Below

By Eric Hanna, S.J.

Eric wrote this short story last Holy Saturday. We feature it this year.

Art by Eric Hanna, S.J.

The wind was an everlasting sigh; always changing, never ceasing. The cavern walls sloped up above him on each side, pitted and cut with tombs. Above the walls was heavy earth, hung down with dry, swaying roots. The floor sloped down for a long, long way.

The light came from back up the incline.  It did not come from a hole in the sky … but rather it stretched wanly down the endless miles of rock, a memory of a reflection of a beam.

“Something Strange is Happening”

By Adam Hincks, S.J.

Tomb by Sieger Köder (contemplativecottage.com)

But low, bend low a listening ear!
Beneath the mask of moveless white
A babbling whisper you shall hear
Of birds and blossoms, leaves and light.
– Charles G. D. Roberts
As I write this, I am cognisant that this post will appear on Good Friday and remain at the head of our blog until Easter Monday. What theme can cover this whole weekend, capturing both the end of Lent and the beginning of Easter? It is a tall order, but perhaps some fruit can be found by splitting the difference and looking at the day that falls in between: Holy Saturday.

Feeling Like Hell

By Edmund Lo, S.J.

One of our blog's faithful followers recently recommended Hemingway's “Today is Friday” in one of his comments, and I decided to check it out just to show that we really do appreciate our readers' comments. It is a short play concerning the conversation between three soldiers who were on guard during the crucifixion of Jesus. I find it quite an interesting read. All three soldiers bring intriguing perspectives in their own rights, but I will focus on the third soldier.

Throughout the entire play, he suffers from some kind of a stomach pain. He pleads with the other two to return to the barracks with him because he “feel(s) like hell tonight”, but stresses that it is neither because of the drinks nor the boys' night out; he simply feels like hell. We can make an educated guess that he is referring to how he feels after what transpired during the day, that is, the crucifixion.