The Burning Pain of Hope | 2025 Lenten Devotional | Holy Saturday

The Thing Is
By Ellen Bass

to love life, to love it even
when you have no stomach for it
and everything you’ve held dear
crumbles like burnt paper in your hands,
your throat filled with the silt of it.
When grief sits with you, its tropical heat
thickening the air, heavy as water
more fit for gills than lungs;
when grief weights you down like your own flesh
only more of it, an obesity of grief,
you think, How can a body withstand this?
Then you hold life like a face
between your palms, a plain face,
no charming smile, no violet eyes,
and you say, yes, I will take you
I will love you, again.

Copyright Credit: Ellen Bass, “The Thing Is” from Mules of Love. Copyright © 2002 by Ellen Bass. Reprinted with the permission of The Permissions Company, LLC on behalf of BOA Editions Ltd., www.boaeditions.org.

Today is Holy Saturday. The day that remembers Jesus is in the tomb.

I think of how, throughout the day of Holy Saturday, the disciples and followers of Jesus were sitting in the grief of having watched their friend killed. The grief must have stung - they didn't know what the third day would bring, and they were confronted with the pain and (temporary) reality of having to continue living without their friend and mentor. How were they to keep spreading his message when the loss of his life and the pain of watching him suffer was so fresh? Sitting in that feeling must have felt overwhelming and impossible; and yet, I'm sure someone had the burning pain of hope, hope in spite of pain, beginning to smolder in their chest.

Matthew 27: 62-66

Guard at the tomb

62 The next day, which was the day after Preparation Day, the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered before Pilate. 63 They said, “Sir, we remember that while that deceiver was still alive he said, ‘After three days I will arise.’ 64 Therefore, order the grave to be sealed until the third day. Otherwise, his disciples may come and steal the body and tell the people, ‘He’s been raised from the dead.’ This last deception will be worse than the first.”

65 Pilate replied, “You have soldiers for guard duty. Go and make it as secure as you know how.” 66 Then they went and secured the tomb by sealing the stone and posting the guard.