Holy / Quiet / Stillness Saturday
In-Between, Birds, Benches, Books, and (breaking the alliteration) Social Media Fasting
Today is the “in-between” day. For some of my fellow Jesus-types, today is a time of (mostly) quiet stillness and waiting during the in-between following the story of Jesus’ crucifixion and death on Friday and the story of resurrection and new life on Sunday. Some share services of vigils in the evening tied to this in-between-ness. This “Holy Saturday” always feels for me a little awkward of what I’m supposed to do on this day. So, for the most part, I am taking the day as a day of quiet and stillness and rest and just sharing some different things from the last few days/weeks.
Wise Words on this In-Between Day
First, this reflection (PDF link) from Parker Palmer that MaryAnn McKibben Dana shared on her page the other day. Oh my goodness this is...just perfect for this in-between day. It is called The Broken-Open Heart: Living with Faith and Hope in the Tragic Gap by Parker Palmer. Rev. Dana specifically shared this quote that deeply resonated with me as well.
Transforming heartbreak into new life is the aim of every religious tradition at its best, as witness this Hasidic tale. A disciple asks the rebbe, “Why does Torah tell us to ‘place these words upon your hearts’? Why does it not tell us to place these holy words in our hearts? ” The rebbe answers, “It is because as we are, our hearts are closed, and we cannot place the holy words in our hearts. So we place them on top of our hearts. And there they stay until, one day, the heart breaks and the words fall in.” The same point is made by the Sufi master Hazrat Inayat Khan: “God breaks the heart again and again and again until it stays open.”
In Christian tradition, the broken-open heart is virtually indistinguishable from the image of the cross. It was on the cross that God’s heart was broken for the sake of humankind, broken open into a love that Christ’s followers are called to emulate.
Thank you MaryAnn - such a perfect and needed read for this in-between day (and every day for that matter).
The Broken-Open Heart: Living with Faith and Hope in the Tragic Gap
Birds
Not sure what the deal has been but birds have been a bit of an unexpected theme of my photography this week - ducks watching the world go by, a goose in an unusual spot, sunrise silhouettes, a heron with a great view, and then a beautiful encounter with a bald eagle. It has been a fun week with feathered friends!
Social Media Fasting
I decided to take a social media fast for during Holy Week and I think I am going to largely continue it going forward. I did realize that there are a few small things I miss about them (notably being able to check out We Rate Dogs) but I definitely loved not being nearly as connected to them as I was previously. So I’m likely going to set up a limit on my devices to like 5 minutes a day for them and leave it at that. It is pretty amazing how quickly the sites start reaching out with their “hey - come back, see what you’re missing!!!!” Yowsa.
Readings
Finally, in addition to the article linked above, a few book recommendations of recent (and current) reads:
Uncertain: The Wisdom and Wonder of Being Unsure by Maggie Jackson - This isn’t a light read per se but it speaks so deeply to the truth that we don’t have to always have everything figured out and, in fact, it is healthier to be in the not-yet-knowning or the uncertain. (Still reading)
One Long River of Song: Notes on Wonder for the Spiritual and Nonspiritual Alike by Brian Doyle - This is a “lighter” read than Uncertain as it is a series of short reflections on finding wonder in the everyday. Really really good and beautifully written as well.
May your in-between be still, quiet, restful, and hope-full. I will be sharing an additional post tomorrow connected with my Easter sermon, so watch for that. :-)
GPLJ,
Ed
I LOOOOOVVVEEE that Brian Doyle book.