Holy Saturday

For some reason, in my younger days and up through my late 20s, older people would say that today, the day between Good Friday and Easter Sunday- was the day to plant your garden. I used to think there was some agricultural/scientific reason behind this. Easter, coming when it does (Easter comes the first Sunday after the first full moon following the vernal equinox – note: Eastern Orthodox celebrate it a week later), made the weather right for planting seeds in the ground. However, that turns out not to be true, especially for tubers. Tubers planted today will probably rot in the earth, and the Saturday is called Rotten Saturday by some.

The weather is so variable that seeds and plants may or may not grow.

So why did they do it?

Many say it was because their ancestors did- their grandparents, and the grandparents of those people, and so forth for generations back.

But why did they do it?

Here’s my theory, and I do not know how to prove it. But here goes.

Those early farmers listened to the story of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus and believed there was something universal being told there. Jesus died and was buried, lay in the earth that Saturday, and was raised on Sunday. So they put their seeds and plants in the ground on Saturday just to see what would happen. And a tradition began.

While I am no farmer (and farmers are people outstanding in their field- sorry, I couldn’t resist!), I have had a few gardens in my life. Square-foot gardening is my favorite. Planting seeds on Holy Saturday sometimes produced good results. A few times it did not. Neither was the result of faith, but due to the weather and some other things (like my attention to the garden).

But there is a deeper lesson here for me. Maybe for you, too.

On this day, some things within me that have died, or are just seeds or seedlings, need to be planted in the ground, and allowed to stay until they come up on their own.

Things faith-

• Faith that people, whoever they are, are basically good, that our inner core is not evil but kind.
• Faith that our work together will make a difference; that a few people standing together to make a better world will attract more people.
• Faith that compassion does not equal weakness and that charity does not promote laziness.

Things like hope-

• Hope that our country will get over its selfishness and decide to live and work together for the common and greater good.
• Hope that my life will have some kind of meaning, will help the world be kinder, gentler, more accepting.
• Hope that relationships I have hurt and/or broken in the past will be healed, reconciled, and restored.
• Hope that I can live out the remainder of my days in better health and learning new things in this wonderful world.

Things like love-

• Love for those who have hurt me and for those I have hurt.
• Love for the world that used to be and for the world that is yet to come.
• Love for my neighbors that I know, and the neighbors I do not know- both those near and far.

Someone once wrote those things- faith, hope, and love- last forever. Today I think I’ll plant them in the garden of my heart, and wait and see what comes up.