Holy Saturday

God continues to walk with us; may we walk in the newness of life.

Scripture

“Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? Therefore we have been buried with him by baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.”
Romans 6:3–4

Reflection

Folio, “The Women at the Tomb; The Descent into Limbo,” 1386

We now come to understand why the Death of Jesus is different from any other death. Jesus’ Death was not simply another sad example of an unjust killing. In human history and in the daily media reports we have too many examples of such deaths. Jesus’ Death is essentially linked to his Resurrection from the dead. And in his Resurrection we find hope for new life.

The Gospel of Luke tells the story of the women who came to the tomb with spices to prepare Jesus for his final resting. They arrived to find an empty tomb. Then two men in shattering bright clothes stood beside them. The men asked the women why they were looking for Jesus among the dead. He was not in the tomb; he had risen. They told the women to remember what Jesus had told them in Galilee: he would be handed over to sinners, crucified, and on the third day would be raised again (Luke 24:6‒8). Then the women remembered Jesus’ words.

The Easter Vigil is a night of remembering, with readings from the Books of Genesis, Exodus, Isaiah, Baruch, and Ezekiel. These readings are not proclaimed simply so we can recall the events of the Old Testament. Each reading reminds us—with ever deepening power and insight—that God continues to journey with us today, and this journey comes to fulfillment in the Resurrection. All the pain, suffering, mistakes, sins, successes, and failures of the human family are brought to new life in the risen Jesus. “To remember what God has done and continues to do for me, for us, to remember the road we have travelled; this is what opens our hearts to hope for the future” (Pope Francis, Homily at the Easter Vigil, 30 March 2013).

Image: Unknown Artist, The Women at the Tomb; The Descent into Limbo

Pope Francis

“Let the risen Jesus enter your life, welcome him as a friend, with trust: he is life! If up till now you have kept him at a distance, step forward. He will receive you with open arms. If you have been indifferent, take a risk: you won’t be disappointed. If following him seems difficult, don’t be afraid, trust him, be confident that he is close to you, he is with you and he will give you the peace you are looking for and the strength to live as he would have you do.”
Homily at the Easter Vigil, 30 March, 2013