In the Apostles Creed we profess that Jesus “descended into hell”. What does this strange doctrine mean?
In the first letter of Saint Peter, there are two references to Jesus’ descent into hell.
For Christ also suffered for sins once, the righteous for the sake of the unrighteous, that he might lead you to God. Put to death in the flesh, he was brought to life in the spirit. In it he also went to preach to the spirits in prison, who had once been disobedient while God patiently waited in the days of Noah during the building of the ark….” I Peter 3: 18-20
For this is why the gospel was preached even to the dead that, though condemned in the flesh in human estimation, they might live in the spirit in the estimation of God. 1 Peter 4: 6
Peter says that Jesus went to hell to rescue those who had been disobedient in the days of Noah. In Genesis, the drowned sinners were cast aside and destroyed by God’s wrath. But Peter tells us that Jesus, after his death, went to rescue those formerly condemned sinners.
God did not create us for hell, but for heaven. Jesus came to call unrighteous sinners to salvation and forgiveness.
On Holy Saturday, the voice of God thundered in the realm of death. The unimaginable happened: love entered hell. Because of the descent into hell, we can hope that even in the extreme gloom of the most absolute human loneliness and pain, we may hear a voice that calls out to us by name and we may find a hand that leads us out.
When we choose sin, we choose isolation from God, hell, icy loneliness—a damnation which may be on this or the other side of death. In the descent to the dead, the sinner who once wanted to be damned by God now discovers a God who refuses to accept the sinner’s rebuff, but who now comes in absolute powerlessness, in disarming love. God placed himself in solidarity with the lost, seeking communion with them in a way that we could never have anticipated. When human evil creates a hell where not a ray of love or comfort can enter, Jesus comes!
The doctrine of Jesus’ descent into hell is a metaphor for the limitless mercy of God.
Happy Easter.
Black Catholic Congress
The Black Catholic Congress will be held July 20-23, 203 at the Gaylord National in National harbor, Maryland (near Washington). If any Saint John parishioners are interested in attending, please contact Father Tom. We hope that some of our church members will attend this Congress and bring back ideas to enrich our church life. Check out the Congress web site:
https://www.nbccgathering2023.org/
Saint John Sanctuary Guild
Enroll yourself or a loved one, living or deceased, in our Sanctuary Guild. Those enrolled are remembered in a weekly Mass at Saint John’s and the $40 offering is used to support the upkeep of the church, the purchase of linens, flowers and other items needed for our beautiful church.
Historical Preservation Endowment Fund
$555,458.00
Details of today article is available here on our bulletin.