This is Holy Saturday, day of the hiddenness of God. It is the day of that frightful paradox that we recite in the Creed with the words descended into hell, descended into the mystery of death.On Good Friday we could at least look at the pierced one. But Holy Saturday is empty, the heavy stone of the new tomb covers the deceased, everything is over, faith seems definitely unmasked as wishful thinking. No God has saved this Jesus who called himself Gods son.Holy Saturday, the day of the burial of God -- is that not in an uncanny way our day a day of Gods absence?(Joseph Ratzinger, The Sabbath of History

Robert P. Imbelli, a priest of the Archdiocese of New York, is a longtime Commonweal contributor.

Also by this author

Most Recent

© 2024 Commonweal Magazine. All rights reserved. Design by Point Five. Site by Deck Fifty.