Holy Week: what is Glory Saturday and what is the prayer of the hours and the prayer of the word

Holy or Glorious Saturday is a day of absolute silence for the Church, reflecting “on the passion and death of our Lord Jesus Christ, as well as his descent into hell and his subsequent resurrection”.

Thus AciPrensa explains the important “waiting day” for Catholics.

On Glorious Saturday, it is the Virgin Mary “who comforts the apostles of Jesus. He reminds them of what his son said: “On the third day I will rise again,” reports El Comercio.

For this support to those who believe “that everything is over”, Mary is remembered on that day not only for pain, but also for “keeping courage and hope alive”.

The Christian community watches over the grave. The bells and instruments are silent. The Hallelujah is rehearsed, but in a soft voice. It’s day to deepen. Think it over. The altar has been gutted. The tabernacle, open and empty, says AciPrensa.

What is celebrated every day of Holy Week

What is the tidal prayer

Holy Saturday is an aliturgical day; officially, the church focuses on the Liturgy of the Hours, Aleteia notes.

That liturgy “is the set of prayers (psalms, antiphons, hymns, prayers, Bible readings, and others) that the Church has organized to be prayed at certain hours of each day.”

Silence and Easter Vigil on Glory Saturday

In the words of the late Pope Benedict XVI: “Holy Saturday is the day of God’s concealment, as we read in an ancient homily: “What is happening today? A great silence envelops the earth; a great silence and a great loneliness, for the king sleeps (…). God died in the flesh and shook hell,” recalls El Comercio.

That crucial Holy Saturday is to remember why Jesus Christ died and to keep in mind the promise that He will rise “from the dead.”

In the afternoon or evening of that day, the church celebrates the Easter Vigil, “The most important of all Christian observances, because it commemorates the resurrection of Jesus Christ,” notes AciPrensa.

How is the ceremony? At the beginning of the vigil, after lighting the candle and proclaiming the Resurrection, the “Pascual Proclamation” is recited.

In it, the history of salvation is briefly told from the creation, the trial and the fall of Adam, the waiting and the deliverance of the people of Israel, to the redemption of Jesus Christ, who died for our sins and leads us to salvation .”

That night fire and water are blessed.

During the vigil, the paper adds, “the entire church renews its baptismal vows, renouncing Satan’s temptations and works, the baptismal font or representative container is blessed, and the Litany of the Saints is recited.”

What is the Liturgy of the Word

After the Easter candle is placed on a chandelier, the Easter Proclamation or Exsultet is sung, Cope explains about the rituals of the special Vigil.

With regard to the Liturgy of the Word, they report that nine readings are given in this Vigil, the mother of all Vigils.

Seven are taken from the Old Testament; two from the New Testament. After the Old Testament readings, a verse from the Psalm is read or sung.

In From the Faith they point out: Seven readings from the Old Testament are proclaimed for the purpose of reminding all Christians that God kept and will continue to keep all His promises.

Reading the Word of God is a fundamental part of the Easter Vigil.

Then comes the acclamation and proclamation of the Gospel.

“Pascual night, like any liturgical celebration, has two central parts,” AciPrensa describes.

– The word: Only this time the measurements are more numerous (nine, instead of the usual two or three).

– The evening meal: This evening, after Lent and the Catechumenate, the Sacraments of Christian Initiation are celebrated before the Eucharist: Baptism and Confirmation.

Getting wet on Holy Saturday

A tradition, born in the Middle Ages, is to throw water at each other.

According to Infobae, they got wet “because the Catholic Church commanded absolute mourning to be observed during Holy Week, they couldn’t even bathe, a period that ended exactly on Saturday. When this day came, people threw buckets of water at each other to purify their souls and wash away their sins.

This practice in Mexico is currently subject to fines.

A year ago that medium indicated: “On Glory Saturday, some people decide to get wet on the street, in squares, outside their homes. However, throwing large amounts of water is penalized in Mexico City.