Easter Even, the Saturday of Holy Week, stands in the stillness between the death of our Lord and his resurrection. It is a day without celebration, appointed for fasting and watching at the tomb. The 1928 Book of Common Prayer gives only one Collect and one set of readings — an austere provision suited to a day that asks nothing more of the faithful than patient waiting in the shadow of the grave.

The appointed Epistle from the first letter of Saint Peter speaks of Christ's proclamation to the spirits in prison — those souls who did not live to see the day of redemption in the flesh. It is a passage of great mystery, suggesting that the reach of Christ's atoning work extends beyond the boundaries of the living and the present. The grave is not the end of his work; even there he is not idle.

The appointed Gospel from Saint Matthew recounts the burial: Joseph of Arimathaea went to Pilate and begged the body of Jesus, wrapped it in clean linen, and laid it in his own new tomb. A great stone was rolled to the door. The chief priests sealed the tomb and set a watch. Easter Even captures the moment when hope lay buried and the disciples had not yet been given the third day. The Collect prays that we who are baptised into the death of Christ may continually mortify our corrupt affections and pass through the grave and gate of death to our joyful resurrection.