In his recent General Audience, Pope Leo XIV reflected on one of the most profound mysteries of Holy Saturday: the descent of Jesus into the underworld. Far from being a forgotten moment in salvation history, the Pope explained that this mystery reveals the radical depth of God’s love for every person.
According to Vatican News, the Holy Father described Christ’s descent after His Crucifixion as “the most profound and radical gesture of God’s love for us.” Jesus not only gave His life on the Cross but also went further—seeking out humanity “where only the power of a light capable of penetrating the darkness can reach.”
Pope Leo emphasized that the “underworld” is not primarily a physical location but “a condition, where life is depleted, and pain, solitude, guilt, and separation from God and others reign” (Vatican News). In descending to this place, Jesus entered into “the very house of death to empty it and free its inhabitants, taking them by the hand one by one.”
The message of Holy Saturday, the Pope continued, is one of hope that speaks to every age: “death is never the last word.” This victory of Christ touches not only the past but also the present. Jesus enters into “the daily hell of loneliness, shame, abandonment and the struggle of life… to bear witness to the love of the Father.”
The Pope pointed to the image of Jesus’ encounter with Adam in the underworld, calling it “the symbol of all the possible encounters between God and man.” In this meeting, God calls each person by name, restoring them to the light “with full authority, but also with infinite tenderness, like a father with the child who fears he is no longer loved.”
This descent, Pope Leo reminded the faithful, shows that nothing is beyond the reach of Christ’s mercy: “There is no past so ruined, no history so compromised that it cannot be touched by mercy.” Holy Saturday, then, is the day in which heaven stoops down most deeply to earth, embracing all creation in silence, preparing to restore it to the Father’s plan of salvation.
For Christians, this catechesis is both consoling and challenging. Consoling, because no darkness in our lives is untouched by Christ’s love. Challenging, because we are called to bring that same light into the brokenness of others, witnessing to the truth that God’s mercy can redeem everything.
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