Saturday of Holy Week (Holy Saturday)

The Month of April Dedicated both to Devotion to the Eucharist and Devotion to the Holy Spirit

In other years: Saint Dionysius, Bishop of Corinth (2nd century)

Readings of the Day

Rule of Saint Benedict: Ch 55:15-22 The Clothing and the Footwear of the Brothers

He descended into hell.

MARY, QUEEN OF PEACE,

SAINT MICHAEL THE ARCHANGEL,

PRAY FOR US.

JESUS, FREEDOM FOR THE IMPRISONED,

HAVE MERCY ON US.

FROM ALL EVIL,

DELIVER US O HOLY SPIRIT.

Christ became obedient for us

even unto death, death on a cross.

(Traditional Responsory for Holy Saturday)

Welcome to Holy Saturday. I had the poem from Mary Oliver for today; then I prayed with the Office of Readings and an ancient homily. I begin with it and then go to Mary Oliver. It is all part of the story during this sacred Paschal Triduum.

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.*

GETHSEMANE

The grass never sleeps.

Or the roses.

Nor does the lily have a secret eye that shuts until morning.

The cricket has such splendid fringe on its feet,

and it sings, have you noticed, with its whole body,

and heaven knows if it ever sleeps.

Jesus said, wait with me. And maybe the stars did, maybe

the wind wound itself into a silver tree, and didn't move,

maybe

the lake far away, where once He walked as on a 

blue pavement,

lay still and waited, wild awake.

Oh the dear bodies, slumped and eye-shut, that could not

keep that vigil, how they must have wept,

so utterly human, knowing this too

must be part of the story.**

All who sleep in the earth will bow low before God;

All who have gone down into the dust 

will kneel in homage.

And I will live for the Lord;

my descendants will serve you.

The generation to come will be told of the Lord,

that they may proclaim to a people yet unborn

the deliverance you have brought.

(Ps 22:30-32)

SAINT DIONYSIUS,

PRAY FOR US.

*From an ancient homily on Holy Saturday in Office of Readings, Holy Saturday.

**Mary Oliver (1935-2019), "Gethsemane," in M. Oliver, Devotions: The Selected Poems of Mary Oliver (Penguin, 2017), p. 129.

Today's photo: The cross in our cemetery as seen through the church window March 10, 2019.

© Gertrude Feick 2023