God's power is weakest during

[TrueRomanCatholic]

I just got in an argument with a friend who said that during Good Friday and Holy Saturday, Mother Church’s power is at it’s weakest since her most Holy Spouse is in Hell!

In fact he went on to say that evil has triumphed during those days, which is why the Eucharist isn’t consecrated during Mass!

It was absolutely horrendous and I spluttered at him about Mother Church has strength unto herself and God isn’t in Hell trapped, he could leave whenever he wants, and he did on Easter!

But he’s saying that God was trapped in Hell and now is when all the demons and evilness affects Mother Church’s children!

I’m seething right now and I can’t come up with strong arguments to support that God isn’t weak even though he is in Hell!! Is there insight here?

 

[Salibi]

Your friend’s ideas are completely false. Be at peace.

Jesus was not trapped in Hell. He descended into Hell in order to save the righteous who lived before His coming (the Harrowing of Hell), the first of which were Adam and Eve.

 

[TheLittleLady]

Mother Church’s power is at it’s weakest since her most Holy Spouse is in Hell!

This is simply malarkey.

ETA where did your friend hear such a thing?

 

[awesomecatholic]

Your friend was quite wrong. Evil does not triumph during those days and God is never weak. Don’t let this bother you.

 

[Nita]

From the Catechism of the Catholic Church:

632 The frequent New Testament affirmations that Jesus was “raised from the dead” presuppose that the crucified one sojourned in the realm of the dead prior to his resurrection. This was the first meaning given in the apostolic preaching to Christ’s descent into hell: that Jesus, like all men, experienced death and in his soul joined the others in the realm of the dead. But he descended there as Savior, proclaiming the Good News to the spirits imprisoned there.

633. Scripture calls the abode of the dead, to which the dead Christ went down, “hell” - Sheol in Hebrew or Hades in Greek - because those who are there are deprived of the vision of God. Such is the case for all the dead, whether evil or righteous, while they await the Redeemer: which does not mean that their lot is identical, as Jesus shows through the parable of the poor man Lazarus who was received into “Abraham’s bosom”: “It is precisely these holy souls, who awaited their Savior in Abraham’s bosom, whom Christ the Lord delivered when he descended into hell.” Jesus did not descend into hell to deliver the damned, nor to destroy the hell of damnation, but to free the just who had gone before him.

Here’s a link to the section in the Catechism. Worth checking the other paragraphs that concern our Lord’s descent to the dead.

 

[Gorgias]

Jesus was not trapped in Hell. He descended into Hell

And, more to the point, the “Hell of condemnation” that the OP’s friend is talking about isn’t the “hell” to which Jesus descended. That statement of faith means that Jesus went to the “Bosom of Abraham” to lead the souls of the righteous to heaven. Jesus didn’t go anywhere in order to have a tete-a-tete with demons.

Also, from my understanding, the term “Hell” in the Apostle’s Creed is a mistranslation and actually refers to purgatory, the place where souls go before they enter Heaven but aren’t quite ready for it yet.

No, it wasn’t quite “purgatory”, which is a different concept altogether.

 

[Tis_Bearself]

1. Our God is NEVER, EVER “weak”
2. “Hell” in the Apostles’ Creed is Sheol, which is where the souls of the righteous who had died prior to Jesus (including all through the Old Testament as well as in the pre-Crucifixion part of the New Testament) were resting before Jesus died to redeem mankind. Having not yet been redeemed, they could not enter heaven, until Jesus died, “descended to hell” (as in Sheol), and opened the gates of Heaven to them.

“Hell” in the Apostles’ Creed is NOT purgatory, which is a place where souls that are saved, but not ready to enter Heaven are sent for further purification but with full assurance that their purification will at some point complete and they will enter heaven. Obviously “Hell” in the Apostles’ Creed is also not the place where condemned souls go as those people are never getting to Heaven.

1. God never is “in Hell” as we understand Hell. Even when Jesus died he wasn’t “in Hell”, nor was God absent from the world just because Jesus was fulfilling his Father’s will that his body lay dead for 3 days in the tomb while he experienced human death and went down to Sheol. “Hell” as we understand it today is defined as being the complete absence of God. If God somehow went to Hell it would no longer be Hell.
2. The whole business about “Eucharist not consecrated during Mass” makes me think that your friend has gotten completely wrong information. Correct him as briefly as possible, then do not engage with him further and just pray for him to see the light.

 

[SeekSalvation]

Might I suggest you research the story told by Jesus about The Rich Man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31)? You will find a place some refer to as Hades (Sheol) which had a place of torment and a place where others waited in peace. This is the Hell Jesus went to and brought back those who were waiting.

 

[Irishmom2]

God’s power is weakest: never.

The end.