I fear just seeing all these words in this prayer, in these verses as metaphors and sweet notions. I want it to be a chemical reactionary change element in my life, but it's so easy to avoid being gripped by these words. This is why the valley is necessary.
To better expand on this, here is an excerpt from an interview with Andras Visky, a Hungarian-Romanian dramaturg.
ANDRÁS VISKY:
Because, look at the disciples on Good Friday. The Messiah is gone. And they don’t know what to do, they hide. Because Friday afternoon, the afternoon of the crucifixion, all of our thoughts are about death and we forget every promise about the resurrection. It is unbelievable.
The New Pantagruel:
That we forget the promises about the resurrection or that the resurrection happened?
ANDRÁS VISKY:
That we forget the promises. It is unbelievable but this is our life, to forget all the promises. Those three chapters from John where He talks about His departure and return – how can they forget this? They forget because the death is so obvious, so real, so natural, so present, that you can feel it. It seems that we, today, don’t feel the death. And the question is, if we don’t feel the death, do we feel the resurrection?
It seems to me that we, the church today, have forgotten those three days in between Good Friday and Easter Sunday. We never speak about those three days because the Gospels are mainly silent about them. As if to cut out from the history of the cosmos those three days. And it seems that we today have forgotten them totally. But from my perspective, a good and accurate representation of the already-not-yet could be that period. To touch with one hand, if you want, Good Friday and to touch with the other hand, Easter Sunday.
The New Pantagruel:
To touch with faith or belief, or with what?
ANDRÁS VISKY:
To touch with our hand (laughs), because these other words are too nice. Faith is a good word but we have to add something to it. In this period, in these hours after the crucifixion and before the resurrection, there is no faith. There is a coming faith. Faith is on the way. But it’s not there yet. There’s a secret in this disciples story. Why, for example, do they stay together? It is not a logical thing to do, to remain together when you are being persecuted. I remember during the time of persecution in Romania, the worst situation always was to be found together. Because this was seen as a conspiracy by the authorities.
I just want to underline something. It seems that we, the church, know very well the end of the story and this is very suspicious to me. To know very well the end of the story is to forget the beginning of the story. To focus so much on the end of the story, is to consider myself as a natural partner in, or character of, the end of the story. But according to our doctrines, this is known only by God.
As I meditated on this idea of feeling the death, feeling the resurrection; seeing the glory, being in the valley, I am struck with the thought I cannot do this alone. I need a guide to show me the glory.
Is the Holy Spirit with me? Can he use others to point me to the glory of the resurrection? Can he use me to point others? According to His Promises; He is, and He does.