A Paschal Reflection on 1 Peter 3:18–22 and Matthew 28:16–20
Die VI infra Octavam Paschæ ~ Dies Octavæ I. classis
The sacred Octave of Easter prolongs the Church’s contemplation of the Resurrection as one single, radiant day—a day without evening. Within this unbroken solemnity, the Epistle of St. Peter and the Gospel of St. Matthew draw us into the depths and the heights of the Paschal mystery: Christ descending to the dead and rising victorious, and Christ ascending in authority and sending forth His Church.
St. Peter proclaims: “Christ also died once for our sins, the just for the unjust, that He might offer us to God; being put to death indeed in the flesh, but enlivened in the spirit. In which also coming He preached to those spirits that were in prison” (1 Pet 3:18–19). The Fathers see here the triumphant descent of Christ into hell—not as a place of despair for Him, but as a theater of victory.
St. Augustine teaches that Christ’s preaching to the spirits was not a second chance for the damned, but a manifestation of His lordship over all realms: “He showed Himself to them as having power over them, that they might acknowledge Him as Lord” (Epistle 164). Likewise, St. Cyril of Alexandria speaks of Christ breaking the gates of brass, liberating the just who awaited redemption: “He went down to the underworld, not to suffer, but to free those who were bound” (Commentary on John).
This descent is inseparable from the Resurrection. As St. John Chrysostom proclaims in his Paschal homily: “Hell took a body, and met God face to face; it took earth, and encountered Heaven.” The risen Christ is not merely returned to life—He is the conqueror who fills all things, even the abyss.
St. Peter then draws a striking parallel with the days of Noah, when a few were saved through water, “whereunto baptism, being of the like form, now saveth you also” (1 Pet 3:21). The Fathers consistently interpret the flood as a type of baptism. Tertullian writes: “The waters, after the invocation of God, acquire the sacramental power of sanctification” (On Baptism, 4). As the ark bore Noah safely through judgment, so the Church bears the baptized through death into life. The Resurrection is not merely an event to be admired—it is a mystery into which we are plunged.
Turning to the Gospel, we behold the Risen Lord on the mountain in Galilee: “All power is given to Me in heaven and in earth. Going therefore, teach ye all nations; baptizing them… teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you” (Matt 28:18–20). Here the Paschal mystery flowers into mission.
St. Leo the Great sees in this moment the universal kingship of Christ: “That which until now was hidden is now manifested: the nature of man is raised above all the heavens” (Sermon 73). The authority given to Christ in His humanity becomes the foundation of the Church’s apostolate. The command to baptize echoes Peter’s teaching—salvation through water now extended to all nations.
St. Jerome comments on the Trinitarian formula: “They are baptized in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost, that the confession of the Trinity may be the sacrament of the laver” (Commentary on Matthew). Thus, the Resurrection is not an isolated triumph; it inaugurates the sacramental life of the Church, through which souls are incorporated into the very life of God.
Finally, the Lord’s promise resounds as the quiet, abiding note of the Octave: “Behold I am with you all days, even to the consummation of the world.” St. Bede reflects: “He who ascended into heaven is still present with His faithful on earth” (Homilies on the Gospels). The Risen Christ is not distant. His presence abides in His Church, in her sacraments, in her teaching, and in her suffering.
Within this Octave, the Church invites us not merely to recall these mysteries, but to dwell within them. Christ has descended into the depths of death and risen in glory; He has entrusted His victory to the Church through baptism and mission. The waters of the flood, the empty tomb, and the mountain in Galilee all converge in one reality: the triumph of divine life over sin and death, communicated to us through the Church.
Let us, then, renew our baptismal faith with reverence and gratitude. Let us hear anew the apostolic mandate. And above all, let us cling to the promise of the Risen Lord, who remains with His Church—omnibus diebus—until the end of time.
Resurrexit sicut dixit. Alleluia.