I couldn’t help myself. I saw this when I was looking for inspirational pictures to post on the Resurrection. I have to admit that I have been sick this week, busy at work, and didn’t get around to putting together a thought on today’s mystery until evening.
After Christ died, he didn’t just sit in a dark tomb for three days. He descended into Hell. There are some folks in the world today that don’t believe in Hell. They’ll say that Hell is the misery we experience on earth. They may say that as long as we live a good life we won’t go to Hell. Without Hell, Heaven makes no sense, Salvation makes no sense, Redemption, and the suffering of Jesus was pointless. If you’ve seen the movie “The Usual Suspects” Kevin Spacey’s character says something to the effect, “The greatest trick the Devil ever played was convincing the world he didn’t exist.” I think that it is true. It is a huge trick and a huge victory for the dark side. If there is no dark, we don’t need the light.
My little mind has decided that the pain of Hell comes from knowing that there is a God and knowing that we have given up being with the Eternal Love and the pain associated with that loss. Perhaps that is the greatest pain. Perhaps this is the great pain that Jesus experienced while in Hell – the loss of God the Father. I’m willing to bet that most folks reading this have experienced at least a distance from God at some point in their life. This is the Mystery that is the reunion. After being away from God, Jesus was brought back to Earth and back to the presence of God the Father. What Joy! What Bliss!
