silence 04-16-2025

If you’ve watched any emergency medical show there are the scenes where the patient needs the paddles to shock their heart back into rhythm. There’s the first attempt, then a second and after a third, it’s too late. Then there’s the camera shot of the heart monitor going straight line with its mono-tone ring while everyone else in the room is silent. Death does that. In theater that’s called a dramatic pause, in life silence is the pause before drama. (a.k.a. the silence/pause before the storm) In the timeline of Jesus’ passion week today is Wednesday, “silent Wednesday”. The Gospel writers do not record any activities of Jesus on this day, but the storm is rising. Many suggest this was the day Judas met with the chief priests and plotted with them a way in which to hand Jesus over to them. (see Luke 22:1-6) Can you hear the “mono-tone”? It’ll be two days before Jesus breathes his last from the cross but it’s this day the Father allows His Son’s betrayal. So it’s this day, all of us must take a moment in silence in witness to the death which gives life. Shhhh. Pause now. PK