Holy Saturday: The In-Between Day
BY JOANNA WILLIAMS | March 30th, 2024
Today’s readings
Versión en español
It is a day that teeters on the brink, between darkness and light, hope and despair. A day of faith like that of Abraham as he journeys up with the mountain with Isaac, grappling with a mix of fear and determination, obedience and hopefulness. A day that feels quite familiar from our vantage point here at the border. It is a day that is ni de aquí ni de allá, neither from here nor there.
The dining hall at Kino Border Initiative. Courtesy of KBI
Like Mary, a mom sits in our waiting area at the Kino Border Initiative. She is coming to terms with the limbo that she and her husband are in as they wait in Nogales, Mexico, hoping to access some pathway to stability and safety in the US. She is looking forward to the hope of new life. But she is also amidst the uncertainty of Holy Saturday, grieving the separation from the children she couldn’t afford to bring with her on the journey, facing the daily rhythms of her current life in which just finding her way on a bus in the city is ten times more difficult than it was when she was in her hometown.
Mary wonders how to move forward while she stands on the brink, at the border, much like Jesus’ followers must have wondered on that very first Holy Saturday. She and we and perhaps they choose to focus on what is possible on such an uncertain day. She comes to KBI to find work shoes for her husband and lunch to bring to the construction site where he just got a job. We open our doors to welcome her and listen to her as we stand with her in uncertainty. In those acts of obedience and faithfulness we cling to the glimpse of light of the coming resurrection.
What are ways that I can faithfully follow God’s invitation even when I feel uncertain of the resurrection?
Joanna Williams has served at the Kino Border Initiative (KBI) since 2015. She was named the executive director in March of 2021 and before that worked as the director of education and advocacy for six years. She graduated with a B.S. from the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University and received a Master’s in Public Policy from Arizona State University.
The Risen Lord. He comes, comes, ever comes.