In the Apostle’s Creed we profess that after Christ was crucified, died and buried, “He descended into Hell” He was not condemned to Hell, like the rest of humanity. Rather he descended, he went willingly and with purpose.
From the time of Adam, all who died, whether evil or righteous were deprived of the vision of God. And Christ went to those who souls who awaited their Savior. Jesus did not descend into hell to deliver the damned, nor to destroy the hell of damnation, but to free the souls who awaited his coming.
The Catechism says, “Christ went down into the depths of death so that "the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live."
The ancient homily says, “he has gone to free from sorrow the captives Adam and Eve…the Lord approached them bearing the cross, the weapon that had won him the victory.”
We do well to observe the silence today, we who have quieted our willful souls by Lenten and Holy Week penances. If we grow silent enough, and listen well, we will hear hell trembling, and the voice of the Lord, victorious through the cross, proclaiming a word of life, as we await his Easter resurrection for the glory of God and salvation of souls.
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