Christ is in our midst, my beloved readers!
Today, it is as if all of nature holds its breath. The birds sing more softly; the trees whisper faintly with their leaves. All creation stands still, awaiting something wondrous. The world pauses, caught between sorrow and hope.
While Christ’s disciples wept and mourned, believing all was lost—thinking themselves deceived, having hoped that Jesus was the Messiah— he Savior Himself descended into Hades. Yet He entered not as before, humbly into Jerusalem, but as mighty Conqueror, the Destroyer of Hell. The guardians of the abyss scattered; the iron gates were shattered; and in the depths of hopelessness, Light blazed forth.
When a soul dwells long in darkness, sudden light wounds the eyes. Thus did the Light of Christ pierce those who, all their lives, had walked in rebellion against love, against truth, against righteousness—those who had lived for nothing but their own gain. Hades was laid waste. Yet the divine Light continues to bring torment to those who, on earth, sowed evil—and this torment shall be eternal, for God is eternal, and His name is Love.
But with what unspeakable joy did those who awaited Him greet the Christ—those who had borne witness to Him by word and by deed! The prophets, the righteous—all who, whether in this life or beyond it, had longed for His coming—now beheld their hope fulfilled and were filled with gladness at the arrival of the Savior.
The Lord has broken the bonds of Hades. Yet still, the darkness clings to human hearts. There, in the secret chambers of the soul, lurk the shadows of despair, cowardice, sorrow, anger, and every destructive passion. But there is no abyss so deep that the Light of Christ cannot reach it.
So, let us on this Great and Holy Saturday, open wide the doors of our souls to Divine Love. Let its warmth melt the ice of our hearts, and grant us the great hope of our own resurrection.
Source: Orthodox Christianity
