As we step into the darkness of this evening, we are aware that this is different from all other nights. On this night, the luminous light of Christ will curse the darkness and we will celebrate the central event of the whole year through a series of provocative and complicated rituals that only occur on this night.

Why is light significant for our us?

Life is rarely a straight path; it is a complex journey through valleys of uncertainty, doubt, and fragile relationships. Yet, the liturgy we celebrate tonight breaks through that darkness, assuring us that Christ is the unwavering center who illuminates his glorious presence in our lives, no matter how turbulent the journey becomes. Tonight reminds us that we are not alone, God is with us. We experience this holy presence through light.

In the Old Testament the Torah guided us on the journey of life. The psalmist says, “Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light for my path” (119:105). God’s Word is light, guiding us through every valley and terrain of life. Christians understand this in a transposed key: Jesus is the light of the world.

As we enter this night, the Vigil liturgy begins in darkness. A blazing fire is prepared in this darkness, and the Paschal Candle is lit and brought into the darkness of the church’s space. The light within us will be illumined as our candles are lit from this pillar of fire made from the wax of mother bees.

Bees are a beloved creature, especially in the liturgy. John Chrysostom said, “The bee is more honored than other animals not because she labors, but because she labors for others.” Bees are an image of the Church and her motherhood. Delicate and fragile creatures who work together. The queen bees help us erect this tower of wax that we know as the Paschal Candle, which will curse the darkness with its presence.

This light purges away the darkness of sin! This light illumines the way to life. This is the light that never fades, for it is the crucified and glorious Lord who has come back from the dead!

Where did Jesus go? Let’s take a look at the Apostle’s Creed professes Jesus was “crucified, died and was buried; he descended into hell; on the third day he rose again from the dead.” The Apostle’s Creed is the oldest creed from the Apostolic times. The Nicene Constantinople Creed which we profess each Sunday confirms the Apostle’s Creed with its rich and poetic theology solidified at Nicaea.

Here are three important terms to understand our Lord’s descent:

• Hell is the state of definitive self-exclusion from communion with God. It is the ultimate consequence of sin. Pope Saint John Paul II stated,

“Eternal damnation”, therefore, is not attributed to God’s initiative because in his merciful love he can only desire the salvation of the beings he created. In reality, it is the creature who closes himself to his love. Damnation consists precisely in definitive separation from God, freely chosen by the human person and confirmed with death that seals his choice for ever. God’s judgement ratifies this state.

• Gehenna is a Greek transliteration of the Hebrew ge-hinnom, meaning Valley of the sons of Hinnom, which was a valley southwest of Jerusalem. Gehenna is where garbage was burned, and the idolatrous practice of sacrificing children took place. The Greeks gave it the name of a place where the ungodly were punished.
• Sheol or Hades is a Hebrew term. It is the land of the dead for both good and bad. They are awaiting their redemption. This is where our Lord descended. 

We also explore the Lord’s descent through sacred art, which frequently depicts the Harrowing of Hell. Just as a harrow breaks up hard earth and removes weeds, this imagery signifies Christ shattering the gates of Sheol or Hades to uproot the dead.

One example of the Harrowing of Hell is found in Fra Angelico. Check out this masterpiece below.

Jesus kicks down the door (almost comically) and crushes the devil who was holding the door shut. All the demons ironically shake in fear. Below are other interpretations of the Harrowing of Hell.

Beyond visual sacred art, poetry powerfully illuminates the Harrowing of Hell, transforming this cosmic event into vivid verse. Below is The Harrowing of Hell by Scottish poet George Mackay Brown (October 17, 1921-April 13, 1996):

He went down the first step.
His lantern shone like the morning star.
Down and round he went
Clothed in his five wounds.

Solomon whose coat was like daffodils
Came out of the shadows.
He kissed Wisdom there, on the second step.

The boy whose mouth had been filled with harp-songs,
The shepherd king
Gave, on the third step, his purest cry.

At the root of the Tree of Man, an urn
With dust of apple-blossom.

Joseph, harvest-dreamer, counsellor of pharaohs
Stood on the fourth step.
He blessed the lingering Bread of Life.

He who had wrestled with an angel,
The third of the chosen,
Hailed the King of Angels on the fifth step.

Abel with his flutes and fleeces
Who bore the first wound
Came to the sixth step with his pastorals.

On the seventh step down
The tall primal dust
Turned with a cry from digging and delving.

Tomorrow the Son of Man will walk in a garden
Through drifts of apple-blossom.

These ideas may be a lot to chew on, but here’s the point. In an hour known only to the Father, God raised his Son from the dead and restored our dignity.

Nothing brings this to greater focus than baptism and the renewal of our own baptismal promises.

In baptism, we see Christ as the true light. The Elect are immersed in the water three times. Being plunged into the water is an image of death. They rise from the water as Christ won everlasting life for them. Christ illumined their entire being with his loving presence.

In baptism their sins are forgiven, they are a new creature in Christ, they are grafted into the life of the Church as new members, joined by all Christians baptized in the name of the same Trinity, and they eternally belong to Christ who has configured them to himself (CCC 1265-1274).

Saint Basil the Great said,

Our descent into hell takes place when we imitate the burial of Christ by our baptism … We receive this saving baptism only once because there was only one death and one resurrection for the salvation of the world, and baptism is its symbol.

To encounter this light on this very night, the Holy Spirit moves us to respond. We are no longer able to give a speech. We have to sing a new song!

The only word that renders our singing voices is ALLELUIA! When God led his people through the sea, he destroyed their enemies and brought them to freedom. They all sang a new song. Tonight, we shall hear the awe-filled story of God delivering his people and we too shall sing a song of praise.

On this night, many will cross the baptismal sea, and Alleluia will fill their hearts with Paschal joy. Alleluia will fill the cosmos with the Cross and Resurrection of Christ, who lifts up all creation to its dignity. ALLELUIA raises us to be who we are in the life of the Trinity. Let us sing with joy to Christ who is our light! He is Risen! He is our reason.