Holy Saturday

On the first Holy Saturday, while everyone else had abandoned Christ, Mary continued to believe, demonstrating her deep faith by never doubting her Son’s promise of resurrection. Sts. Bernard of Clairvaux, Thomas Aquinas and Bonaventure, all said it is proper to dedicate Saturdays to Mary remembering this time of Christ’s rest in the grave.

In the Pontifical document, Directory on Popular Piety and the Liturgy, Saturday is designated as a memorial of the Blessed Virgin as “a remembrance of the maternal example and discipleship of the Blessed Virgin Mary who, strengthened by faith and hope, on that great Saturday on which Our Lord lay in the tomb, was the only one of the disciples to hold vigil in expectation of the Lord’s resurrection; it is a prelude and introduction to the celebration of Sunday, the weekly memorial of the Resurrection of Christ; it is a sign that the ‘Virgin Mary is continuously present and operative in the life of the Church.’”

The pictures above were taken in St. Cecilia Cathedral. They have a replica of the Pieta on loan from the Vatican on display there now. Unlike the original, you can walk around it and even touch. Stop by and visit.