jesus is placed in the tomb. Jesus’ cold, lifeless body is placed in the tomb. Holy Saturday begins.

The waiting. The anticipation. The grieving of Jesus’ mother, Mary, and his friends. Their king, our king, the Messiah, died, and he lies now in the tomb. Imagine the fear, sadness, and grief of Mary and his disciples. The world as they knew it was turned upside down with the loss of their loved one.

We understand this feeling of loss in our lives that Mary and the disciples felt. We have experienced Good Friday moments– a loss of a loved one, a change in a relationship, a move to a new city, a loss of a job, a new role comes into our lives (as wife, as husband, as mother, as father, etc.). We understand the uncertainty that immediately follows the loss. We understand the unfamiliarity of the new territory. We understand the fear that comes with the new life that is ahead of us.

It is in this Holy Saturday moment that we, like the disciples, must ask ourselves…do we believe and remember what Jesus told us? Jesus told people time and time again, “Your faith has saved you.”

Jesus was saved by his faith in his Father. Jesus took his last breath trusting that God would see the rest of God’s plan through.

Holy Saturday was an intense, difficult period for Mary and the disciples. They drew strength from each other. They drew strength from their faith in Jesus. We are asked to do the same in our lives– to have faith, to trust, to turn to our communities for support.

Will we embrace that Jesus died for us?
Do we believe that we have been “saved by our faith”?

Becky Eldredge

Becky is an Ignatian-trained spiritual director, retreat facilitator, and writer. She is the author of the Busy Lives and Restless Souls (March 2017, Loyola Press) and The Inner Chapel (April 2020, Loyola Press). She helps others create space to connect faith and everyday life through facilitating retreats and days of reflection, through writing, and through spiritual direction. With nearly twenty years of ministry experience within the Catholic Church, Becky seeks to help others discover God at work in the every day moments of people’s lives by utilizing St. Ignatius’ Spiritual Exercises and the many gifts that our Catholic faith and Ignatian Spirituality provide.