1. If we looked at the content of the Gospels we would notice that they contain much of Jesus’ teaching, and many of His miracles. But their focus is on His Passion, Death and Resurrection. When we read about the preaching of the early Church, we also observe that the primary content of the Good News is that Jesus the Crucified One has Risen from the dead. The proclamation of the Resurrection of Jesus the Lord was not merely the idea of those who had been His followers and had been witnesses of the new kind of life which Jesus possesses. Rather, this truth is announced as the of His command to tell everyone in the whole world.
2. Some people in the days of Jesus have proposed that the disciples made the resurrection up. For example, the Chief Priests and elders bribed the soldiers guarding the tomb of Jesus to say that the disciples stole the body while they were asleep (Matthew 28:11-15). Even today there are those that say the disciples invented the resurrection to explain their “experiences.” The documents of faith, that is the Scriptures, however, indicate that nothing of the sort happen. In the ancient world, people who wanted to learn would go in search of a teacher whom they liked. But the disciples were chosen by Jesus, they did not choose Him (see John 15:16). When Jesus was preaching, they were not quick to understand what He was teaching. They held the common opinion that the Messiah would be a great king leading Israel to political greatness. In spite of what Jesus told them, they persisted in this error right up until the time He was arrested. When He spoke to them about His resurrection, they would not even ask Him what He meant (Mark 9:32). When Jesus was arrested, they ran away. When He was crucified, they hid. And even when He rose again in glory, at first they were startled and terrified and thought that they were seeing a ghost (Luke 24:37). Jesus had to eat a piece of fish to convince them that He was indeed alive. (Luke 24:42-43). The disciples did not have the wherewithal to invent the resurrection. Nor does it make sense that they would persist in proclaiming a fiction that cost them their lives. Jesus resurrection is real, though we have to believe on the basis of others’ testimony.
3. Practically every year, I hear someone say that all religions are basically the same. Sometimes it is said by a parent trying to be okay with the fact that their children have left the Catholic faith. Others who hardly know God will say such a thing either out of ignorance or out of wishful thinking. In those cases, it is uttered by someone who rejects religion as stifling or restrictive. Its much easier to dismiss religion if you can lump them all together. In any case, it is simply untrue. (A quick study of religions will reveal marked differences). No other religious founder was crucified or rose from the dead. No other religious founder claimed to be God. Jesus is unique among all people who have ever existed. His resurrection is the single greatest moment in human history.
4. The Passion, Death and Resurrection of our Lord is the central teaching of our Christian faith. It is the heart and soul of our belief. When we celebrate the Eucharist, we are participating in this same Mystery of Jesus’ death and resurrection. And this celebration constitutes us as Catholics. Saint Paul will tell the Corinthians that without the resurrection of Jesus, your faith is vain; you are still in your sins (1 Corinthians 15:17). But Jesus is Risen. He sits at the right hand of the Father and intercedes for us.
5. When the disciples began to proclaim the good news of Jesus, we should note they did not simply announce the truth of the resurrection. Saint Peter did not say “You know that fellow Jesus whom you crucified about six weeks ago? Well, he’s okay now. He is alive.” And those who heard Saint Peter did not say “well that’s good, crucifixion is terrible, we are glad that everything worked out for him.” No, the people said what are we to do? (Acts 2:37). To which Saint Peter replied Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38). Jesus’ resurrection carries with it power and to believe has consequences. Knowledge of the truth obligates a person to conform themselves to the truth. Belief in the Risen Lord demands repentance and change. (That is why those who give themselves over to sin eventually lose their faith.)
6. And so the proclamation of the Good News of Jesus’ Death and Resurrection leads us to a crossroads- a place in which we must make decisions. Either we will believe and follow Jesus with our whole hearts, or we will part company with Him and go our own way. We may desire to put off conversion for awhile. That is a bad idea, since we do not know how much time we have. Or we may try to satisfy ourselves with being lukewarm in our Christianity. For example thinking that if we go to Mass, Jesus might not pay very close attention to how we actually live. That is foolish also. God is always present at every moment. If we really want to know the Risen Lord, then we must repent and seek out His mercy and forgiveness. And when we begin to know Him as He really is, a merciful and loving God, we will be eager to share our faith with others.
Showing posts with label Good News. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Good News. Show all posts
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Jesus is Risen!
Here are some links to the Scriptures for the Easter Vigil:
Holy Saturday Vigil Gospel
Easter Sunday Readings
1. Jesus has been raised. He is not here (Mark 16:6). Every year, Father Marcus and I bury many people. You yourselves may have also buried an acquaintance or loved one. People of different cultures have different manners of celebrating funerals, but there is one constant. That is, when the person dies, that is what they are- dead. And when they are buried with whatever rituals in Church or in our families, they are buried. When we return according to our customs to visit the grave, we do not expect to see it torn open and the body missing. If we did, it would cause us great stress. And if we returned to the tomb to find it empty and a young man dressed in the whitest of clothes we have ever seen telling us our loved one was risen, that He was not here, we would go in shock I suppose.
2. Imagine the disciples’ shock. Already they were dealing with the grief of Jesus’ brutally violent death. And now the tomb is empty and they are told that He is risen. Jesus had told them that He would rise from the dead, but they had no idea what that really meant. No one had ever risen before, not like this. Jesus had raised Lazarus from the dead, maybe that experience prepared them somewhat.
3. Several years ago I was in Mexico taking Spanish lessons. One of my classmates was a young woman from Japan. She had heard of Jesus’ name, but knew nothing about Him. As I was telling her His story, when I got to the part that Jesus rose from the dead to a new kind of life, her eyes glazed over and she went into a kind of shock. It was then that I realized how incredibly amazing Jesus’ Resurrection really was. All my life long I have professed His resurrection. But now I had to think about it. Jesus was indeed dead. And now He is indeed alive. I do not know what the young woman thought about what I said. To be honest, I became somewhat engrossed in my own reflection on the Mystery of the Resurrection. Did she believe me? Who knows? But what is important is that it is the Truth. Jesus has Risen. Yes He has truly Risen!
4. Hundreds of His disciples were witnesses to His new kind of life. As Saint Peter said in the book of Acts, they ate and drank with Jesus after the Resurrection. They did not imagine it. They did not plot to all agree to say it. They were all just as shocked as everyone. But you do not eat and drink with a ghost or figment of your imagination. The disciples were afraid at first, but as time progressed, they did not waver in their proclamation of Jesus Christ Crucified and Risen. Their faith became more and more sure, their knowledge became more profound, their trust became unshakeable to the point that they would willingly die rather than deny the truth they knew that Jesus had risen.
5. The resurrection of Our Lord is His greatest miracle. It is the conclusive proof of His Divinity. But the resurrection is more than that. The resurrection is the conquering of death. All funeral practices have sorrow attached, even a certain degree of despair that we will never see our loved ones again. But the Resurrection of Jesus is a glimmer of hope. And the more we believe and trust, the more hopeful we become. Death has been defeated. And if Jesus has risen from the dead, there is hope for every one of us too.
6. Gone is the thought of going down into the shades, where death is the master. We know that Jesus is the Master and death must obey Him. Death is the ultimate consequence of sin, but with the resurrection, the hope of eternal reconciliation with one another and being right with God abounds.
7. Saint Peter proclaimed to all who could hear him that Jesus had chosen the disciples to be witness of Jesus Christ to the whole world. As Christians, we have inherited this mission - to go into the whole world and proclaim the good news of salvation through Jesus Christ (Matthew 29:19-20). It is not a mission only for the priest or deacon or member of a religious order. It is not a mission only for adults. Everyone who is baptized in His death and resurrection is called to share the Gospel.
8. The question is, how do we proclaim the Truth we know in our hearts? It is very simple really. Everything we have and everything we do for the love of Jesus. If our hearts are focused on the Crucified and Risen Savior, then even simply making the sign of the Cross before we say grace at meals will become a witness to the power of the Resurrection. Our prayer life will become rich. We will eagerly look for opportunities to share our faith in Jesus Christ with others. Even if others do not accept us or do wrong to us, forgiveness will become easy.
9. The tomb is empty, Jesus is not there. The Sorrow of Losing Him on the Cross has been replaced with the Joy of celebrating His Resurrection. As Christians we already share in the New Life that Jesus Christ established on the day of Easter. Jesus Christ is Risen!
Holy Saturday Vigil Gospel
Easter Sunday Readings
1. Jesus has been raised. He is not here (Mark 16:6). Every year, Father Marcus and I bury many people. You yourselves may have also buried an acquaintance or loved one. People of different cultures have different manners of celebrating funerals, but there is one constant. That is, when the person dies, that is what they are- dead. And when they are buried with whatever rituals in Church or in our families, they are buried. When we return according to our customs to visit the grave, we do not expect to see it torn open and the body missing. If we did, it would cause us great stress. And if we returned to the tomb to find it empty and a young man dressed in the whitest of clothes we have ever seen telling us our loved one was risen, that He was not here, we would go in shock I suppose.
2. Imagine the disciples’ shock. Already they were dealing with the grief of Jesus’ brutally violent death. And now the tomb is empty and they are told that He is risen. Jesus had told them that He would rise from the dead, but they had no idea what that really meant. No one had ever risen before, not like this. Jesus had raised Lazarus from the dead, maybe that experience prepared them somewhat.
3. Several years ago I was in Mexico taking Spanish lessons. One of my classmates was a young woman from Japan. She had heard of Jesus’ name, but knew nothing about Him. As I was telling her His story, when I got to the part that Jesus rose from the dead to a new kind of life, her eyes glazed over and she went into a kind of shock. It was then that I realized how incredibly amazing Jesus’ Resurrection really was. All my life long I have professed His resurrection. But now I had to think about it. Jesus was indeed dead. And now He is indeed alive. I do not know what the young woman thought about what I said. To be honest, I became somewhat engrossed in my own reflection on the Mystery of the Resurrection. Did she believe me? Who knows? But what is important is that it is the Truth. Jesus has Risen. Yes He has truly Risen!
4. Hundreds of His disciples were witnesses to His new kind of life. As Saint Peter said in the book of Acts, they ate and drank with Jesus after the Resurrection. They did not imagine it. They did not plot to all agree to say it. They were all just as shocked as everyone. But you do not eat and drink with a ghost or figment of your imagination. The disciples were afraid at first, but as time progressed, they did not waver in their proclamation of Jesus Christ Crucified and Risen. Their faith became more and more sure, their knowledge became more profound, their trust became unshakeable to the point that they would willingly die rather than deny the truth they knew that Jesus had risen.
5. The resurrection of Our Lord is His greatest miracle. It is the conclusive proof of His Divinity. But the resurrection is more than that. The resurrection is the conquering of death. All funeral practices have sorrow attached, even a certain degree of despair that we will never see our loved ones again. But the Resurrection of Jesus is a glimmer of hope. And the more we believe and trust, the more hopeful we become. Death has been defeated. And if Jesus has risen from the dead, there is hope for every one of us too.
6. Gone is the thought of going down into the shades, where death is the master. We know that Jesus is the Master and death must obey Him. Death is the ultimate consequence of sin, but with the resurrection, the hope of eternal reconciliation with one another and being right with God abounds.
7. Saint Peter proclaimed to all who could hear him that Jesus had chosen the disciples to be witness of Jesus Christ to the whole world. As Christians, we have inherited this mission - to go into the whole world and proclaim the good news of salvation through Jesus Christ (Matthew 29:19-20). It is not a mission only for the priest or deacon or member of a religious order. It is not a mission only for adults. Everyone who is baptized in His death and resurrection is called to share the Gospel.
8. The question is, how do we proclaim the Truth we know in our hearts? It is very simple really. Everything we have and everything we do for the love of Jesus. If our hearts are focused on the Crucified and Risen Savior, then even simply making the sign of the Cross before we say grace at meals will become a witness to the power of the Resurrection. Our prayer life will become rich. We will eagerly look for opportunities to share our faith in Jesus Christ with others. Even if others do not accept us or do wrong to us, forgiveness will become easy.
9. The tomb is empty, Jesus is not there. The Sorrow of Losing Him on the Cross has been replaced with the Joy of celebrating His Resurrection. As Christians we already share in the New Life that Jesus Christ established on the day of Easter. Jesus Christ is Risen!
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