THE SILENCE BEFORE THE FIRST SON RISE

V/​ I will turn to you O God, 

R/​ to God who gives joy to my youth

V/​ Give me the Wisdom that sits by your throne; 

R/ that I may be counted among your children

Lord, in your all-providential plan, you have led me to this moment to rediscover me in your Word and Wisdom. Aid me to make this time of meditation and prayer enriching, transforming, and liberating for my well-being and others. Amen!

THE SILENCE BEFORE THE FIRST SON RISE

By Fr. Clement Obiorah, OCD

Easter Saturday

19th April 2025

The mood of our Good Friday celebration ends in silence. The once controversial, charismatic and powerful preacher of God’s kingdom was silenced, certainly in the most shameful way on the cross. Our Saturday liturgies pick up the same note, making us wonder: beyond the boundaries of reason, how might we trust the process of abandonment to God’s will? It is the second day already in the tomb with a giant stone rolled over the entrance and heavily guarded by soldiers, a machinery for silence and suppression of the Messiah-triumphal refrain on any hope of resurrection.

The readings for the Saturday vigil recount this long wait through salvation history. Right from the first sunrise at creation to the dawn of its redemption, the path of praise is always laid before us. Crucial to this fervent praise is the sacrifice of aligning with what we are created to be. Just so, Abraham’s reverence is understood as a prefiguration of the undivided devotion of God the Father for his creation, in offering his only begotten Son as the expiation for sin. [cf. Jn 3:16] Isaac, in turn, becomes a type of Christ as the innocent victim who trusts in his father, enough to rescue him from harm. “Since he clings to me in love, I will protect him, for he bears my name.” [Psalm 91:14]

This poignant tale, deeply resonant for any parent, is conveyed with remarkable attention and affection. Abraham’s reluctance is shown by his non-committal answer to his son’s innocent and obvious question. Perhaps, “the Lord will provide” a ransom, or in some act of providence, intervene within what is bearable. This intervention establishes the tone for a new “alleluia” of redeemed humanity, liberated from the age-old error of excluding God in our trials of faith. When Jesus refers to “little ones,” he is speaking of all individuals who, for various reasons, are particularly vulnerable in their trials of faith. These carry particular interest for Christ, as they tend to undermine the greatest work of God during times of seeming silence. In this state, says St. John of the Cross, if individuals were to desire to do something themselves with their interior abilities, they would hinder and lose the goods that God engraves on their souls through that peace, [silence] and idleness. [Dark Night Bk 1, 10, 5]

The Son of God shares the desolation and anxiety of death as the Father’s will for him. Learning obedience by what he suffered reveals his capacity to lead humanity away from the eternal death of seeking any good outside God, which sets the prototype for the soul’s participation in the life of grace.

Emerging from this experience is a resounding hope that we confidently embrace as we navigate life’s transitions. The interludes of silence await the New Adam, who will guide the entire order of creation in offering the rightful praise to God, even in moments of stark misery. He is undeniably Lord in life and in death. This reinforces the belief that the world and my life are not the product of chance but of eternal wisdom, beauty and eternal Love of the Father.

Christ, whose face the Father is revealed, is the guarantee of our adoption as children of God; and we believe too that the Holy Spirit gives us the “word” of this truth and inspires unceasingly. The silence before the Son rise is the meaning of having an attentive gaze on Christ, the author and perfecter of our faith in God, who speaks in ways discernible in being of one mind with him. John of the Cross expresses thus, “The Father spoke one Word, which was his Son, and this Word he speaks always in eternal silence, and in silence must it be heard by the soul.” (Sayings of Light and Love, 100). May we never be offended by these silences but be attuned to find the way of perceiving the path to new life manifested through them.