After recollecting our Lord’s Passion and Death on Good Friday, Holy Saturday begins as a day of quiet prayer and reflection. It is a day when no Mass is celebrated in the Catholic Church (until the solemn Easter Vigil that begins after sundown). Instead, the faithful pray and meditate on the great sacrifice our Lord has made for all of us, and anticipate His Resurrection from the dead on Easter Sunday.
We have spent the past 40 days of Lent renewing and reinvigorating our faith in preparation for Easter. The sacrifices and penances we have made have softened our hearts to be ready to enter the Easter Triduum — Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and the Easter Vigil — in which we commemorate the passion, crucifixion, death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The Easter Triduum allows us to walk in Jesus’s footsteps during His final hours on earth.
Today’s post is written by a guest contributor Jacquelyne Rocan. Jacquelyne has been a spiritual sister to me throughout the years and I am pleased to introduce you to her!
Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent and I find myself recalling this time last year. While there were certainly reports of the new coronavirus circulating in more and more communities, I celebrated Ash Wednesday in 2020 in many of the same ways that I have always marked that day — attending Mass, receiving ashes on my forehead, fasting, and setting in place plans for experiencing a holy and spiritual Lenten season. This included plans for additional prayers, readings, and attending Stations of the Cross. I marked times for all of the Holy Week services on my calendar — the Easter Triduum of Holy Thursday Mass, Good Friday service, and Easter Vigil Mass. It was important to me to fully participate and prepare by attending these services, as much as I could (especially through many years of serving on the RCIA team in my parish). My Lenten and Easter seasons have felt incomplete when I have been unable to prepare and attend the Easter Triduum services.