Commentary: New Testament, Vol. It is to answer this question that Mark has composed the whole passage. Holy Saturday (Easter Vigil) – Readings. Jesus is identified as the “Crucified.” When he walked along the streets of Palestine he was “the Nazarene”, “the rabbi”, “the son of David.” Now he is and will forever remain “the Crucified.” Calvary is the clearest manifestation of his love, the culminating moment, the symbol of his life entirely given. . ", More tracks like Holy Saturday: A Meditative Commentary on Bishop Melito's "The Lord's Descent into the Underworld. What no one was able to do, the Lord did, annihilating the power of death. They are the same ones who, on Calvary “watched from a distance” while Jesus was crucified (Mk 15:40-41). You're supremely confident, but you're talking to Moses, whose credulity has been getting more and more strained. What the Romans had called the “day of the sun” became the “Lord’s day,” in Latin: dies Dominica. She observes silence in order to learn from the Master, contemplating his bruised and battered body. H oly Saturday liturgically commemorates Jesus’s descent into hell, or descent to the dead: an ambiguously interpreted tradition that found its way from a few obscure references in the New Testament into the Apostles’ Creed and popular piety. And they were so afraid that they said nothing to anyone” (v. 8). Amidst songs of joy, the community welcomed these new children, reborn into divine life from the water and the Spirit. by Blessed Meditations from desktop or your mobile device It is the same fear that women have experienced when, on the first day after the Sabbath, entering into the sepulcher, they saw a young man sitting on the right, dressed in a white robe (v. 5). Tonight is a celebration of life. For the Evangelist, this light is the sign of a new day, a prelude to the unexpected and shocking discovery of the empty tomb. They blame the gods who jealously reserved immortality for themselves. In Jesus’ case then there is also the insult of a shameful death. Wait. For that is really what the kingdom of God means, as it is promised in the prophets to be organized by Christ or the Messiah….’” (Popular Commentary: New Testament, Vol. As Jesus died, He called out, “It is finished!”. April 3, 2021 by Joshua Gritter Leave a Comment. Noble gestures of love are also made by non-believers who, without realizing it, are moved by the Spirit of Christ. These feasts, in fact, are based on historical events, on facts that everyone was able to verify and that they had Jesus, a Galilean, born at the time of Herod and executed during the reign of Tiberius, as a protagonist. The young man dressed in white entrusted the task of announcing one’s own faith experience not only to women but to every true believer. Holy Sepulchre, Holy Saturday. Mourning for their friend Jesus during the obligatory Sabbath rest, on the first day of the week, these women are in motion. Going down into this tank means to agree to die to sin, to “bury” his past and start a whole new life, a life in harmony with that of Christ (vv. I cannot feel you as I’ve felt you, I cannot see you as I’ve seen you. It is easy to neglect the fact that, while Christ’s body lay in the tomb, His soul descended into hell. EASTER VIGIL. This is the question which Mark wants to answer. Commentaries on Holy Week | Holy Saturday Today is a day of silence in the Church. The only event the gospels record for the day after the crucifixion is the posting of a guard at the tomb at the request of the chief priests and Pharisees (Matthew 27:62–66). “It is good,” said the Creator on the seventh day, and rested. “He is not here,” says the young man dressed in white. The delay is the lesson. And the Savior lies lifeless, having surrendered all to save his people from their sins. Holy Saturday: A Meditative Commentary on Bishop Melito's "The Lord's Descent into the Underworld. Those of oval design finally had an even more obvious symbolism: as life comes out of an egg, so from the baptismal font, the new person is born. He does not impose it by force but offers it respectfully, almost with fear and trembling. 4-6). His, like every existence, is spent for love and is not annihilated by death but is made eternal by God. Where does he intend to meet the disciples? LCA Worship Resources, Holy Saturday, includes liturgy, hymn suggestions, notes on the readings, visuals, drama, "Talking with Children," etc. The first-generation Christians have deeply internalized this Pauline teaching on baptism. They are certain that their relationship with Jesus has been permanently discontinued. At the Areopagus of Athens, he delivered a compelling speech, complete with learned quotations. We Christians are convinced we are custodians of an excellent project of humanity and society, and we are proud if the noble and elevated moral proposal that we preach is recognized. Mark Schlamann. Tonight is a celebration of life. The Christian, as Paul explains, is called to follow the same path as the Master. Mark’s surprising choice is dictated by a pastoral reason. Holy Saturday (Latin: Sabbatum Sanctum), also known as Great and Holy Saturday (also Holy and Great Saturday), the Great Sabbath, Hallelujah Saturday (in Portugal and Brazil), Saturday of the Gloria and Black Saturday (in the Philippines) or Easter Eve, and called "Joyous Saturday" or "the Saturday of Light" among Coptic Christians, is the final day of Holy Week, between Good Friday and Easter Sunday, when … He is usually doing good without being noticed. It is gathered to celebrate and to sing praise to the Lord of life for the unheard prodigy he has created in raising his servant Jesus. Those of cruciform shape recall for the baptized the gift of life; they were invited to join the Master and to offer themselves to the brothers and sisters. On Easter night it is different: an event that has been empirically observed is not celebrated and the preacher has a much more daunting task: to direct the gaze of believers towards the beyond, to the invisible and intangible reality. DO NOT LOOK FOR THE LIVING AMONG THE DEAD. He shows that it is biblical, theologically necessary, integral to the work of Christ, and even intrinsic to … In Commentary; Father Raymond J. de Souza. Although it was very great, the tomb is thrown open. Holy Saturday is a relatively “quiet” liturgical day until the start of the vigil, but it does carry profound theological meaning. Christ lies in the sepulcher while the Church meditates, marveling at what this Lord of ours has done for us. They are the same ones who, on Calvary. StudyLıght.org. The best known of the three is Mary Magdalene who—as Luke writes—had been freed of seven demons (Lk 8:2). Instead, speaking about the Risen One, they often fall back on current topics that more easily captivate the assembly’s attention. Holy Saturday is the day the Church remembers the burial of Jesus, the finality and void before the surprise of Resurrection. Paul experienced it many times. The Risen One is not to be found at the place of death. We are pleased to be referred to as the messengers of universal fellowship, justice and peace. God made everything, gave life to all living things. Who has “met” the Risen One, even those who received the heavenly message of the victory of the Lord of life from an angel, is frightened, faced with the task of proclaiming the incredible event. Paul includes the burial of Jesus in the announcement of the gospel in 1Corinthians 15.3-4, giving it a place of importance in the proclamation of the gospel. The first person to meet the light of the Risen One immediately communicates to others the gift he received. On Christmas Eve, the feast of the Holy Family, and Good Friday, it is challenging but not particularly difficult to prepare a homily. The oldest—two famous ones are preserved in Nazareth—were square or rectangular to remind the candidate of the tomb in which they enter with Christ to bury “the old man” and all his evil ways and then to rise with Christ to new life. Today I am out of breath. Is your network connection unstable or browser outdated? The shape of these tanks was also acquiring symbolic meanings. On this Saturday, the Church calls this day “Blessed Sabbath” or more commonly, “Holy Saturday.” On this day, our Lord reposed (rested) from his accomplishments. Today the earth is shrouded in deep silence, deep silence and stillness, profound silence because the King sleeps. . God saw all that he had made and it … He calls them by name: they are Mary Magdalene, Mary of James, and Salome. She was erroneously considered a sinner by tradition. Here is God with Adam and Eve: it begins again where it all began in the first place. I am caught, between life and death, betwixt darkness and light. One of the most arresting images in Christian art in my opinion, this is the "Lamentation over the Dead Christ" by Andrea Mantegna. Twitter. And the Savior lies lifeless, having surrendered all to save his people from their sins. The night of Easter is for each Christian—child, adolescent, or young adult—the best time to be reminded of the commitments made by those who want to behave in a manner consistent with his own baptism. They introduced the gesture of covering the neophytes with a white robe, a sign of the completely new and spotless life they commit themselves to living. holy vigils.” Though the new order for the Vigil Service is shorter than in past year, the recent modifications and simplifications have made the meaning of this holy night shine forth more clearly. They touch on serious and important social issues that need to be illuminated by the light of the Gospel. StudyLıght.org. Holy Saturday is the Jewish Sabbath before Easter, and a day to be observed during Holy week. If we were to give Holy Saturday a sabbath feel, then, we might evoke the resonances of resting, dormancy, creation. Holy Saturday Holy Saturday is a relatively “quiet” liturgical day until the start of the vigil, but it does carry profound theological meaning. The Apostles’ Creed says, “[He] was crucified, died, and was buried. Mark insists on such fear and ends his Gospel with a somewhat enigmatic annotation: the women “went out and fled from the tomb for terror and amazement had seized them. The work is done. When the Easter With his permission we have begun translating his Sunday reflections on the three readings from the original Italian into English.