I sometimes dip into a lexionary for my devotions–though truth be told, I am woefully inconsistent. Or to put a more positive spin on it, I never always do the same thing. Sometimes prayers are prayed as I walk the dog, or stare out at the sun rising pink through the trees. Sometimes I dig studious through bible dictionaries and commentaries, and sometimes I weep through a Psalm. And today, I pulled out a lexionary which not only guides my Scripture selections but offers wonderful reflective readings, A Guide to Prayer for All Who Seek God.

So even in a book with readings for every day of the year, I’m often on the wrong date. Oddly, the reading I happened upon today isn’t even for Lent, let alone Easter–it’s designated for sometime in February, during what the church calendar refers to as “ordinary time.”

But there’s nothing ordinary about time–it’s a gift and every day is imbued with God and mystery and touches from that mysterious God. So on this Holy Saturday, when I am reflecting on the “paschal mystery,” I read this:

“It should be the work of Christians who believe in the paschal mystery to help peole when they are being led into the darkness and the void. The believer has to tell those in pain that this is not forever; there is a light and you will see it. This isn’t all there is. Trust it. don’t try to rush through it. We can’t leap over our grief work….Historic cultures saw it as the time of incubation, tranformation, and necessary hibernation. It becomes sacred space, and yet this is the very space we avoid…” (From Everything Belongs by Richard Rohr)

Lately my life has been very “Holy Saturday”–post tragedy, pre-redemption– in many ways and I’ve been trying to leap over some grief work. It is in that dark space that transformation occurs, that death is transformed into life.

So I’m reminded to remind YOU: Don’t rush through it, and encourage others to embrace the paschal mystery as well. There is a light and you will see it. Today, how will you cling to that promise? Who around you might need to hear that truth?