When Jesus Descended into Hell

"Cercate il Suo Volto" is Italian for "Seek His Face" (see Ps. 27:8). I first heard of the Italian phrase from the "Abba Pater" album by Pope John Paul II.  It was the first track of the album.  My high school Junior Theology teacher had introduced me to it and gave me a copy of it.  I am very grateful to him because it opened up for me a more in-depth interest, studying of, and reading of the Scriptures.  And, of course listening to the Pope recite it with inspiring and motivational music in the background made it all the better (not that the Word itself isn't good enough, but you know what I mean!).  Anyways, so why am I bringing this verse from Psalm 27 up?  "Seek His Face."

On Holy Thursday we read in the Gospel that Jesus gave the Apostles an example of humble service and true leadership.  To serve is to lead, with love at its core.  On Good Friday we read the Passion Narrative where we hear Our Lord cry in fulfillment of the prophecy, "I thirst" (Jn. 19:28b).  Recently I spoke of this thirsting of Jesus to be a thirst of love for us.  He thirsts for us.  He thirsts to make us know the Father's love.  God proved to us, though He had no need to, how much He loves us by giving up His only Begotten Son.  The Exsultet or the Easter Proclamation puts it powerfully beautiful - "...to ransom a slave, You gave away Your Son."  We were once slaves and today we continue to choose to remain slaves when we allow sin to take hold of us.  But the Father paid the ransom to set us free and said to us "You are no longer slaves, but rather you are now my beloved sons and daughters."         

That is how much the Father loves us and thirsts for us.  Do we thirst for Him?  Do we truly seek His Face?  Do we seek the Father?  I do not mean only if we go to Mass and go to Adoration and make holy hours, but do we also strive to seek the Father in those around us?  Do we seek the face of God in His beloved sons and daughters, our brothers and sisters?  The sick, the poor, the dying, the outcast, those in distress, those in the peripheries, and those in isolation and desolation are crying out "I thirst!"  How will we respond?  Will we strive to "Seek His Face" in them?  Will we share with them the cup of living water that has been shared with us?  Or, perhaps even, it is they who will share the cup of living water with us.  Just as the Father thirsts for us, will we thirst for Him, and will we do so by seeking His Face in His people?

On this day when the earth stood still, let us remember that the Father ransomed us from slavery and made us His beloved sons and daughters.  Jesus descended into Hell and broke through the gates of hell and touched life and death in ways that remain forever changed.  Death has been permanently destroyed and life eternally restored.  Through the death of Jesus, who descended into hell, life has been transformed and we have the hope of everlasting life. 

May we all strive to seek the face of Christ in the Eucharist and in one another and thirst for Him, who is crying out to us today in the silence of our hearts as well as in the eyes of those who look to us to seek the face of Christ. 

Lamentation of Christ by Rogier van der Weyden

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