Breviloquium

But concerning the outcome of Christ’s Passion and its fruit, these things must be held without doubt: that after the Passion Christ’s soul descended into hell, or limbo, for the liberation not of all, but of those who died as members of Christ through living faith or through the Sacraments of faith. — After this, on the third day he rose from the dead, taking up again the body he had previously vivified, but not such as it had previously been; for previously it was passible and mortal, whereas after he rose it was impassible and immortal, living forever. — Then, after forty days, he ascended into heaven, where, exalted above every creature, he sits at the right hand of the Father¹. This statement is understood not with respect to place, which does not apply to God the Father, but with respect to excellence of goods, because he resides in the Father’s pre-eminent goods. — Finally, after ten days had elapsed, he sent the promised Holy Spirit upon the Apostles, through whom the Church of the gentiles was gathered and ordered according to the various distributions of offices and graces.

The reason for understanding the aforesaid is this: because, as Christ, insofar as the uncreated Word, most perfectly formed all things, so, insofar as incarnate, he had to reform all things most perfectly. For it befits the most perfect principle not to leave its work short of perfection; therefore the reparatory principle had to bring the remedy of human redemption to perfection². But for this to be most perfect, it had to be most sufficient and most efficacious.

Since therefore it was most sufficient, it extended to heavenly, earthly, and infernal things. Since through Christ infernal things were recovered, earthly things remedied, and heavenly things restored—so that he accomplished the first through pardon, the second through grace, and the third through glory—therefore after the Passion his soul descended into hell to liberate those detained there; then he rose from the dead to give life to those dead in sins; he ascended into heaven, leading captivity, to restore the heavenly Jerusalem³; he sent the Holy Spirit to build the earthly Jerusalem. All these things necessarily follow from and are required by the sufficiency of human reparation.

Again, because that remedy was most efficacious both for those who preceded Christ’s advent and for those who follow it—who nevertheless approached and approach Christ himself, and were and are his members—and because such people are those who adhere to him through faith, hope, and charity, that remedy therefore had to have efficacy first for those who believed in Christ, hoped by believing, and loved by hoping; and consequently it had immediately to descend into hell for their liberation. Hence, with heaven’s gate opened through Christ’s Passion—he, by making satisfaction, had removed the sword, changing the divine sentence—he rescued all his members from hell⁴.

It also had to have a special efficacy for those who follow Christ’s advent, so that, by attracting them to faith, hope, and charity, it might finally lead them to heavenly glory. Therefore, in order to build up faith, by which we believe Christ to be true man and true God, and by which we also believe that he willed to redeem us through death and is able to lead us back to life through the resurrection, he willed to rise to immortal life, with a due interval of time interposed, namely thirty-six hours. This shows that he truly died; nor ought he to have hastened more, lest, if he rose sooner, it be believed that he had not truly died but had feigned himself dead; nor ought he to have delayed longer, lest, if he remained forever in death, he be believed powerless and unable to recall anyone to life. And therefore he rose on the third day⁵.

Furthermore, in order to raise them up to hope, he ascended to the heavenly glory for which we hope. But because hope arises only from faith in future immortality, he did not ascend immediately, but after an interval of forty days, during which he established the truth of the resurrection through many signs and proofs, so that the mind might be strengthened in faith and lifted up to hope for heavenly glory⁶.

Finally, in order to inflame them to charity, he sent the fire of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost. And because no one is filled with this fire unless he asks, seeks, and knocks with the urgent and persistent desire of hope, he did not send it immediately after the Ascension, but after an interval of ten days, during which the disciples, fasting, praying, and groaning, prepared themselves to receive the Holy Spirit. — Thus, just as he observed the appointed hour in suffering⁷, so in rising, so in ascending into heaven, and so in sending the Holy Spirit, both on account of the foundation of the three aforesaid virtues and on account of the many mysteries contained in these intervals.

And since the Holy Spirit, who is charity and is possessed through charity, is the source of all charisms, when the Holy Spirit descended, the fullness of charisms was poured out to perfect the mystical body of Christ. And because diverse members ought to exist in a perfect body, with diverse offices and exercises belonging to diverse members and diverse charisms belonging to diverse offices, hence it is that to one is given through the Spirit the word of wisdom, to another the word of knowledge, to another faith, to another the grace of healings, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the discernment of spirits, to another kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues; and all these things one and the same Spirit works, distributing to each as he wills⁸, according to his most liberal providence and most provident generosity.