Today, the Church recalls Jesus’ suffering and death and waits in hope to celebrate the resurrection, by which we receive new and abundant life.

The reliquary chapel in the Basilica of the Sacred Heart on Notre Dame’s campus holds relics from the tomb of Jesus.

Like yesterday, no sacraments are celebrated today (until the Easter Vigil) because we recall Jesus’ entombment in death. This day is the quietest moment of the Church year—there are no liturgical services today as we wait outside of the tomb.

The icon to the left is from Cora Church in Istanbul. This famous icon depicts Christ’s harrowing of Hell, as he pulls our first parents, Adam and Eve, out of their caskets and ushers them into the Resurrection.

Holy Saturday commemorates Christ’s death—Christ’s entry into the deepest pain of our existence, into the shades of Hades, where no one can praise God. Christ enters into the deepest, darkest places of the human experience—places where the human being can separate herself from God. But Christ the Bridegroom enters into the darkness of hell, into our own Calvary of pain or loss, and brings us to the joy of Easter.

An ancient sermon for Holy Saturday paints this beautiful image of Christ coming to awake these sleeping souls, Christ as a lover who urges us to leave hell and rise with him to heaven:

Rise from the dead, for I am the life of the dead.
Rise up, work of my hands, you who were created in my image.
Rise, let us leave this place, for you are in me and I am in you; together we form only one person and we cannot be separated.
For your sake I, your God, became your son; I, the Lord, took the form of a slave;
I, whose home is above the heavens, descended to the earth and beneath the earth.

As we wait in quiet today for the joy of the Resurrection tomorrow, let us remember that Christ loves us so deeply, he will descend to the darkest reaches of the universe to bring us back to him.

On this Holy Saturday, let us wait near the tomb of Jesus, hopeful for the resurrection!

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Image Credit: Our featured image of the harrowing of hell on Good Saturday is in the public domain. Last accessed February 13, 2025 on Wikimedia Commons.