Meditate on this ancient homily for Holy Saturday, written by an unknown author. The sermon refers to Jesus' descent into Hell, which according to Church Tradition was when he preached the Gospel to the dead and delivered the righteous who had died before him.

Full text:

Truly he goes to seek out our first parent like a lost sheep; he wishes to visit those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death. He goes to free the prisoner Adam and his fellow-prisoner Eve from their pains, he who is God, and Adam's son.

The Lord goes in to them holding his victorious weapon, his cross. When Adam, the first created man, sees him, he strikes his breast in terror and calls out to all: 'My Lord be with you all.' And Christ in reply says to Adam: ‘And with your spirit.’ And grasping his hand he raises him up, saying: ‘Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give you light.

‘I am your God, who for your sake became your son, who for you and your descendants now speak and command with authority those in prison: Come forth, and those in darkness: Have light, and those who sleep: Rise.

‘I command you: Awake, sleeper, I have not made you to be held a prisoner in the underworld. Arise from the dead; I am the life of the dead. Arise, O man, work of my hands, arise, you who were fashioned in my image. Rise, let us go hence; for you in me and I in you, together we are one undivided person.

‘For you, I your God became your son; for you, I the Master took on your form; that of slave; for you, I who am above the heavens came on earth and under the earth; for you, man, I became as a man without help, free among the dead; for you, who left a garden, I was handed over to Jews from a garden and crucified in a garden.

‘Look at the spittle on my face, which I received because of you, in order to restore you to that first divine inbreathing at creation. See the blows on my cheeks, which I accepted in order to refashion your distorted form to my own image.

'See the scourging of my back, which I accepted in order to disperse the load of your sins which was laid upon your back. See my hands nailed to the tree for a good purpose, for you, who stretched out your hand to the tree for an evil one.

`I slept on the cross and a sword pierced my side, for you, who slept in paradise and brought forth Eve from your side. My side healed the pain of your side; my sleep will release you from your sleep in Hades; my sword has checked the sword which was turned against you.

‘But arise, let us go hence. The enemy brought you out of the land of paradise; I will reinstate you, no longer in paradise, but on the throne of heaven. I denied you the tree of life, which was a figure, but now I myself am united to you, I who am life. I posted the cherubim to guard you as they would slaves; now I make the cherubim worship you as they would God.

"The cherubim throne has been prepared, the bearers are ready and waiting, the bridal chamber is in order, the food is provided, the everlasting houses and rooms are in readiness; the treasures of good things have been opened; the kingdom of heaven has been prepared before the ages."

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At a Mass for Families during the Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Redemption in 1984, Pope St. John Paul II led those present in a “Consecration of All Individuals and Peoples of the World to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.” At the end of the consecration he offered this powerful prayer for deliverance from evil:

Immaculate Heart! Help us to conquer the menace of evil, which so easily takes root in the hearts of the people of today, and whose immeasurable effects already weigh down upon our modern world and seem to block the paths towards the future!

From famine and war, deliver us.

From nuclear war, from incalculable self-destruction, from every kind of war, deliver us.

From sins against the life of man from its very beginning, deliver us.

From hatred and from the demeaning of the dignity of the children of God, deliver us.

From every kind of injustice in the life of society, both national and international, deliver us.

From readiness to trample on the commandments of God, deliver us.

From attempts to stifle in human hearts the very truth of God, deliver us.

From the loss of awareness of good and evil, deliver us.

From sins against the Holy Spirit, deliver us, deliver us.

Accept, O Mother of Christ, this cry laden with the sufferings of all individual human beings, laden with the sufferings of whole societies.

Let there be revealed, once more, in the history of the world the infinite saving power of the Redemption: the power of merciful Love! May it put a stop to evil! May it transform consciences! May your Immaculate Heart reveal for all the light of Hope!

Amen

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Pray for St. Joseph's intercession with this prayer composed by Bishop Robert Reed:

St. Joseph, you held the

With the same care that you had for Jesus,

We ask this in the name of Jesus,

Amen.

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Saint Patrick's Breastplate, also called The Lorica of Saint Patrick, is a beautiful prayer asking for divine protection. Pray this abridged version of the prayer with Bishop Robert Reed.

Abridged version of Saint Patrick's Breastplate:

Christ with me,

I go forward with a mighty strength, in the invocation of the Trinity,

Amen.

See the full version here: https://www.ourcatholicprayers.com/st-patricks-breastplate.html

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The Act of Contrition isn't reserved for Confession alone. Join Bishop Reed in praying this traditional act of contrition any time.

O my God,

Amen.

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Join Bishop Reed in praying this prayer for protection against the devil and freedom from all maleficence, both for ourselves and for those who are enslaved by the demonic.

A Prayer of Protection From the Devil:

My Lord, you are all-powerful, you are God, you are Father.

All saints of heaven, come to our aid.

From anxiety, sadness and obsessions,

Lord, you who said, "I leave you peace, my peace I give you," grant that, through the intercession of the Virgin Mary,

Amen.

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Join Bishop Robert Reed in praying this prayer frequently attributed to St. Francis of Assisi.

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace:

O divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek

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The Nicene Creed was developed at the first ecumenical Council of Nicaea in response to the heresy of Arianism, which posited that Jesus was not fully divine. The Nicene Creed expands upon the Apostles' Creed and adds phrases like "born before all ages," "begotten not made," and "consubstantial with the Father," among others, to emphasize that Jesus is in fact divine and one with the Father. Today we pray the Nicene Creed at Mass. It is a profession of faith that succinctly expresses Catholic belief.

I believe in one God,

I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Only Begotten Son of God, born of the Father before all ages. God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father; through him all things were made. For us men and for our salvation he came down from heaven, and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary, and became man. For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate, he suffered death and was buried, and rose again on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures. He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead and his kingdom will have no end.

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son, who with the Father and the Son is adored and glorified, who has spoken through the prophets.

I believe in one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church. I confess one Baptism for the forgiveness of sins and I look forward to the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come. Amen.

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The Apostles' Creed is one of the most well-known creeds of western Christianity and was developed from a second century baptismal creed. It became the official statement of Catholic faith during the reign of Pope Innocent III between 1198-1216. Today, the Apostles' Creed is prayed at the beginning of the Rosary and is recited in a question-and-answer format at Baptisms.

In the time of the early Church, when many people were illiterate, orally reciting creeds helped them learn and remember the core tenets of the Faith. Creeds set out by the Church also helped Christians distinguish between truth and heresy before there was a defined canon of Scripture or a Catechism.

I believe in God,

I believe in the Holy Spirit,

Amen.

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Listen to and pray with Psalm 139:1-12, chanted by Bishop Robert Reed.

The Psalms are sometimes referred to as "a school of prayer." They express nearly every facet of the human experience, giving voice to a vast array of emotions and movements of the heart. Psalm 139 speaks of the ever-present God and his intimate knowledge about each one of his children.

Read Psalm 139 here: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/139

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