Daily Mass Gospel Reflection- HOLY SATURDAY

Friends, today’s Gospel tells of the women
who were the first witnesses of the Resurrection.

Jesus goes into the kingdom of death
and brings to that dark place the light of God—
and more to the point, he brings the power of God,
and with this power,
he breaks the hold that death has over us.
In the language of the Church Fathers,
Jesus has tied up and defeated the devil,
thereby freeing us from the one who held us for ransom.

Thus the Resurrection of Jesus
is the declaration of victory over this terrible power.
In all of the Gospel accounts,
mention is made of the huge stone rolled across the entrance of Jesus’ tomb.
This seems to stand for the awful finality of death,
the irreversible, dense facticity of it.
It seems to be that power that can never be countered or gainsaid.
But in Jesus’ victory,
that stone is effortlessly rolled away.

The power that has held us ransom has been overthrown;
the dark cloud that has brooded over our lives,
turning us in on ourselves and outward in violence,
has been removed.
With Paul, we can mock the former lord of the world:
“Where, O death, is your victory?
Where, O death, is your sting?”

+++After the sabbath,
as the first day of the week was
dawning,
Mary Magdalene and the other
Mary came to see the tomb.
And behold, there was a great earthquake;
for an angel of the Lord
descended from heaven,
approached, rolled back the
stone, and sat upon it.
His appearance was like lightning
and his clothing was white as snow.
The guards were shaken with fear of him
and became like dead men.
Then the angel said to the women in reply,
“Do not be afraid!
I know that you are seeking
Jesus the crucified.
He is not here, for he has been
raised just as he said.
Come and see the place where he lay.
Then go quickly
and tell his disciples,
‘He has been raised from the dead,
and he is going before you to Galilee;
there you will see him.’
Behold, I have told you.”
Then they went away quickly from the tomb,
fearful yet overjoyed,
and ran to announce this to his disciples.
And behold, Jesus met them on
their way and greeted them.
They approached, embraced his
feet, and did him homage.
Then Jesus said to them,
“Do not be afraid.
Go tell my brothers to go to Galilee,
and there they will see me.”+++

Also known as Holy Saturday, also known as Great and Holy Saturday, the Great Sabbath, Hallelujah Saturday, Saturday of the Glory, Sabado de Gloria, and Black Saturday or Easter Eve, and called “Joyous Saturday”.

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