80. What is Holy Saturday?

A time of waiting and silence as Jesus rests in the tomb, anticipating His Resurrection. Prayers focus on hope and anticipation for the new life that will be brought about by Christ’s resurrection

Waiting with Mother Mary

The Saviour of the World died a cruel death upon the Cross. His broken body was laid in the tomb. His disciples scattered, fearful that they would be next. But our Blessed Mother kept vigil in the perfect hope that her Son would soon rise.

Traditionally, Saturdays within the Church year are dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary. This ancient tradition developed in part due to the belief that, as others were filled with fear and confusion, Mother Mary kept vigil on Holy Saturday in prayerful anticipation of Jesus’ resurrection. She knew her Son would rise. She had hope beyond hope. Her faith was certain. Her love kept her vigilant as she awaited the return of her Son.

For many centuries, it has been suggested that the first person to whom Jesus appeared after His Resurrection was His own mother. Pope Saint John Paul II believed this. Saint Ignatius of Loyola believed it. And many others throughout the centuries shared this belief.

For these reasons, Holy Saturday is an ideal day to ponder the pondering heart of our Blessed Mother. There are several passages in Sacred Scripture in which we are told that Mother Mary pondered the mysteries of her Son’s life in her heart.

She was one of the few who stood by Him in His agony and death. She stood before the Cross and prayerfully pondered His perfect sacrifice. The Blessed Mother held His dead body in her arms and pondered where His spirit had gone. And today she keeps vigil, pondering His imminent return to her.

Ponder her pondering heart. Try to unite your own heart with hers. Try to understand what she was thinking and hoping. Try to feel what she felt this sorrowful day. Try to experience her faith, her trust and her joyful expectation.

So many people in this world walk in despair and confusion. So many have lost hope in the new life that awaits them. So many have their own form of interior death without allowing God to draw them into His Resurrection. So many people today need the hope that was so alive in the heart of our Blessed Mother that first Holy Saturday.

Ponder the reality of Holy Saturday in silence this day and allow the glorious heart of our Blessed Mother to inspire you and draw you more deeply into her life of faith, hope and love.

Dearest Mother Mary, on that first Holy Saturday, you kept vigil for your Son. You allowed the divine gift of hope to grow within you, and you allowed that hope to be your strength in the midst of the horror of the Cross. Pray for me that I may ponder your beautiful heart this day so that I, too, may be filled with hope as I endure the challenges of this earthly life. Give me a heart of joyful anticipation as I await the grace of new life our Lord so deeply desires to bestow upon me. Mother Mary, pray for me. Jesus, I do trust in You.

CITE: https://catholic-daily-reflections.com/2025/04/18/holy-saturday-with-mother-mary-4/

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The Silence of the Tomb

Today, there is a great silence. The Saviour has died. He rests in the tomb. Many hearts were filled with uncontrollable grief and confusion. Was he really gone? Had all their hopes been shattered? These and many other thoughts of despair filled the minds and hearts of so many who loved and followed Jesus.

It is on this day that we honour the fact that Jesus was still preaching. He descended to the land of the dead, to all the holy souls who had gone before Him, so as to bring them His gift of salvation. He brought His gift of mercy and redemption to Moses, Abraham, the prophets,s and so many others. This was a day of great joy for them. But a day of great sorrow and confusion for those who watched their Messiah die on the Cross.

It’s helpful to ponder this apparent contradiction. Jesus was accomplishing His act of redemption, the greatest act of love ever known, and so many were in complete confusion and despair. It shows that God’s ways are far above our own. What appeared to be a great loss turned out to be the most glorious triumph ever known.

So it is with our lives. Holy Saturday should be a reminder to us that even the worst tragedies are not always what they seem. God the Son was obviously doing great things as He lay in the tomb. He was accomplishing His mission of redemption. He was changing lives and pouring forth grace and mercy.

The message of Holy Saturday is clear. It’s a message of hope. Not hope in a worldly sense, rather, it’s the message of divine hope. Hope and trust in God’s perfect plan. Hope in the fact that God always has a greater purpose. Hope in the fact that God uses suffering and, in this case, death as a powerful instrument of salvation.

Spend time in silence today. Try to enter into the reality of Holy Saturday. Let divine hope grow within you, knowing that Easter is soon to come.

Lord of all hope, I thank You for the gift of Your suffering and death. Thank You for this day of silence as we await Your Resurrection. May I also await Your triumph in my life. When I struggle with despair, dear Lord, help me remember this day. The day when all appeared as a loss. Help me to see my struggles through the lens of Holy Saturday, remembering that You are faithful in all things and that the Resurrection is always assured to those who put their trust in You. Jesus, I do trust in You.

CITE: https://catholic-daily-reflections.com/2022/04/15/the-silence-of-the-tomb/

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