Holy Saturday

Saturday, March 30, 2024

Location: All Parishes

On Holy Saturday, we gather for the climax of the Easter Triduum. "On this holy night, the Church keeps watch, celebrating the resurrection of Christ in the sacraments and awaiting his return in glory. It is the turning point of the triduum, the Passover of the new covenant, which marks Christ's passage from death to life."

Known as the "mother of all vigils," the Easter Vigil Mass takes places after sundown and before daybreak, thus beginning and ending in darkness. The biblical themes of light removing darkness and life overcoming death runs through the entire Mass, which consists of four main parts: the Service of Light, the Liturgy of the Word, Liturgy of Baptism and Liturgy of the Eucharist.

"The events we celebrate today can be summarized by a single phrase: 'The light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it.' We find this phrase in the prologue of John's Gospel (1:5) and it finds fulfillment in the events of Jesus' death and resurrection," Bishop Anthony B. Taylor explained in his 2017 homily.

Adults will join the Catholic Church by receiving the sacraments of baptism, confirmation and Eucharist in parishes worldwide on this night. The list of all those entering the Church in Arkansas may be found in the Arkansas Catholic.

Did you get your new Easter outfit yet? "From the time of the early Christians, the newly baptized wore white garments made from new linen. In medieval times, it became a tradition for people to wear new clothes on Easter Sunday, symbolizing the 'new life' that comes with the Resurrection. In some places it was believed that bad luck would come to those who could afford new Easter clothes but refused to buy them."