Jesus’ descent—occurring between His Crucifixion and Resurrection—represents a divine act of seeking humanity in its deepest desolation.
Newsroom (24/09/2025, Gaudium Press ) At his weekly General Audience on Wednesday, Pope Leo XIV delivered a profound reflection on the significance of Jesus’ descent into the underworld on Holy Saturday, describing it as “the most profound and radical gesture of God’s love for us.”
A Light in the Darkness
The Holy Father emphasized that Jesus’ descent—occurring between His Crucifixion and Resurrection—represents a divine act of seeking humanity in its deepest desolation. “Jesus not only died for us, but sought us when we were lost,” the Pope said, entering the “underworld,” a condition where “life is depleted, and pain, solitude, guilt, and separation from God and others reign.”
This descent, he explained, was not merely a historical event but a timeless act of redemption. Jesus entered “the very house of death to empty it and free its inhabitants, taking them by the hand one by one,” demonstrating that “death is never the last word.”
A Message for Today
Pope Leo XIV underscored the contemporary relevance of this theological truth, noting that Jesus continues to enter “the daily hell of loneliness, shame, abandonment, and the struggle of life” to bear witness to the Father’s love. He highlighted the encounter between Jesus and Adam in the underworld as a symbol of God’s personal outreach to every individual. “God leads man out of the darkness, calling him by name,” the Pope said, with “infinite tenderness, like a father with the child who fears he is no longer loved.”
Redemption Without Limits
Reflecting on the transformative power of Holy Saturday, Pope Leo described it as “the day in which heaven visits earth most deeply.” He affirmed that Christ’s descent reveals a mercy that reaches every corner of human existence: “There is no past so ruined, no history so compromised that it cannot be touched by mercy.”
In his closing remarks, the Pope portrayed Holy Saturday as “the silent embrace with which Christ presents all creation to the Father to restore it to His plan of salvation,” offering hope that no darkness is beyond the reach of God’s redemptive love.
- Raju Hasmukh with files from Vatican News
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