Liturgically, Holy Saturday is for us the Easter Vigil with its many readings, leading into the Gloria of the Easter Mass. By reflecting on this day in the lives of the Apostles, we may learn something about the experience of the absence of God from our lives. To begin with, this Sabbath must have been a most terrible day. During the week since Palm Sunday many things had happened - the Passover meal, Jesus' arrest on the Mount of Olives, his trials. His crucifixion, his burial and the scattering of the Apostles. They had no time to reflect seriously and in depth on what was happening. They returned to the upper room and presumably spent the whole day there: Did they talk? Did they sleep? Did they eat? We know no details but from our own experience we can surmise a little.

When a beloved one dies, our immediate reaction may be shock, disbelief, grief. But then, slowly we begin to recall our dead friend. So, too, perhaps the disciples began to wonder where God was in all this disaster. They may also have begun the long process of recalling Jesus' teaching. Perhaps in the darkness of Holy Saturday, the light began to dawn.