What Happened on Black Saturday Holy Week?

By James Rothstein Last updated Apr 22, 2022 0

BLACK Saturday is a day of solemn thought for Christians as they consider Jesus’ promised miracle of resurrection.

The Manila Times quoted Fr. Peterson Tieng of the Lorenzo Ruiz Mission Society, parish priest of the San Jose de Trozo, Tondo, as saying, “After His crucifixion, Jesus was laid in a nearby tomb, and His body remained there the entire Holy Saturday.”

“Saturday, not Friday, I believe, was Jesus’ greatest suffering for us. Whatever occurred to Jesus on that day was far worse than anything we can comprehend. Perhaps the disciples’ silence on that particular day was proof of their own agony “The Gospels tell us very little about what transpired the day after Christ’s crucifixion on Calvary,” Tieng stated.

THERE IS NO GREATER LOVE On Good Friday, April 15, 2022, Roman Catholic devotees reenact Jesus Christ’s passion and death as part of the Holy Week commemoration along a street in Manila. Catholics believe that God loved the world so much that He sent his only son to bear the weight of mankind’s sins and die on the cross for them. PHOTO BY AFP

After Jesus died and His body was taken away, the women of Galilee followed and saw the tomb where His body was laid, according to Luke’s Gospel. They then returned home to prepare spices and ointments to anoint Jesus’ body.

“I suppose the hours between arriving to the tomb must have been filled with sorrowful tears and glimmers of hope that He would perform as He stated on Sunday,” Tieng added.

He added that outside the tomb, Jesus‘ supporters and family kept a vigil for Him, anticipating His predicted resurrection.

Tieng said the faithful might prepare their hearts for the joy that will come on Easter Sunday, just as those mourning after Jesus’ death on the cross prepared their hearts for the death of Jesus on the cross.

“Participating in that joy may include leaning into what He has to say to our hearts on Holy Saturday,” he stated.

BLOOD SHOWER On Good Friday, April 15, 2022, flagellants take a bath in Manila Bay after beating their bodies as an act of penance in Rosario, Cavite.

The activities on this day are normally focused on preparation for the Easter Sunday celebration of the resurrection, and the Christian faithful should take time to reflect on what Christ went through, he said.

The Christian world must celebrate the Easter Vigil, which is held in the hours of darkness between sunset on Holy Saturday and sunrise on Easter Day, just as Jesus’ followers waited for hours on Saturday to see what would happen Sunday, Tieng added.

“Black Saturday is a day for us to lean into being present in the Lord, putting our own agendas aside and simply coming before Him to be with Him. The Lord wishes for a connection with us, and time together is a requirement of a relationship. Black Saturday is a fantastic day to spend time in the Spirit of the Lord, not asking for anything in particular “he stated.