Waiting

Holy Saturday: The Sacred Stillness Between Death and Resurrection

/ chicoinematt

Honestly, I really didn’t think too much about Holy Saturday growing up. It seems to be like the “forgotten” or the “third-wheel” day of the Holy Triduum. The stillness and silence that marks this day stands in stark contrast to the activity of the events that occurred earlier in Holy Week.

On Palm Sunday we celebrate the entry of Jesus in Jerusalem as King (plus we got to make cool palm crosses or make “leaf-sabers”). Holy Thursday had a lot going on with the priest washing the feet of (usually) 12 men from the parish. This year my parish had the presentation of the sacred oils (sick, catechumens, and chrism).

And Good Friday draws us directly into the Passion and Death of Jesus. The Gospel had the congregation echo the words of the jeering crowds in Jerusalem, 33 A.D. One of my favorite practices in Holy Week is the Veneration of the Cross. And the Solemn Intercessions is a beautiful way for the Church to pray for all and unite them to Jesus.

Anticipation and Waiting

I asked my youngest daughter why she is excited for Easter. She exclaimed, “Because the Easter Bunny will visit us!” My older daughter chimed in, “And Jesus rises from the dead!” The theme is anticipation. We get excited when we are looking forward to something. Waiting is the difficult part. And waiting patiently is even more difficult.

Something I have been trying to work on in my spiritual life is to find the joy in the waiting. During daily Mass this Tuesday, the priest said something interesting. He said, “Enjoy the Cross this week!” Behold the wood of the Cross. It’s a common phrase in Holy Week. Yet, there’s something between the Cross and the Resurrection. Silence. Defeat. Stillness. Jesus in the grave.

Hope but not yet. That’s what Holy Saturday is. Attending the Tenebrae Service at my parish helped me deepen my understanding of the final day of the Holy Triduum. Holy Saturday is when hope dies, but in the moment of transformation. And that’s how we are often transformed as Christians. In the immediate aftermath of the suffering, or our “Good Friday”.

The Great Silence

Holy Saturday is a day of great silence and stillness, as the whole earth keeps silence because the King is asleep. The Catechism of the Catholic Church reminds us that on this day the Church contemplates Christ’s descent into hell to free the captives (CCC 635).

The Church re-reads and re-lives the great events of salvation history in the “today” of her liturgy, especially during the Easter Vigil. In Scripture, we see this mystery hinted at in 1 Peter 3:19, where Christ “went and made a proclamation to the spirits in prison.”

Holy Saturday belongs to the Paschal mystery. This mystery encompasses Christ’s Passion, Resurrection, and Ascension. Through these events, He conquered death and gave us new life. In contemplative prayer today, we dwell in faith’s darkness. We journey through the agony and tomb. Our prayer reflects the profound moments of Jesus’ Hour.

How the Church Teaches Us

One of the most profound texts for Holy Saturday comes from an ancient homily preserved in the Church’s Office of Readings. This homily speaks of Christ’s descent into hell to seek out Adam, our first parent, as a lost sheep. Christ approaches Adam bearing the cross, the weapon of victory. He commands all enslaved by death to come forth from darkness and arise from their sleep.

In this beautiful meditation, Jesus identifies Himself as the God who became man’s son out of love, who “took the form of a slave and descended from heaven to earth” (Philippians 2:7).

The homilist portrays Christ pointing to the wounds He received: the spittle, the blows, the scourging, and the nails, all endured to restore humanity. Christ emphasizes that His sleep on the cross will rouse Adam from his sleep in hell, and the sword that pierced His side has sheathed the sword turned against Adam in Eden.

Most powerfully, Christ promises not just a restoration to earthly paradise but enthronement in heaven, where cherubim will worship man as God, and the kingdom of heaven awaits, prepared from all eternity.

In this ancient homily, we find the key to understanding Holy Saturday. It is not merely empty waiting. It is the moment when salvation reached into the depths of death itself. In the silence of the tomb, the Word was still speaking, bringing light into darkness.

An Ancient Homily on Holy Saturday

The Lord descends into hell

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.

Adam, the First Lost Sheep

He has gone to search for our first parent, as for a lost sheep. Greatly desiring to visit those who live in darkness and in the shadow of death, he has gone to free from sorrow the captives Adam and Eve, he who is both God and the son of Eve. The Lord approached them bearing the cross, the weapon that had won him the victory. At the sight of him Adam, the first man he had created, struck his breast in terror and cried out to everyone: “My Lord be with you all.” Christ answered him: “And with your spirit.” He took him by the hand and raised him up, saying: “Awake, O sleeper, and rise from the dead, and Christ will give you light.”

I am your God, who for your sake have become your son. Out of love for you and for your descendants I now by my own authority command all who are held in bondage to come forth, all who are in darkness to be enlightened, all who are sleeping to arise. I order you, O sleeper, to awake. I did not create you to be held a prisoner in hell. Rise from the dead, for I am the life of the dead. Rise up, work of my hands, you who were created in my image. Rise, let us leave this place, for you are in me and I am in you; together we form only one person and we cannot be separated.

Jesus Saves

For your sake I, your God, became your son; I, the Lord, took the form of a slave; I, whose home is above the heavens, descended to the earth and beneath the earth. For your sake, for the sake of man, I became like a man without help, free among the dead. For the sake of you, who left a garden, I was betrayed to the Jews in a garden, and I was crucified in a garden.

See on my face the spittle I received in order to restore to you the life I once breathed into you. See there the marks of the blows I received in order to refashion your warped nature in my image. On my back see the marks of the scourging I endured to remove the burden of sin that weighs upon your back. See my hands, nailed firmly to a tree, for you who once wickedly stretched out your hand to a tree.

The New Man

I slept on the cross and a sword pierced my side for you who slept in paradise and brought forth Eve from your side. My side has healed the pain in yours. My sleep will rouse you from your sleep in hell. The sword that pierced me has sheathed the sword that was turned against you.

Rise, let us leave this place. The enemy led you out of the earthly paradise. I will not restore you to that paradise, but I will enthrone you in heaven. I forbade you the tree that was only a symbol of life, but see, I who am life itself am now one with you. I appointed cherubim to guard you as slaves are guarded, but now I make them worship you as God. The throne formed by cherubim awaits you, its bearers swift and eager. The bridal chamber is adorned, the banquet is ready, the eternal dwelling places are prepared, the treasure houses of all good things lie open. The kingdom of heaven has been prepared for you from all eternity.”

Holy Saturday’s Invitation

Jesus descends to hell Holy Saturday

The ancient homily of Holy Saturday invites us into one of the most profound mysteries of our faith. Good Friday shows us sacrifice. Easter Sunday reveals glory. Holy Saturday teaches us about transformation in darkness. It shows how God works even when we cannot see Him.

In my own life, the “Holy Saturday moments” have often been the hardest to embrace. Those periods of waiting, of uncertainty, when hope feels dim but hasn’t completely vanished. Yet these are precisely the times when God may be doing His deepest work within us.

As we enter into the silence of Holy Saturday, let us not rush too quickly to Easter morning. Let us keep vigil with Christ in the tomb today. Let us contemplate how He descended into the depths to find us. He bears His wounds as the price of our redemption. Remember this truth in your darkest moments: the King is not absent. He works in the silence. He heals in the darkness. He prepares us for resurrection even now.

The Catechism reminds us that in the Easter Vigil, “the Church awaits the Lord’s resurrection and celebrates it in the sacraments” (CCC 1217). Tonight, as candles pierce the darkness and water flows once more, may we recognize that Holy Saturday isn’t just about waiting – it’s about transformation at the deepest level of our being.

When we feel stuck in our own Holy Saturday experiences, may we remember Christ’s promise to Adam and to us: “Rise, let us leave this place.” The tomb is never the final word.

Related Links

Review on Christ’s Descent into Hell: Theology of Holy Saturday

The significance of Good Friday

Holy Saturday with Mother Mary

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Waiting for the One

/ chicoinematt

The sleek shadowy black corvette ahead of me roared its engine. This sudden sound caused my dropping eyelids to pop open. Peering around me I noticed the grey dreary sky adorned with ominous clouds. Fresh precipitation remained on the ground. The scent of a fresh rainfall 🌧 lingered. 

While some people lament about the weather this day, I wait, in joyful anticipation, for the cloudy ☁️ doldrums. After what seemed like an eternity, the sports car moved forward. Inching forward, another aroma mixed with the dewy scent. A sweet, yet bitter smell engaged my olfactory sense. 

Waiting. Has time actually stood still? The longing persists. It is difficult to wait any longer. Five minutes has passed. Will another five or 500 pass before I acquire this liquid gold?

Thank goodness! 🙌 The roar of the ebony corvette wakens me again. Looking up out the paned window I notice my time has arrived. Waiting. Waiting all too long.

Finally, I am met with those beautiful words—“Here is your one large coffee ☕️ !”

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Focus, Assess, Inward, and Live—How to Deal with Failures

/ chicoinematt

justwait gif.gif

Perhaps the most difficult phrase a person has to hear in life is: You need to wait. Whether you renewing your driver’s license and have to wait at the local DMV or waiting for a job interview or searching for your vocation in life, waiting can be tough. St. Paul wrote about the importance of patience. Perhaps his most famous, and arguably his most timeless passage, 1 Corinthians 13:4, the great evangelizer ever reminds us, “Love is patient, love is kind. It is not jealous, [love] is not pompous, it is not inflated” (emphasis mine).

Wait it Out

My natural tendency leans towards impatience. Busyness and speed dominate my daily life. Whether this issue began as a child, as I was diagnosed with ADHD or if my fast-paced work environment and reliance on technology is a factor may be debated. Regardless, at the end of the day, I am in charge of choosing to slow down, to pause, and to reflect on my crossroad events in my life. Certainly, today it seems is a turning point in my life.  Earlier this week, I learned about a fantastic job opportunity within my company that would be a perfect match for my skills. Excitedly, I discussed this chance with my manager. Needing permission from senior management to apply—as I am still only a few months in my current role, my manager informed me that I needed to wait for a year from when I was hired in my current role.

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Failure as a Learning Opportunity

Disappointed I took this time to focus my efforts into working diligently. Focus. This word permeated my thoughts today. According to the great Winston Churchill, “Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.” Oftentimes, courage is associated with quick thinking. However, sometimes the courageous thing to do involves waiting—patiently. That is what I did today. I paused and assessed my frustrating situation. “I am stuck in a position where I am not happy. It is not a good fit!” I initially told myself.

After inwardly reflecting I realized that waiting is not necessary a bad thing. The American author Joyce Meyer poignantly put it, “Patience is not simply the ability to wait – it’s how we behave while we’re waiting.” Taking time to reflect on my apparent failings gave rise to a mantra that helped re-focus my attitude—F.A.I.L= Focus+ Assess + Inward=Live

keep calm live to fullest

Live life to the fullest. We are called to a joyful life. This does equal a life free from suffering—today certainly proved that with my disappointment about the job opportunity. Nevertheless, any cross, big or small, presents us all with an opportunity—to run from it or to embrace it. Today, I choose the latter! St. Therese of Lisieux encountered suffering most of her earthly life. The wisdom gained from accepting her crosses was profound. The French saint stated, “For one pain endured with joy, we shall love the good God more forever.” Love is patient. God is love. Therefore, God is patient. May the Holy Spirit grant us the virtue of patience and ability to transform apparent failings into fruitful joys!

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Season of Expectancy

/ chicoinematt

Christmastime always holds a special place in my life. As a life-long Catholic, I grew up with the understanding that the celebration of Christ’s birth does not end on December 25th, instead it is actually the beginning of a twelve daylong celebration that goes until the Feast of the Epiphany, the arrival of the Wise men. Over the course of the past week, I noticed a ton of memes, gifs, and posts from my fellow Catholic friends about keeping up Christmas decorations and not tearing them down immediately the day after. I am guilty of that liturgical bravado as well!

This year the season of celebrating Christ’s birth contains extra expectation as my wife and I are waiting for the arrival of the birth of our fourth child! 

Being both uber-planners and type-A personalities we have actually been prepped for our daughter’s big arrival for months. To be honest, I really have been ready for another baby to hold, cuddle, and love since our miscarriage last December 2017.

The beginning of this pregnancy started off rocky and scary. Frequent OBYGN appointments, progesterone shots, and nightly petitioning to our Lord through the Blessed Virgin Mary and saints Teresa of Avila, Catherine of Siena, and Gerard became daily routines over the course of the past 9 months. I came across this quote from Indian filmmaker and director Anurag Prakash Ray that applies directly to my attitude about waiting hold my daughter. He wrote, “True love is worth waiting for even if it takes a lifetime. Then in return, a lifetime of love will be waiting for you.” Waiting for our rainbow baby truly does feel like it has been a lifetime—I am certain in the case of my wife she may feel like it has been several lifetimes! 

If a person has a negative mindset, waiting, and especially waiting for something with much anticipation, is quite painful and burdensome. However, shifting the focus away from negativity and instead towards hope, that burden of being agog will be bearable. Saint John Paul the Great lived a long life filled with suffering and waiting. Whenever I get anxious I look to him for advice. The great Polish pope declared, “From Mary we learn to surrender to God’s Will in all things. From Mary we learn to trust even when all hope seems gone. From Mary we learn to love Christ her Son and the Son of God!”

Throughout this season of expectation(s) be sure to always petition the Lord for help. This may be directly or through the effective intercessory power of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the saints in Heaven. I welcome any and all prayers for the safe delivery of my daughter whenever she decides to arrive! 


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