In celebrating the Sacred Triduum, we can easily pass over the significance of Holy Saturday. We move from the pathos of Good Friday to the joy of the Easter Vigil on Saturday night, with just a few brief hours in between.
Tag: holy saturday
Living the Liturgical Year
Most of us have some sense of the Church’s liturgical year. The priest wears purple during Advent, the sanctuary is filled with poinsettias during the Christmas season (and beyond), and our parishes add extra hours for the Sacrament of Penance during Lent. The life of the Church is ordered around the rhythm of the liturgical year.
Unfortunately, most people’s lives are ordered around a different calendar. School starts every fall, December is packed with too many things to do, travel plans are made when the kids are on spring break, etc.
Reliving Christ’s Passion, Death, Resurrection
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| This column is the bishop’s communication with the faithful of the Diocese of Madison. Any wider circulation reaches beyond the intention of the bishop. |
Dear friends,
We stand at the threshold of the holiest of weeks, reliving the Passion, Death, and Resurrection of the Lord Jesus.
Indeed, the Sacred Triduum — Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday — comprise a microcosm of our whole life lived in Christ.
To enter as fully as possible into the mysteries of these days is to enter more fully into the mysteries of the life of each one of us. For instance, in the fervent celebration of the days of Holy Week, we can come to have an initial grasp of the mystery of why good people suffer.
Meaning of life unveiled
The meaning of life is unveiled by a fervent and serious celebration of the mysteries of these days.
So, please make every effort to be present for the Holy Thursday evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper, the solemn commemoration of the Lord’s Passion on Good Friday, and the great Easter Vigil on Holy Saturday.
Our churches really should be full (and then some) on these days, because of the gifts of grace available to us at so special a time — and available in a way that they are not otherwise available.