He Descended Into Hell

On Black Saturday, when we recall the day Christ was in the tomb, we also reflect on the phrase in the Creed, "He descended into the dead." Pope Benedict offers the following reflections from his latest encyclical Spe Salvi:

Christ descended into “Hell” and is therefore close to those cast into it, transforming their darkness into light. Suffering and torment is still terrible and well- nigh unbearable. Yet the star of hope has risen—the anchor of the heart reaches the very throne of God. Instead of evil being unleashed within man, the light shines victorious: suffering—without ceasing to be suffering—becomes, despite everything, a hymn of praise (SS 37).

Pope Benedict spoke of these points when he talked about suffering as setting for learning hope. To illustrate what hell is like, he used the experience of Vietnamese martyr, Paul Le Bao-Tinh, who amidst all the violence and cruelties of the prison, was able to find hope... precisely in his faith in Jesus Christ.

May, we, too, experience Jesus descending into the "hells of our lives" and transforming our darkness into the light of Easter!