Wednesday, July 2 : Saint John Chrysostom

Today Jesus Christ has entered the depths of hell, conquering them. Today, “bronze doors he has shattered, iron bars he has snapped”, as Isaiah says (45,2). Take note of these words. He does not say that he has “opened” the bronze doors or has taken them down but that he has “shattered” them, in this way making us understand that the prison-house exists no more, that Jesus has totally destroyed the place where captives dwell. A prison that no longer has doors or bolts can hold its prisoners no more. Who could rebuild the doors that Christ has shattered? Who could replace the bolts that he has snapped? When the princes of the earth set prisoners free by issuing a reprieve, they still leave in place the gates and prison guards to show those who are leaving that they might still return – either they or some others. But Christ does not act like this. When he shatters the bronze doors, he bears witness that there is no more captivity, no more death. Why “bronze” doors? Because death was pitiless, inflexible, as hard as diamond. Not once through all the centuries before Jesus Christ, not once did any of its captives escape it until the day when the Lord of heaven descended to the abyss to snatch its victims from it.
Roman Catholic Ordinary Calendar – rosary,team