Holy Saturday B

Published on 29 March 2024 at 22:45

It’s Saturday of Holy Week and there’s no Holy Mass offered by any priests together with the faithful given that Jesus is “gone” for a “little while.” After all, is this not what he told the apostles?

“In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me” John 16:16.

We are at that solemn pause of silence, where from his death on the Cross, to his Resurrection out of the grave, we have an “in between” moment. Saturday’s are normally dedicated to our Mother Mary. If even we feel the anticipation, it would be good to ask on this day, what did our dearest Mother feel as it was her first full day without her Son after his death, while still suffering her pierced heart, pierced with sorrow as prophesied by Simeon in the temple when Jesus was yet a child being circumcised. “A sword shall pierce your heart too.”

The primitive Church knew this Saturday as Great, or Grand Saturday, Holy Saturday, the Angelic Night, the Vigil of Easter, etc. Today the mood is not solely one of joy as we experienced on Holy Thursday at the great celebration of our Lord having instituted the Eucharist and the Priesthood. Rather, it is an intermingling of joy and sadness which perhaps best sums up what most likely was happening in our Blessed Mother’s heart. She was crushed, but she knew and pondered Jesus’ prophecy about him rising three days after being put to death. She was in agony, yet she had hope, and this must have kindled some kind of joy, even within that ocean of sorrow. However, there’s more. According to one mystic, not only did she know he would rise, but she knew where he was in his Spirit, while his body lay in the tomb. We’ll get to that.

When it comes to us, on this day we both close the season of Lenten penitence and begin the Paschal time of rejoicing. It’s the end of a “day” and an awaiting for the dawn. It’s a sacred pause—a very sublime moment of silence as we await, pray, and allow the Lord to speak to our hearts.

As we have been trying to chronologically highlight some of the events of Jesus’ ministry throughout Holy Week, beginning with Palm Sunday and ending with our Lord’s wondrous Passion yesterday on Good Friday, so too we may ask, where is our Lord on this day, on Holy Saturday? Is there any indication in scripture of anything he may be doing other than laying in the tomb awaiting his resurrection? Perhaps even the mystics have something to say about it? And what can we learn?

We know what the apostles and Jesus’ other followers were most likely doing. It was a sabbath day and they would have been resting, yet it was a resting in heartache, fear, and a sense of helplessness, for the one they loved is now no longer with them and their own lives were at risk. Luke notes that the women returned home after the crucifixion,

"and prepared spices and ointments. On the sabbath they rested according to the commandment" (Luke 23:56).

They rested, and yet, where was Jesus, the Lord of the Sabbath? In 1 Peter 3:18 we are told that while his body lay cold in the sealed tomb, guarded by Roman soldiers he was down in the netherworld announcing the good news to those who had been waiting for a long time for their release from bondage.

“For Christ also died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit; in which he went and preached to the spirits in prison.”

Then in 1 Peter 4:6 he notes that the gospel was preached to the dead:

“For this is why the gospel was preached even to the dead, that though judged in the flesh like men, they might live in the spirit like God.”

Paragraph 632 of the Catechism says,

“The frequent New Testament affirmations that Jesus was “raised from the dead” presuppose that the crucified one sojourned in the realm of the dead prior to his resurrection. This was the first meaning given in the apostolic preaching to Christ’s descent into hell: that Jesus, like all men, experienced death and in his soul joined the others in the realm of the dead. But he descended there as Savior, proclaiming the Good News to the spirits imprisoned there.” Paragraphs 633 and 634 add more light on Jesus’ descent into hell.

We can safely presume that there was much more going on here then we can imagine. Mel Gibson for example has gone on the record as saying that the reason for the delay in the sequel to the Passion of the Christ, is because they are working on bringing Holy Saturday to life and “so much was happening on that day that we would never think of.” Absolutely.. for who can adequately capture the splendour of God’s marvelous deeds? The one person in Heaven with a vast collection of memoirs from the mysteries of the life of the Saviour, would definitely be his Mother, now our own Mother, the Blessed Virgin Mary whom our Lord so mercifully and lovingly consigned to all of us (in the person of John) while enduring great agony on the cross. Would it be wishful thinking to perhaps wonder if she shared any of those memoirs with us poor lowly creatures, so sullied by sin? Of course, she shared beautiful things which evangelists would eventually put in writing in their gospels. She also shared what she wished with other chosen souls we call the approved mystics of the Church.

And so we turn to one such mystic in the Venerable Mary of Agreda who alleged that our Blessed Mother herself dictated a biographical masterpiece, revealing many beautiful details of her earthly life as of course shaped by the mysteries of Jesus’. According to Enrique Llamas, a Spanish Mariologist of reputation, the Mystical City of God (written by Ven. Mary) not only does not contain any theological errors, but is compatible with the Mariological doctrine of Vatican II in the eighth chapter of Lumen Gentium (See: La Madre Agreda y la Mariologia del Vaticano).

 

In her writings, it is interesting to note that the souls of the Prophets and Patriarchs, along with the just souls who were imprisoned in Limbo till the day of redemption, were already given some wonderful news at the birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The mystic writes,

“At the moment of the birth of our Princess Mary the Most High sent the archangel Gabriel as an envoy to bring this joyful news to the holy Fathers in limbo. Immediately the heavenly ambassador descended, illumining that deep cavern and rejoicing the just who were detained therein. He told them that already the dawn of eternal felicity had commenced and that the reparation of man, which was so earnestly desired and expected by the holy Patriarchs and foretold by the Prophets, had been begun, since She, who was to be the Mother of the Messias, had now been born; soon they would now see the salvation and glory of the Most High.

The holy prince gave them an understanding of the excellence of the most holy Mary and of what the Omnipotent had begun to work in Her, in order that they might better comprehend the happy beginning of the mystery, which was to end their prolonged imprisonment. Then all the holy Patriarchs and Prophets and the rest of the just in limbo rejoiced in spirit and in new canticles praised the Lord for this benefit.”

Give or take, this would mean they would have needed to wait just decades more for their birthday into eternal paradise with God. Well, the time had come—From 3pm Friday to 3am Sunday morning, our Lord was with the souls of the just in the netherworld according to Venerable Mary. This is her beautiful account:

“For from the first the blessed Mother knew that the soul of Christ, united to the Divinity, descended to limbo in order to release the holy Fathers from the subterranean prison, where they had been detained since the death of the first just man that had died in expectance of the advent of the Redeemer of the whole human race.

By the presence of the most holy Soul this obscure cavern was converted into a heaven and was filled with a wonderful splendor; and to the souls therein contained was imparted the clear vision of the Divinity. In one instant they passed from the state of long–deferred hope to the possession of glory, and from darkness to the inaccessible light, which they now began to enjoy. All of them recognized their true God and Redeemer, and gave him thanks and glory, breaking forth in canticles of praise saying: “The Lamb that was slain is worthy to receive power and Divinity, and wisdom, and strength, and honor, and glory and benediction. Thou hast redeemed us, Lord, in thy blood, out of every tribe, and tongue, and people, and nation; and hast made us to our God a kingdom and priests, and we shall reign on the earth (Apoc. 59, 12). Thine is, O Lord, the power, thine the reign, and thine is the glory of thy works.” Then the Lord commanded the angels to bring all the souls in purgatory, and this was immediately done. As if in earnest of the human Redemption they were absolved then and there by the Redeemer from the punishments still due to them, and they were glorified with the other souls of the just by the beatific vision. Thus on that day of the presence of the King were depopulated the prisonhouses of both limbo and purgatory.

The divine soul of Christ our Redeemer remained in limbo from half past three of Friday afternoon, until after three of the Sunday morning following. During this hour He returned to the Sepulchre as the victorious Prince of the angels and of the saints, whom had delivered from those nether prisons as Spoils of His victory and as an earnest of His glorious triumph over the chastised and prostrate rebels of hell. In the sepulchre were many angels as its guard, venerating the sacred body united to the Divinity.”

How beautiful to know that our Blessed Mother was able to contemplate in her holiness the whereabouts of our Lord during his time in the tomb! Of course she wasn’t there to anoint the body. Why anoint the body if she knew with absolute certainty and faith that he would rise glorious and resplendent?

With our Blessed Mother, let us wait prayerfully and gratefully for Jesus’ rising from the dead, victorious over death. May the Lord bless us and forgive us our sins and bring us to everlasting life dearest brothers and sisters.


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Comments

Simona
10 months ago

I almost read half of this beautiful book and I was thinking today how Mother Mary didn’t have any reason to go to the tomb to anoint His body, as she certainly knew what was going to happen. She still suffered with Him, because a Mother always suffers tremendously in front of an agonizing child, even if it is a temporary pain. This is such a good reflection about that Holy Saturday, love how you put Mary under the spotlight 🌺🩷🌷. Let us wait with her in awe!

franciscanpreacher
10 months ago

Indeed, studies have shown the parent of a child usually suffers even more than the child themselves when they are going through some kind of acute pain. Thanks for your comment.

Anon
10 months ago

"Mystical City of God" is a must-read.
Our Faith is so rich and this was such a beautiful angle to highlight. Thank you.

franciscanpreacher
10 months ago

This is one of the perks of being a follower of Christ… the treasure is endless. Thanks for the comment.

Ja
10 months ago

So loved walking through the sacred triduum in these reflections and especially waiting today pausing, In silence with Mary 🤍🙏🏽

franciscanpreacher
10 months ago

You’re right, there’s something about just walking through and engaging each day of Holy Week which we sometimes sadly miss out on. Thanks for being here.