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Holy Saturday

“Call the Sabbath a delight.” —Isaiah 58:13

His weary, soulless body needed rest,
Not only pierced and physically exhausted,
But racked with mental pain, the scourging test
Of misbelieving judgment that accosted
The Word, yet found its wandering ways the best.
Disciples treating Truth as an impostor
Still want his clearer teaching re-assessed.

Faint wails of flesh diminish in the dark,
The darkness of abandonment’s enclosure.
Too many never mind how to embark,
And very few are able to repose here.
Benighted pride steers most to miss the mark
Of lasting peace and bodily composure
Where He lies slain to pay for doctrine stark.

Deep sleep, secure, sweet, fearless, wholesome sleep!
Life sacrificed in suffering’s full perfection
Has left remains for Joseph’s tomb to keep,
Watched from afar by holiest affection.
Inside, the harmonies of heaven weep
Through hours of cool and fragrant recollection,
Delightful day of quiet Sabbath sleep.

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Joseph: Joseph of Arimathea, who gave his own new tomb to bury Jesus.

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Margaret Coats lives in California.  She holds a Ph.D. in English and American Literature and Language from Harvard University.  She has retired from a career of teaching literature, languages, and writing that included considerable work in homeschooling for her own family and others.

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18 Responses

  1. Peter Venable

    I imagine countless souls have speculated about the disciples and families utter dread and despair on that Sabbath. You did well.

    Reply
    • Margaret Coats

      Thank you, Peter. Speculation on the body in the tomb faces a stark reality. Jesus’ own day of dread had passed, so this Sabbath must be a relief, if not a delight that could be felt in bodily senses. It is delight, rather, in my stretching it to be an observance of Isaiah’s recommendation. Appreciate your praise, and a happy Easter to you.

      Reply
  2. Jeffrey Essmann

    Gorgeous, Margaret, absolutely gorgeous. Holy Saturday always feels like a blank to me, the free space in salvation history Bingo, but you’ve filled it marvelously. Thank you for this. A most blessed Easter to you!

    Reply
    • Margaret Coats

      And to you, Jeffrey. The free space could be filled by the descent into limbo, but that’s a journey of Our Blessed Lord’s soul. Today the two parts of his human nature need separate consideration. Looking forward to a glorious morrow!

      Reply
  3. jd

    A beautiful contemplation, Margaret, on a day without the blessing that is Mass. I have always breathed a sigh of relief after three o”clock on Friday because I know the final outcome but those who did not know it must have suffered unaccountably
    .

    Reply
    • Margaret Coats

      Thanks, jd. I’ve not done Ignatian meditation with emphasis on visualization to cultivate comprehension and emotion. I wonder when and how a spiritual director would make such a difficult and unique assignment as the Passion. What I’ve done here is more limited and easier–something like a lead-up to our hours of Vigil in the evening of Holy Saturday. A very happy Easter to you and yours!

      Reply
  4. Cynthia Erlandson

    This is such a strong depiction of “The darkness of abandonment’s enclosure.” It’s hard to imagine the horror and despair of those who didn’t yet understand the promise of the resurrection. “Inside, the harmonies of heaven weep” is so very poignant. Your seven-line stanzas seem to imply that the world waits, almost breathlessly, for the “eighth” day. The epigraph from Isaiah is thoughtfully fleshed out. Thank you for this poem on this most mysterious day, Margaret.

    Reply
    • Margaret Coats

      “Harmonies of heaven” are the angels, the only attendants present in the tomb. “Harmony of heaven,” singular, would refer to cosmic order, interrupted by the death of the Son of God. As one of my teachers said, “Who keeps it moving anyway? For secondary causes, angels are more efficient than gravity.” Thanks for your reading and comment, Cynthia. I value them especially as coming from someone thoroughly interested in times and seasons.

      Reply
  5. Frank Rable

    I really enjoyed reading an account of a temporary respite between two major events. I felt the suspense underlying the darkness and quiet, covered so thoroughly and so well. I don’t recall seeing something like this before. I can only imagine the hopes and prayers, and maybe the despair, for those who wondered what might come next.
    And the rhyme and meter! What an example for me, showing how well it can be done.

    Reply
  6. Julian D. Woodruff

    A beautiful poem, Margaret, with wonderful rhymes. You dive into the mystery of Holy Saturday and the Sabbath generally with great imagination.

    Reply
  7. Rusty Rabon

    Thank you, Margaret, for this poem. The closing lines gave me helped me to better think about the suffering and death of Jesus:
    “Inside, the harmonies of heaven weep
    Through hours of cool and fragrant recollection,
    Delightful day of quiet Sabbath sleep.”
    “Cool and fragrant recollection” is a beautiful word picture.

    Reply
  8. Margaret Brinton

    Ms. Coats, I often think that He suffered most of all from the disbelief and He still does.

    Reply
  9. Gary Krauss

    Dear Margaret,
    There is much to be said about your decription of Our Lord’s lifeless body in the tomb. At what point did his “earthly” body become a resurrected glorified body unbounded by space and time? Nevetheless, the picture that you paint for us beautifully describes the consequences of sin and the failure of even those with thorough knowledge of Scripture to grasp the historical truths. For me the most powerful phrase , “…watched from afar with holiest affection”, took me immediately to the Mother of Jesus who, I suspect, knew the full story in advance,

    Reply
    • Margaret Coats

      Gary, you are right! Whose human affection could have been holier than hers? And you may remember what is sometimes said about the Church, born as Our Lord died to redeem her on the Cross. On Holy Saturday, it had one member, who fully recalled and believed his predictions of rising again, and those to be found in Old Testament scripture. About Jesus’ earthly body, I would say for his death to be real, it really lay in the tomb until the day of resurrection, always said to be the third day. Thank you very much for your comment, and may you and yours experience many Easter blessings.

      Reply
  10. Gigi Ryan

    Dear Margaret,
    I was up before the birds today and the dark and quiet had me pondering the relief that Good Friday’s sufferings have ended. I considered the quiet tomb. When I read your poem, you filled in beautifully what I wanted to consider.
    “His weary, soulless body needed rest,”
    “Deep sleep, secure, sweet, fearless, wholesome sleep!”
    “Delightful day of quiet Sabbath sleep.”
    These lines especially painted the picture for me well.
    Happy Easter!
    Gigi

    Reply
  11. Loretta Garcia

    Profound sentiments for consideration on this Holy Saturday! Thank you Dr. Coats.

    Reply
  12. Louis Groarke

    Beautiful, timely poem. You should do a series on the chronology of the liturgical year, Margaret. I thought the ending was particularly powerful. You set just the right tone for Holy Saturday. An interlude–finally Good Friday suffering finished and a day of “quiet Sabbath sleep.” Very sophisticated, calm, thoughtful, wording. Another higher register of expression. And a lovely epigraph, tying it into the whole Scriptural tradition. (The way Scripture is supposed to be used.) It is already Easter here (after the Vigil), so allow me to wish you and yours a Happy Easter!

    Reply
  13. Adam Sedia

    Holy Saturday often gets overlooked between its more famous bookends, but you capture its essence as a liminal space, when the disciples still reeled from tragedy, not knowing what to expect (or when we await the Feast of the Resurrection with anticipation). You do not give us a dramatic harrowing of hell, but the “view from above” – the human reaction to the day.

    I love what you did with the epigraph. It puts the reader in a proper frame of mind: this is a holy day and a day of peace.

    Happy Easter!

    Reply

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