He is risen as He said, Alleluia!

In keeping with the solemnity of this day, allow me to tell you about a special place here at Serendipity Farmhouse. This garden spot alongside the river is reserved for meditation and prayerful reflection. Throughout the Spring and Summer, flowers grow nearby.

The Resurrection Lilies in that garden spot remind us of the Paschal Triduum. This month, we can see their leaves reaching upwards, perhaps praying for strength and courage, somewhat like Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemani on Holy Thursday.

Good Friday comes to this garden and all signs of the lilies vanish. Now we are left to wait.

Holy Saturday is a very long dark night.

This year we went to our garden spot to reflect on the mystery of the Paschal Triduum. We went to spend an hour awake in prayer in Gethsemani. We went to meditate on the meaning of His Crucifixion. We went to wait along with Mary and the apostles through the long dark night.

And like the Church does throughout the world, we lit a fire so that we could be filled with heavenly aspirations and prepare for the perpetual brightness of Easter.

DEUS, qui per Filium tuum, angularem scilicet lapidem, claritatis tuæ ignem fidelibus contulisti: productum e silice, nostris profuturum usibus, novum hanc ignem sancti✠fica: et concede nobis, ita per hæc festa paschalia cælestibus desideriis inflammari; ut ad perpetuæ claritatis, puris mentibus, valeamus festa pertingere. Per eumdem Christum Dominum nostrum.
℟. Amen.

O God, Who through Thy Son, the cornerstone, hast given to Thy faithful the fire of Thy brightness, sancti✠fy this new fire, produced out of a flint-stone, to be serviceable for our uses; and grant unto us to be so fired with heavenly aspirations through these paschal festivities, that with pure hearts we may be able to attain to the festivities of perpetual brightness. Through the same Christ our Lord.
℟. Amen.

That is when the full moon rose and shown down on our river and on us. That was the same moon that was visible in the Garden of Gethsemani and during the nights of the first Triduum. – – Certainly, this time spent in our garden spot gave us great solace and cause to believe that the dark night would end. And so it has – He is risen as He said. Alleluia!