Arise.
Arise.
Little girl, I say to you, arise!
You have something so special to offer to the world.
It may be hidden, covered, buried, or maybe even forgotten. But it is there.
Maybe others have discouraged you. Maybe the raw reality of day-to-day life has allowed
you to ever so slowly let go of it, hide it, forget about it, and pretend it’s not there. But it
is there.
In the deep. In the quiet.
A tiny flame. You wish it would burn brighter, but at this point it may almost seem easier
to let it go out, to let it die.
But you were not made to hide. You were made for so much more.
You are a gift. A treasure. A pearl of great price. There is a specific mission just for you,
a unique need in the Church, and you are perfect for it. You. Your particular gifts, your
charisms, your passion and your heart are exactly what is needed to restore that part of
the Church.
You.
It’s how He made you, and if you shy away from it, if you hide, you will be living only one
small part of what He has for you. What is that little flame? Look at it, gaze upon it. If
you could allow yourself the gift of pursuing this dream, of making small steps toward it,
of even just giving it space to dwell in your thoughts, what glorious things could happen?
What beauty could be unleashed?
Could it be that this burning in your heart, this little flame, is the exact thing that will
set you free to live fully? Your Father formed your heart and placed that dream and that
passion there, and He wants to give it to you. Ask Him!
Please do not hide. Not anymore. We need you. The fullness of who you are and who
you are meant to be.
Where are the dry bones in you that need to be called back to life? Dust them off. What
part of you is dead? Ask Jesus to raise you to life again. Jesus stepped out of the grave!
Do not stay in there without Him.
Little girl, you are not so little anymore. You are grown. You are courageous. You have
something to say—something to show to the world. You can do this.
In the quiet, He is whispering to your heart: Wake up. Arise. Step out of the grave. Step
into the light. Step into the fullness of who you were created to be.
“Arise, my friend, my beautiful one,
and come!
… Let me see your face,
let me hear your voice,
For your voice is sweet,
and your face is lovely,”
(Song of Songs 2:13-14).
Young woman, I say to you, arise.
– An anonymous reflection given to one of our sisters.
The Mystery of the Sepulcher (Holy Saturday)
Holy Saturday is the day when we contemplate the mystery of the Sepulcher. After Our Lord suffered His Passion and Crucifixion on Good Friday, He died. The Son, God Himself, suffered death and was laid in a tomb. He descended into Hell to free us from bondage to sin and death. On Holy Saturday we are remembering the silence of the tomb.
Adam and Eve were the first to await the reconciliation of Our Lord’s sacrifice. The prophets foretold His coming. In the fullness of time He came, to bring us back into communion with Him, to restore what the Fall had broken.
Holy Saturday is a day to ponder on the gravity of what has taken place on Good Friday. The immensity of God’s love for us… His desire for us was so great He would sacrifice His beloved Son to bring us back to Him so we could come home to Him. “In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places. If there were not, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back again and take you to myself, so that where I am you also may be” (Jn 14:2-3).
Jesus, the Light of the world, is hidden from us in the tomb. He is going to prepare a place for us with His Father. On Holy Saturday we remember what that cost and, at the same time, we live in faith the hopeful expectation of the Celebration of His power over death.
Monica Waters, Postulant.
Holy Thursday Reflection