Descended into Hell

The next three days are what the high liturgical tradition call "Triduum" - Good Friday (Jesus dies), Holy Saturday (Jesus descends into Hell), and Resurrection Sunday (Jesus rises from the dead, appears to the women, gives them orders to go preach, and then later appears to other witnesses).

I am often asked why it matters that Jesus descended to the dead. And my answer is simple: because it shows us that there is nowhere beyond God's reach, nowhere God will not go to get us, no one who is truly beyond God's redemption.

But here's the thing we usually don't consider and don't want to have in front of us: if God will go into the depths of the muck and mire for us, then we, too, should be willing to do the same for one another.

There should be nowhere we are not willing to go to serve our neighbors, by which I mean every other human on this planet.

Of course, we should have appropriate boundaries to keep our sanity, maintain some amount of safety, and ensure abusers do not have access to their victims. Nevertheless, we are

still called to do whatever we can for one another. And that goes double for those who are privileged enough to not be an automatic target due to their sex, race, age, economic status, immigration status, or relationships. Those who will not be disappeared or removed without recourse to a place beyond reach with no hope of return.

How far are we willing to go?

Because we cannot love God if we are not tenaciously loving our neighbors.

Blessings,

Rev. Janie