Holy Saturday, April 20, 2019

Life: the time God gives you to determine how you spend eternity.

On Holy Saturday the Church waits at the Lord's tomb, meditating on his suffering and death. The altar is left bare, and the sacrifice of the Mass is not celebrated. Only after the solemn vigil during the night, held in anticipation of the resurrection, does the Easter celebration begin, with a spirit of joy that overflows into the following period of fifty days. Although we are still in mourning, there is much preparation during this day to prepare for Easter. Out of the kitchen comes the smells of Easter pastries and bread, the lamb or hams and of course, the Easter eggs. It is during the night between Holy Saturday and Easter Sunday that the Easter Vigil is celebrated.

Scripture ...
Luke 23:48-56

Reflections ...

The crowd returns, some of them awed by the majesty of that awful death. Jesus’ faithful followers stand at a distance, with aching hearts and tears. Jesus’ body will soon be cast into a common grave along with the two criminals. They stand helpless to stop it, clueless what to do.

Then an amazing sight meets their eyes. One of the prominent rulers of the Jewish high court steps up to the centurion in charge of the crucifixions. He carries orders from Pilate giving him custody of Jesus’ body. As the women follow, Joseph removes Him from the cross, wraps His body in a linen shroud with spices, and lays Him in a new tomb.

This Joseph is a prominent member of the Jewish high court, a good and righteous man who had not consented to their plan to condemn and crucify Jesus. Formerly, he had been a secret disciple of Jesus; now he takes courage to openly display his loyalty.

Oh, the tender care of our loving Heavenly Father! At Jesus’ birth, God the Father provided a Joseph to wrap His infant body in swaddling bands and lay Him in a manger. In His death God provides another Joseph to wrap His body in linen and lay it to rest in a new tomb.

The women follow behind so they can note where Jesus is laid. Then they return home to prepare spices and ointments to give the body a more proper burial after the Sabbath ends.

Prayer ...
Lord Jesus, thank You for the faithful men and women who came forward at Your crucifixion and death—the repentant criminal, the centurion, Joseph, and the believing women. Give me courage and loyalty to come forward and honor You through the days of my life, until I rest in Your Paradise. Amen.

Lenten Challenge for today …
Today let us share our condolences with the Mother of Christ by offering her an extra prayer during your free time.

Hymn ...

Quiz ...

1. Click the correct option.

2. Click Submit

3. Scroll up and click View Accuracy to see your result.

4. Have fun while you learn your faith.

Credits:

Thanks to various sites for the ideas .  I have tailored the materials accordingly to suit my needs.

Countdown calendar - https://www.timeanddate.com/clocks/freecountdown.html

Reflections and prayer – https://www.lhm.org/

Luke 23 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OQbH-NxjEhY