# Holy Saturday: Sing hallelujah
*2019-04-19*

> Bill Young reflects on the transition from the fasting of Lent to the joy of Easter, featuring insights from St. Augustine and the diary of St. Faustina.

## The Meaning of Hallelujah

Today is Holy Saturday, and we are completing our reflections from the book 'Turning to God: Daily Reflections on the Lenten Readings for Mass.' The theme for today is 'Sing Hallelujah.' St. Augustine of Hippo explains that the season before Easter signifies the troubles in which we live here and now, while the time after Easter signifies the happiness that will be ours in the future. We keep the season of Lent with fasting and prayer because it reflects our current experience in this life. However, when the fast is over, we devote ourselves to praise. That is the meaning of our 'Hallelujah'—it is a way of urging our neighbors to praise the Lord together.

## Reflections from St. Faustina

In the diary of St. Maria Faustina, she records an experience from Holy Saturday, April 16, 1938. During adoration, the Lord told her, 'Be at peace, my daughter. This week of mercy is mine.' He expressed His pleasure that she was carrying out His commands faithfully, without adding or taking away a single word. St. Faustina noted that despite various difficulties and adversaries, she had always fulfilled His will.

She also describes a moment of weakness before the Mass of the Resurrection. Feeling so frail that she feared she could not participate in the procession, she prayed to Jesus for strength. Instantly, she felt renewed and saw Jesus in a brightness gathered in the light of the sun. He looked at her with love and said, 'Heart of my heart, be filled with joy.' She describes the experience as her soul being totally immersed in Him while she walked with her sisters.

## The Chaplet of Divine Mercy

We continue with the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, praying for the world and trusting in the blood and water that flowed from the heart of Jesus as a fountain of mercy. Through the Our Father, Hail Mary, and the Apostles' Creed, we offer the body, blood, soul, and divinity of Jesus in atonement for our sins and those of the whole world, pleading for His sorrowful passion to bring mercy to all.

## Interceding for Priests and Religious

As part of day two of the Novena to Divine Mercy, we pray specifically for the souls of priests and religious. We ask that they be immersed in unfathomable mercy, as they are the ones who provide strength to others and serve as channels of mercy for mankind. We pray that the Eternal Father turns His merciful gaze upon these chosen ones in His vineyard, endowing them with strength, power, and light to guide others toward salvation.

## The Litany of Divine Mercy

We conclude with the Litany of Divine Mercy, acknowledging that Divine Mercy is the greatest attribute of God and an incomprehensible mystery. From being the source of miracles and wonders to embracing us at the hour of death and healing us from the fires of hell, we declare our total trust in His mercy. It is the only hope for despairing souls and the sweet relief forAUGUSTINE [unclear] hearts.

*As we move from the fasting of Lent to the joy of Easter, we are called to trust completely in the boundless mercy of God.*