Holy Saturday is a day of stillness, silence, and anticipation. An ancient homily for Holy Saturday begins with the words:
“What is happening? Today there is a great silence over the earth, a great silence, and stillness, a great silence because the King sleeps; the earth was in terror and was still, because God slept in the flesh and raised up those who were sleeping from the ages. God has died in the flesh, and the underworld has trembled.”
The key challenge of Holy Saturday is to respect it for its unique contribution to the experience of the Holy Triduum and not blow by it in our eagerness to celebrate the Lord’s Resurrection.
Below you will find resources to help you and your family enter into this day of silence and preparation.
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Liturgical Resources for the Day
Mass Readings from the USCCB
Holy Week Liturgies On-Line
Free Access to Magnificat on Your Phone or Tablet
Watch Bishop Boyea's Liturgies Here
Ideas to Celebrate at Home
Care for the Ground
Clean the floors of your home or go outside and care for the grounds around the house. The Lord was laid in a tomb in the earth, we honor that by caring for the ground today.
Color Eggs
Eggs are an ancient symbol of Christ in the Tomb because life lies hidden below the hard outer shell. Just as the baby chick has to break through the shell, Christ broke the bonds of death and rose triumphant from the grave.
Make an Easter Paschal Candle for your home.
The paschal candle is one of the main features of the Easter Vigil Mass. With this kit, you can make one of your own for your family Sacred Space or Table.
Renew Baptismal Promises
Have a bonfire outside or a fire in the fireplace and renew your baptismal promises. The Paschal Fire marks the beginning of Easter Vigil Mass and the congregation renews their baptismal promises while holding candles lit from that fire. A PDF of the Promises can be found here. If you have holy water at home, bless yourselves afterward.
Read
“An Ancient Homily For Holy Saturday”
Eat eggs for breakfast.
Even better? Hard-Boiled Eggs.
The Exultet
Play The Exultet during Dinner
Prepare
Work on Easter preparations, such as Easter Dinner, as much as possible so you can focus on Christ’s Resurrection tomorrow.
Decorate
Make “Christ is Risen” banners and signs to hang around the house on Sunday.
The Paschal Fast
Vatican Council II taught that, if possible, the Good Friday “Paschal Fast” should continue into Holy Saturday. This would be voluntary and not obligatory as it is on Friday. The spirit of the fast would be to enter into the silence and stillness of the day and so, if possible, reducing distractions (such as screens) would also be appropriate. “The Paschal Fast” (Sacrosanctum Concilium 110)