Holy Saturday Reflection

Holy Saturday Reflection
Brother Alan Parham, FSC, Board Member

Holy Saturday is a day when we remember Jesus in the tomb. It is almost like a day of mourning. Yet there is an expectancy because we know that Easter is coming. The day is often a preparation for church and family celebrations of the Resurrection.

Not everyone attends, but Holy Saturday Evening invites us to celebrate the Easter Vigil. If one meditates on the liturgical texts for that night, it is sheer poetry, which invites us into the Easter Season.

The Easter Vigil begin with the lighting of the Paschal candle. There is the joyful and ebullient hymn called the “Exultet.” (“Let us rejoice!”) We proceed to the darkened church with lit candles. There are nine readings to help us meditate on salvation history. The lights go on, and our candles are extinguished as the altar candles are lit. The bells are rung. After the reading from St. Paul, we stand for the Gospel, which is, of course the Resurrection narrative.

​After the homily, it is pure celebration as new Catholics receive the Sacraments of Initiation. We all join them as we renew our Baptismal promises and receive the Eucharist. We leave the Church singing Alleluia and, hopefully, continue to do so in the Easter Season, which is fifty days long. Like the flowers in church, there is a freshness in our hearts, which bursts with new light and restored hope.