Vattachal-Vadakketil Thomas John alias V T John

HOLY SATURDAY

There are two categories of human beings in the world (1) those who died prior to the crucifixion of our Lord Jesus Christ and (2) those who belong to the post crucifixion period including those that are born till the date of His Second Coming. The latter group have an added advantage of having heard Him in His Incarnation Days or having His Gospel revealed to them through the Holy Scriptures. God does not want the people of the period prior to the crucifixion suffer any discrimination as God is just in His Last Judgment.

In the Last Judgment God cannot judge these two categories at par. Therefore as Syriac Orthodox Christians believe and teach that on the Holy Saturday Our Lord Jesus Christ went in His Spirit to the place where the spirits of those died prior to the crucifixion of our Lord, were kept (the Hades), preached to them His gospel of salvation and and He took the spirits of those who accepted Him as Savior to the Paradise just as our Lord took the spirit one of the criminals who were crucified with Our Lord, as evidenced by Lk. 23:43. As authority for this belief and teaching the Church rely on the scriptures viz., I Pet 3:19 &20 and I Pet 4:6.

(Interestingly, it is said that the spirit of Judas the traitor had not reached the Hades when our Lord in His Spirit reached there as Judas who hanged himself fell to the ground died much later, not getting a chance to face Our Lord in the Hades to get his sin absolved and to be saved along with those mentioned earlier.)

There are very old liturgical hymns and prayers with vivid description of the meeting of Adam and all his descendants with the Savior. The Holy Saturday is therefore called "Holy Saturday of Annunciation to the Departed Souls."

January 10 2015 • Report