How to celebrate Holy Saturday

 “Something strange is happening — there is a great silence on earth today, a great silence and stillness. The whole earth keeps silence because the (Anointed One) is asleep. The earth trembled and is still because God has fallen asleep in the flesh … God has died in the flesh and hell trembles with fear.” — From an ancient homily on Holy Saturday

When I was in grammar school, a thousand years ago, before Vatican II, Easter began with Holy Saturday Noon.

The services were earlier in the morning partly because of the Communion Fast from both food and water after Midnight.  It was while I was in high school that water could be taken any time before Mass.

So I would come racing home from Church. And being the legalist that I was, I waited until noon to dig into all of the candy I had given up for Lent. And the celebration went on throughout the day.

If one takes the opportunity to reflect on the ancient homily quoted above, it is clear that Vatican II restored the actual experience of the Jewish Christians by moving the celebration to the evening, preferably after sunset.

So how do we celebrate Holy Saturday in 2024?

Experience in Solidarity

As necessary as the preparations for the Easter Vigil are, I try to maintain the emptiness and silence of Good Friday. 

Uniting myself with my Jewish Christian ancestors, as well as with so many multitudes today who are reduced to silence, whose voices go unheard, I attempt to experience in solidarity with them the seeming meaninglessness, the hell, into which Jesus the Christ descended before his Resurrection.

Possibly we can accept the invitation to enter into that quiet emptiness for at least a brief time today.  Perhaps we can know by experience that Resurrection is coming after the apparent emptiness of Holy Saturday.  

The nine Scripture Passages read at the Easter Vigil can be rich material for “allowing the Holy Spirit to wash over us” during this precious time.