By Sister Jan Craven, SP
Coordinator of the Shrine of Saint Mother Theodore Guerin
This night is the night of nights. The celebration of this night can be traced back to apostolic times, so it is older than we realize.
Over the years there has been much confusion about the meaning or significance of this night. In fact, the Church ceased to celebrate this night in 1956 because of the lack of understanding of its place in our Liturgical Year. The liturgical norms of the Vatican Council II brought back the significance and place of this most holy night.
So, what is this night all about?
In order to discover the rich meaning, it is important to realize what it is not: it is not a premature celebration of Easter, nor is it an extension of Good Friday. It is that event between the days which speaks solely neither of the cross or resurrection but synchronously, all at once, all together remembers the one and awaits the other.
It is the celebration of the interconnection of life and death, of death and life. One cannot exist without the other, and that is precisely the significance of this night. It tells the story of what went on in our universe prior to creation and the story of what happens after the end of time and, yes, of everything in between. It is the night to celebrate the sacred story of God in our lives and our lives in God.
It is the night we relive annually the growing suspense of the breathtaking week; the grieving farewells, shameful betrayal, guilty denial, and agonizing fear of the night before the end; the long, dark, deadly day of pain and forsakenness itself; an ecstatic daybreak of miracle and color, song and newborn life.
Such is faith’s story, such is our story, and such is Earth’s story. It is a night to hear, as if for the first time, to think about with the widest stretching of our minds and hearts and imaginations … that our story is embedded in this story and therefore, it is the key to learning how to live well and how to die well.
Coordinator of the Shrine of Saint Mother Theodore Guerin
This night is the night of nights. The celebration of this night can be traced back to apostolic times, so it is older than we realize.
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| Holy Saturday is the celebration of the interconnection of life and death, of death and life. |
So, what is this night all about?
In order to discover the rich meaning, it is important to realize what it is not: it is not a premature celebration of Easter, nor is it an extension of Good Friday. It is that event between the days which speaks solely neither of the cross or resurrection but synchronously, all at once, all together remembers the one and awaits the other.
It is the celebration of the interconnection of life and death, of death and life. One cannot exist without the other, and that is precisely the significance of this night. It tells the story of what went on in our universe prior to creation and the story of what happens after the end of time and, yes, of everything in between. It is the night to celebrate the sacred story of God in our lives and our lives in God.
It is the night we relive annually the growing suspense of the breathtaking week; the grieving farewells, shameful betrayal, guilty denial, and agonizing fear of the night before the end; the long, dark, deadly day of pain and forsakenness itself; an ecstatic daybreak of miracle and color, song and newborn life.
Such is faith’s story, such is our story, and such is Earth’s story. It is a night to hear, as if for the first time, to think about with the widest stretching of our minds and hearts and imaginations … that our story is embedded in this story and therefore, it is the key to learning how to live well and how to die well.
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