Dr. Taylor Marshall

In fact, St.

Thomas Aquinas, he even elaborates on this.

And he says that the experience of the Old Testament faithful of Christ ascending into hell

counts for them as baptism, which is a very kind of profound way of thinking about it, that their initiation into the life of Christ and salvation for them begins not with baptism, but

basically engaging with the true Christ in his descent to where they were and then freeing them.

So there's a lot in the mystical tradition and visionaries and the church fathers of this beautiful mystery.

And I would encourage people on this day, you know, yesterday was Good Friday.

We experienced the death of Christ.

Tomorrow is the celebration when people will be

breaking their Lent and eating meat and candy and maybe wine and some whiskey and really enjoying the festival of the resurrection of Christ.

Today is a day to consider this hidden mystery that Christ cares not just for us in 2024, but he cares for every human person going all the way back to our original first parents.

And I think that's a beautiful mystery for us to meditate on today.

You know, I wasn't raised a Catholic, and so I didn't grow up with any of these things.

liturgies or mysteries or ceremonies.

As an adult, when I became a Catholic, I was exposed to this ancient, very ancient liturgy of what's called Holy Week.

And Holy Week technically begins on Palm Sunday.

And that's when we commemorate Christ coming into Jerusalem.

And literally the priest will bless palms and the congregation holds palms and processes around the church and enters the church, sort of greeting Christ coming into our midst.

And then things pick up again on Thursday called Holy Thursday or Maundy Thursday where

And this liturgy usually takes place in the evening and it commemorates the Last Supper and the washing, Jesus washing the feet of the disciples and the institution of the Holy Eucharist.