Advertisement New WaysNew Ways Would you like to advertise on ICN? Click to learn more.

Easter Sunday Reflection with Fr Robin Gibbons


The Descent of Christ into Hades

The Descent of Christ into Hades

Easter Sunday, Holy Pascha!

On Good Friday our Melkite service was filmed for Tele-Lumiere, a Lebanese TV company to be broadcast to Iraqi and Syrian Christians suffering terrible happenings and atrocities, many unable to actively worship, many displaced form their home communities. I had to send a message in English to them and whilst doing so realised the tremendous Christian family we belong to. No matter where we are in the world, people, groups, big communities, parishes are praying and actively working to reach out to those in need. I cannot begin to imagine what it must be like for those who have little left, whose hopes have been dashed but who still carry on. Yet, this is the Easter story lived anew in our times!

We can suddenly see ourselves with the disciples, with those women seeking Jesus at the tomb and finding him gone, with the desolate ones on their way out of Jerusalem hopes dashed, lives changed forever, Hauntingly we can think of Judas and the two thieves, hanging beside Jesus on the cross will he, we wonder, be received with loving mercy into the Kingdom with his Lord? In our own lives, muddled faith and lost opportunities come crowding into our minds and hearts as we face the empty tomb! Is this real? Did Christ really rise from the dead?

The traditional icon used in the Byzantine tradition on the feast of Easter is the icon of Holy Saturday: the descent of Christ into Hell ( Hades). This is a theological picture for nobody has ever seen this happening. Here Christ, radiant in hues of white and blue, stands on the shattered gates of Hades. Arms outstretched He joins hands with Adam and all the other Old Testament people whom He has found there. Christ leads them as in a dance out of the kingdom of death, he is literally dancing on death, trampling it down! In that Icon we can place ourselves, for the transforming dance of Christ's victory goes on, pulling us along too. This is the proclamation of Easter:

Today Hades cries out groaning:I should not have accepted the Man born of Mary. He came and destroyed my power.He shattered the gates of brass.As God. He raised the souls I had held captive.Glory to Thy cross and resurrection, 0 Lord! ( Byzantine Hymn)

Now we become the wounded hands of the Risen Christ reaching out in His name to hold those who cry out for help, to give them the hope of his loving victory. In our church and all over the Middle East Christians will use the Angel's proclamation at the tomb to greet each other, as they have for nearly two thousand years, might you not use it too each day of this great season?

Al-Massih qam, Haqqan Qam (Christ is risen, He is truly risen)

Adverts

Sisters of the Holy Cross

We offer publicity space for Catholic groups/organisations. See our advertising page if you would like more information.

We Need Your Support

ICN aims to provide speedy and accurate news coverage of all subjects of interest to Catholics and the wider Christian community. As our audience increases - so do our costs. We need your help to continue this work.

You can support our journalism by advertising with us or donating to ICN.

Mobile Menu Toggle Icon