Coronavirus Catacomb Holy Saturday & Easter Reflections with Fr. John Trigilio

Holy Saturday and Easter, April 11th-12th, 2020

Holy Saturday is another day in the Sacred Triduum on which we do not celebrate any Masses in the morning or afternoon. The only Mass that can be celebrated is the Easter Vigil, which by long-standing custom is supposed to begin after sundown on Saturday.

Holy Saturday is special in that it contains the most ancient and important of all liturgies in the Church calendar, the Easter Vigil, which has been called “the mother of all liturgies.”

This ceremony begins with the church in complete darkness. The priest customarily stands outside the church and lights the Easter Fire, from which the Easter Candle is lit and its flame is then distributed to the individual candles of the faithful so that the light spreads into the church like a Lourdes night procession.

This Mass contains the most readings of any Mass of the Church calendar (9) with numerous readings taken from the passages of the Old Testament which predict the coming of the Messiah. Following the readings there is a joyful Gloria and the Easter refrain – Alleluia! – which precedes the reading of the Gospel of the Resurrection.

At this Mass the catechumens and candidates for reception into the Church are either baptized or receive their First Communion and Confirmation.

The Easter Vigil is the zenith of the Church’s liturgical year. It is the celebration of the Resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ from the dead and establishes every Mass we celebrate as the Christian Sabbath.

Even though, in this time of the pandemic, we may not be able to attend the liturgical celebrations of Easter, we can participate remotely and make spiritual communions with the rest of the Church so that we may celebrate heart and soul the Resurrection of Christ from the dead.