Hold Fast

On Great and Holy Friday, it seemed like Oklahoma weather came to Jersey.

During the service, we carry the light of faith outside into the world, but when I walked in an usher nodded at the stack of unlit candles, and shrugged-

“Don’t know if you want those or not. It’s pretty windy.”
 
Great and Holy Saturday, and the wind had died down a little.

This was also the moment of the Resurrection of Our Lord, so we braved the weather, carried our candles, even though they kept blowing out.

Amidst the chanting crowd of worshippers, huddling outside the tomb, someone always kept the light of faith alive, and kept passing it along to others, even though this risked their losing the flame for themselves.

No candle remained lit the entire service, but between us, the flame always burned.
 
These two happenings, on consecutive evenings, were stark in their contrast, and in their meaning.

Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down death by death, and upon those in the tombs bestowing life!

On Holy Friday, I did not take the candles, and something about that felt quite jarring, and reminded me of my doubt.

Often, when I anticipate disappointment, I avoid my faith. I don’t understand the ways of God, and I don’t wish to be troubled by the thought that I might have been abandoned.

I own my failures, so I cannot blame my God. And the candle of hope remains buried, deep within my soul.
 
Our vigil on Holy Saturday begins at 11:30 PM, and old and weary as I’ve become, a little sloth crept in. I confess that I considered just going for liturgy the following morning.

Then Christian, my second-born, came to me, said he’d laid out his church clothes, just in case we went to church. There was pleading in his eyes.

Well, we made it to church that night, but again, I did not initially take the candles.

My heart yearned for the candle, though, and my boys wanted them, too.

So, as we walked out into the breeze, the church bell tolling in the night as we walked three times around the church, our fingers clung to the wax of candles that did not remain ablaze.

We had them, though, and they could be re-lit.

During those services we represent the Myrrh-bearing women who were faithful throughout - while Jesus suffered his passion, and after he’d died. Their dreams of salvation were also dead, yet they still loved Christ with all their being, despite their broken hearts.

We must follow their holy example; we must hold fast to hope.

Another observation-

It was midnight-thirty, and as we walked the thrice-round path outside the church, the bells were ringing, loud and continuous, for at least ten minutes.

My boys giggled quietly, pointing at lights coming on here and there from windows among the rowhouses that frame the edge of the church property.

Internally, I was musing about whether our parish sent out a notice to the neighbors. I can imagine some people were annoyed by our celebration.

I also thought about those who heard the bells, and remembered the faith of their youth, or a time when they still held the candle of hope. I prayed they were buoyed by our shouted and sung declarations and confirmations of victory:
 
CHRIST IS RISEN!
TRULY, HE IS RISEN!