Garrigou-Lagrange on Holy Saturday

Here’s another take on Christ’s descent into hell, this time by Père Garrigou-Lagrange, OP. At long last (and not before time) there seems to be a bit of a Garrigou-Lagrange revival underway, doubtless due in part to the recent book by Fr Aidan Nichols OP (which I confess I haven’t yet got round to buying; it’s available via Amazon from Sapientia Press – a great new Catholic publisher which is part of Ave Maria University in Florida). Also well worth reading is this article by Fr Thomas Crean, OP. For the full Garrigou-Lagrange text, click here.

Christ, descending into hell, delivered the holy fathers. He delivered them from the penalty of original sin, namely, from the penalty whereby they were excluded from the life of glory, of whom the prophet says: "Thou also, by the blood of Thy testament, hast sent forth Thy prisoners out of the pit wherein is no water," And St. Paul says: "Despoiling the principalities and powers," namely, the infernal ones, by taking away the just, He brought them from this place of darkness to heaven, that is, to the beatific vision. Such is the opinion of the Fathers, especially St. Augustine and St. Gregory the Great and St. Jerome.

Thus Christ's descent into hell was the cause of exceeding joy to those souls already purified, such as the souls of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, the prophets, as also many just and holy women of the Old Testament.

Thus we clearly see that the whole of the Old Testament was not an immediate preparation for eternal life, but for the coming of the Redeemer, who after having suffered and died, had to open the gates of heaven, so that we might enter into eternal life. The first and most abundant fruits of the sacrifice on the cross are also made manifest. Then, too, the fathers of the Old Testament fully understood that the passion of Jesus was the source of all graces, and that without it they could neither have been justified nor have merited an increase of grace, nor obtained eternal life. Therefore they were most sincerely thankful to the Savior whose coming they awaited for many centuries, who is called "the desire of the eternal hills, the joy of the angels, the King of patriarchs, the Crown of all the saints…"

By the mystery of the holy Incarnation, by the labors of Jesus, by His agony and passion, by His infirmities, and by His death they were liberated. In all these things they saw the most perfect fulfillment of what had been announced and the truth that the mystery of the redemptive Incarnation far transcends all figures, all sacrifices of the Old Law, all prophecies. Christ's descent into hell truly meant for them, "it is consummated." All these things proclaim the glory of the cross.