Lenten Meditations: Saturday 3 April
| Sat
Apr 3 |
am: 95, 88
pm 27 |
Job 19:21-27a | am: Heb 4:1-16 pm: Rom 8:1-11 |
– |
HOLY SATURDAY
LITURGICAL THEME FOR THE DAY: There is no liturgy on Holy Saturday. We spend the day reflecting upon the powerful reality of Jesus’ death. In addition to the Daily Reflection and the Preparing for the Easter Vigil Liturgy pages, we offer a page with each of the readings for the Easter Vigil and a page with each of the prayers that are said after each reading. These pages are inter-linked, so that is it possible to go back and forth, easily, just following the links.
What is important is that we keep this day holy and let our “sense” of the mystery of death shape our reflection, and our longing to celebrate the Easter gift of Jesus alive, for us and with us.
This is the Blessed Sabbath. The “Great Vigil” is the day, which connects Good Friday, the commemoration of the Cross, with the day of His Resurrection. To many the real natures and the meaning of this “connection”, or “middle day”, remains obscure. For a good majority of churchgoers, the “important” days of Holy Week are Friday and Sunday, the Cross -and the Resurrection. These two days, however, remain somehow “disconnected unless one engages in the Great Vigil this day of transformation, the day when victory grows from inside the defeat, when before the Resurrection, we are given to contemplate the death of death itself. All this is expressed, and even more, all this really takes place every year in th is marvelous morning service, in this liturgical commemoration, which becomes for us a saving and transforming present.
MEDITATION OF THE DAY : Something strange is happening – there is a great silence on earth today, a great silence and stillness. The whole earth keeps silence because the King is asleep. The earth trembled and is still because God has fallen asleep in the flesh and he has raised up all who have slept ever since the world began. God has died in the flesh and hell trembles with fear.
The Lessons for Holy Saturday Night invite us to remember, reflect on, and be with, and hold significant events and faith stories upon which our faith is built creation of universal harmony out of rampant chaos, the salvation of one family on behalf of all women and men and children, the parting of the Red Sea delivering the Israelites from death to freedom. From the New Testament we Remember the innocent Jesus who was crucified and died. Hold the mutilated body of the tortured Jesus. Comfort the sorrowing Mother Mary.
PRAYER OF THE DAY: O God, Creator of heaven and earth: Grant that, as the crucified body of your dear Son was laid in the tomb and rested on this holy Sabbath, so we may await with him the coming of the third day, and rise with him to newness of life, who now lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen
ANCIENT WISDOM/PRESENT GRACE : Christ does not force our will; He only takes what we give Him. But He does not give Himself entirely until He sees that we yield ourselves entirely to Him.— St. Teresa of Avila
HOLY WEEK DISCIPLINE – Attend part or all the Great Vigil of Easter and observe the Solemn Fast.
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