12 things you need to know about Holy Saturday

http://www.ncregister.com/blog/jimmy-akin/12-things-you-need-to-know-about-holy-saturday/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+NCRegister%2FJimmyAkin+Jimmy+Akin "descended into hell." Holy Saturday is the day that commemorates this event. 1. What happened on the first Holy Saturday? Jesus' disciples mourned his death and, since it was a sabbath day, they rested. the women returned home "and prepared spices and ointments. On the sabbath they rested according to the commandment" At the tomb, the guards that had been stationed there kept watch over the place to make sure that the disciples did not steal Jesus' body. 2. What happened to Jesus while he was dead? Catechism of the Catholic Church: 633 Scripture calls the abode of the dead, to which the dead Christ went down, “hell” because those who are there are deprived of the vision of God. holy souls, who awaited their Saviour in Abraham's bosom, whom Christ the Lord delivered when he descended into hell. Jesus did not descend into hell to deliver the damned, nor to destroy the hell of damnation, but to free the just who had gone before him. descent into hell brings the Gospel message of salvation to complete fulfillment. 634 “The gospel was preached even to the dead.” the spread of Christ's redemptive work to all men of all times and all places, for all who are saved have been made sharers in the redemption. 3. How do we commemorate this day? recommended that on this day the Office of Readings and Morning Prayer be celebrated with the participation of the people Where this cannot be done, there should be some celebration of the Word of God, or some act of devotion suited to the mystery celebrated this day. image of Christ crucified or lying in the tomb, or the descent into hell, which mystery Holy Saturday recalls, as also an image of the sorrowful Virgin Mary can be placed in the church for the veneration of the faithful. 4. Are the sacraments celebrated? Church abstains strictly from the celebration of the sacrifice of the Mass. Holy Communion may only be given in the form of Viaticum. celebration of marriages is forbidden, as also the celebration of other sacraments, except those of Penance and the Anointing of the Sick. prohibition on saying Mass applies to the part of the day before the Easter Vigil Mass Baptism in danger of death is also permitted. 5. What is the Easter Vigil? A vigil is the liturgical commemoration of a notable feast, held on the evening preceding the feast. used when the faithful stayed awake to pray and do devotional exercises in anticipation of the feast. the resurrection of Christ is the foundation of our faith and hope, and through Baptism and Confirmation we are inserted into the Paschal Mystery of Christ full meaning of Vigil is a waiting for the coming of the Lord. 6. When should Easter Vigil be celebrated? "The entire celebration of the Easter Vigil takes place at night. It should not begin before nightfall; it should end before daybreak on Sunday." Those reasons which have been advanced in some quarters for the anticipation of the Easter Vigil, such as lack of public order, are not put forward in connection with Christmas night, nor other gatherings of various kinds. 7. What happens at the Easter Vigil? after the service of light and the Easter Proclamation (which is the first part of the Vigil),  Holy Church meditates on the wonderful works which the Lord God wrought for his people from the earliest times (the second part or Liturgy of the Word),  to the moment when, together with those new members reborn in Baptism (third part),  she is called to the table prepared by the Lord for his Church—the commemoration of his death and resurrection—until he comes (fourth part). 8. What happens during the service of light? a suitable place should be prepared outside the church for the blessing of the new fire, whose flames should be such that they genuinely dispel the darkness and light up the night. must be made of wax, never be artificial, be renewed each year be of sufficiently large size so that it may evoke the truth that Christ is the light of the world. blessed with the signs and words prescribed in the Missal or by the Conference of Bishops. people enter the church, should be led by the light of the paschal candle alone. Just as the children of Israel were guided at night by a pillar of fire, so similarly, Christians follow the risen Christ. light from the paschal candle should be gradually passed to the candles which it is fitting that all present should hold in their hands 9. What happens during the Easter Proclamation? deacon makes the Easter Proclamation which tells, by means of a great poetic text, the whole Easter mystery placed in the context of the economy of salvation. where there is no deacon, and the celebrating priest is unable to sing it, a cantor may do so. Bishops' Conferences may adapt this proclamation by inserting into it acclamations from the people. 10. What happens during the Scripture readings? readings from Sacred Scripture constitute the second part of the Vigil. They give an account of the outstanding deeds of the history of salvation, which the faithful are helped to meditate calmly upon by the singing of the responsorial psalm, by a silent pause and by the celebrant's prayer. seven readings from the Old Testament chosen from the Law and the Prophets, which are in use everywhere according to the most ancient tradition of East and West, and two readings from the New Testament, namely from the Apostle and from the Gospel. the Church, "beginning with Moses and all the Prophets" explains Christ's Paschal Mystery. wherever this is possible, all the readings should be read so that the character of the Easter Vigil, which demands that it be somewhat prolonged After the readings from the Old Testament, the hymn "Gloria in excelsis" is sung, the bells are rung in accordance with local custom, the collect is recited, and the celebration moves on to the readings from the New Testament. An exhortation from the Apostle on Baptism as an insertion into Christ's Paschal Mystery is read. Then all stand and the priest intones the "Alleluia" three times, each time raising the pitch. The people repeat it after him. cantor may sing the "Alleluia," which the people then take up as an acclamation to be interspersed between the verses of Psalm 117 Finally, the resurrection of the Lord is proclaimed from the Gospel as the high point of the whole Liturgy of the Word. a homily is to be given, no matter how brief. 11. What happens during the baptismal liturgy? The third part of the Vigil is the baptismal liturgy. Even if there are no candidates for Baptism, the blessing of baptismal water should still take place in parish churches. Where there are neither candidates for Baptism nor any need to bless the font, Baptism should be commemorated by the blessing of water destined for sprinkling upon the people. Next follows the renewal of baptismal promises, introduced by some words on the part of the celebrating priest. The faithful reply to the questions put to them, standing and holding lighted candles in their hands. priest sprinkles the people by passing through the main part of the church while all sing the antiphon "Vidi aquam" or another suitable song of a baptismal character. 12. What happens during the Eucharistic liturgy? celebration of the Eucharist forms the fourth part of the Vigil and marks its high point the commemoration of the Sacrifice of the Cross and the presence of the risen Christ, the completion of Christian initiation, and the foretaste of the eternal pasch. It is fitting that in the Communion of the Easter Vigil full expression be given to the symbolism of the Eucharist, namely by consuming the Eucharist under the species of both bread and wine. The local Ordinaries will consider the appropriateness of such a concession and its ramifications.