Holy Saturday is a day for Christians that is encompassed by an overwhelming silence, and a somber atmosphere as we reflect upon the mystery, and the anticipation of the Resurrection of Christ.
The silence that permeates throughout every Catholic Church on Holy Saturday is very different from that of Good Friday and Easter Sunday. It was on Good Friday that Christ was scourged, mocked, suffered, and died on the Cross while on Resurrection Day Christ rises from the dead in His most triumphant glory. When we look to Good Friday and Easter Sunday we have a different experience than that of Holy Saturday. It is on Good Friday that Christians throughout the world spend the somber occasion in mourning and sorrow while on the Day of Resurrection there is much joy and celebration. Holy Saturday, on the other hand, is when there exists a spirit of tranquility and quietness throughout the sanctuary. The followers of Christ waited with anticipatory hope of the Resurrection, and on this day we do the same.
The tomb signifies not only death, but a place of darkness and despair. It is where they placed the body of our beloved Lord, and reminds us of the incredible torment that led to the murder of Christ. But we know as Christians that the tomb is not the end, but offers us hope. It is there that Christ conquered sin and death, and offers us a glimpse of eternal life with Him in the power of the Resurrection on Easter Sunday.
In our meditation on Holy Saturday when we contemplate on the silence of Holy Saturday, and the empty tomb we are invited to reflect upon the mystery of the Resurrection, and God’s love that enabled Him to defeat death and shine His light through the darkness. We can ask ourselves as we sit in the bare church, “What does the Resurrection mean for us in our own lives, and for all of humanity?”
On Holy Saturday I have meditated and relished in the silence of Holy Saturday by praying the Psalms, which portray a plethora of human emotions and experiences. Another way that I have spent time in prayer and contemplation on this third day of the Triduum is to spend time in “prayerful listening to the word of God,” as described by Pope Benedict XVI in his meeting on “Lectio Divina” with the parish priests of the Rome Diocese in March 2011.
On this Holy Saturday let us spend our time deepening our understanding of the love of Christ, and the hope of eternal life in Him.
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