November 5, 2023, 12:00 PM

In the Apostles’ Creed we say, “… He descended into hell …” The descent into “hell” does not mean that Jesus went down among the damned or among the demons and Satan. Instead, He went to a place of the dead called Sheol in Hebrew and Hades in Greek. The Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) says, “Jesus did not descend into hell to deliver the damned, nor to destroy the hell of damnation, but to free the just who had gone before Him.” (CCC 633). “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.” (CCC 635). So Jesus’ descent into Sheol was part of His redemptive work. He did not simply lie there dead. He awoke the dead and gave them the Gospel. He was the Savor for whom they had awaited. Then in the Apostles’ Creed we say, “… on the third day He rose again from the dead …” This text does not necessarily mean 72 hours. The Lord was in the tomb for one full day and parts of two others. The ancient Jews often counted partial days as full days. We say similar things today. For example, saying I was with my family last month doesn’t necessarily mean I arrived on the first day of the month and left on the last. Think about this, Christ’s Ascension marks the definitive entrance of Jesus’ humanity into Heaven and opens the gates for those He visited in Sheol. Jesus went down among the dead, to the souls who were awaiting a Savior to take them home. Now you know!