25. PRAYING THE LIFE OF JESUS: THE FOURTH GLORIOUS MYSTERY - THE ASSUMPTION OF MARY INTO HEAVEN

APPETIZER:  Finally the Immaculate Virgin, preserved free from all stain of original sin, when the course of her earthly life was finished, was taken up body and soul into heavenly glory, and exalted by the Lord as Queen over all things, so that she might be the more fully conformed to her Son, the Lord of lords and conqueror of sin and death. The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin is a singular participation in her Son's Resurrection and an anticipation of the resurrection of other Christians.  By her complete adherence to the Father's will, to his Son's redemptive work, and to every prompting of the Holy Spirit, the Virgin Mary is the Church's model of faith and charity. Thus she is a "preeminent and wholly unique member of the Church"; indeed, she is the "exemplary realization" of the Church.   (CCC #966-967)

MAIN COURSE:  The last two mysteries of the rosary focus on the Blessed Virgin Mary. We are still "praying the life of Jesus" but in these mysteries we pray (ponder) on how this life of Christ is lived in his disciples, that is, in us today. You see, as the last sentence in our Appetizer tells us, Mary is the first and most perfect Christian (preeminent, wholly unique), she is the model disciple for each one of us. And the Church teaches that what God did for Mary he will also do for us, her spiritual children in the family of the Church. This is the very heart and soul of devotion to Mary which has been present in the Church in various forms since the first Good Friday when St John the Beloved Disciple took her into his home and heart (see John 19:25-27). 

So while the mystery we are contemplating in this Bitesize lesson is the Assumption, we need to take a small step back and look at all that God has done for Mary.  In this way we can better see what he has and will do for us.  First of all we need to never forget that Mary (Miryam in her native language of Aramaic) was an ordinary teenage girl when God called her. She lived in the backwoods village of Nazareth and was engaged to a day laborer of the same village whose name was Joseph (Yosef in their language). And yet God who is mighty has done such great things for her! And he will do the same for us if we are faithful as she was faithful.

God made her the Immaculate Conception, free from sin and full of grace form the very first moment of life in her mother's womb. And God frees us, her children, from the  alienation of sin and fills with the grace of the Holy Spirit from the first moment of our baptism. She is Mother of God who brought Christ into the world so that others may encounter him and receive the gift of eternal life. We are called to give birth to Christ in our lives by our fidelity to his Gospel; through us others are to be granted to opportunity to come to know, love and serve him. Our Lady is Ever-Virgin which means she is totally dedicated to God in mind, body and soul; her whole being proclaims Christ's unique status and presence among us. Like her we are each called to be totally dedicated to Christ and to love God with all our being: mind, soul, heart and strength.

And so this bring us to the gift which Christ has given to his Mother: her Assumption, body and soul, into the eternal life of Heaven. We, too, have been promised this same assumption when Christ comes to bring all human history to its completion. When he comes again we will each be lifted up from the dead and enter into the glory of eternal life with both body and soul. Theses what the Assumption of Mary proclaims to us. And intimately united with this is the 5th glorious mystery of her Queenship which we will consider in next week's Bitesize lesson. 

One question people have when pondering the Assumption of Mary is not so much that it happened, but wondering why it happened right away for her while we have to wait till the end of time.  The answer to this can be found in her in those two words that were sued to describe her relationship with Christ in the appetizer: preeminent and unique. These adjectives are directly related to Mary's gift from God as the Immaculate Conception, and inform us that she is both one of us and the greatest among us as disciples of her Son. Because she was immaculate and therefore, untouched by the original sin, she was not strictly speaking under the it's effects which included death along with the natural consequence of decay in the tomb. We look to her and see what God will indeed do for us (who have been freed from sin in Christ by baptism) by raising us up body and soul to eternal life. The Assumption of Our Lady is the guarantee of our own resurrection from the dead when Christ comes a second time to judge the living and the dead.

Another question that always roses on this topic is this: did Mary die or was she simply "taken up" into Heaven when it was time for her to leave this world? Official Church teaching does not answer this question, but the ancient tradition and liturgy of the Church seems to affirm that like her Son, and like all human beings, she died.  The oldest name for the Assumption is "the Dormition (Falling Asleep) of the Mother of God".  "Falling Asleep" was the ancient Christian term for death.  Ancient Christian icons of the Dormition show Mary laying on her deathbed surrounded by the Apostles, whom tradition says were summoned by the Holy Spirit to be with her.  in this icon we see the Risen Lord Jesus coming to take her to heaven, holding her soul like a little doll in his arms.

Church teaching on the subject simply says that when Mary's time on earth was complete she passed into eternal life body and soul.  Some traditions say that she came to the end of her time on earth in Jerusalem while others say she was in Ephesus (Turkey) when she passed from this life. At some point afterwards the Lord raised her body, reuniting it with her soul, and brought her into the glory of Heaven. 

The Assumption of Mary into Heaven is celebrated liturgically in both the Catholic and Orthodox Churches on August 15. Belief in the Assumption of Mary was widespread across the Christian world, since the earliest days of recorded Church history. The feast of the Assumption was celebrated as early as the 5th century.  St. John Damascene (d.749AD) records the following: St. Juvenal, Bishop of Jerusalem, at the Church Council of Chalcedon (451), made known to the Emperor Marcian, who wished to possess the body of the Mother of God, that Mary died in the presence of all the Apostles, but that her tomb, when opened upon the request of St. Thomas the Apostles, was found empty and so the Apostles concluded that the body had been taken up to heaven.

Along with the assurance of our own assumption into Heaven one day, I think the Assumption also teaches us that we have a Mother in Heaven who is a most loving and powerful intercessor for us here on earth!  Because she is reunited with her Son, and in the Presence of the Father and the Holy Spirit we can pray to her with total and utter confidence saying, "Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hours of our death. Amen. And she does!

DOGGIE-BAG: A little something to take with you for spiritual snacking...

Pope Quote: “Mary, who is a human creature, one of us, reaches eternity in body and soul. This is why we invoke her as the “Gate of Heaven”. There she awaits us, just as a mother waits for her children to come home. Every time we take the Rosary in our hands and pray to her”, he said, “we take a step forward towards our life’s great goal”. (Pope Francis, Assumption Feast, 2019)

Assumption Feast Hymn from the Liturgy of the Hours: The Liturgy (that is, the official worship) of the Church consists of  two parts:  1) Mass/Sacraments and 2) Liturgy of the Hours (often called the Divine Office). These are the highest form of public praise and adoration given o God by his people.

Praise to Mary, Heaven's Gate,
Guiding Star of Christians' way,
Mother of our Lord and King,
Light and hope to souls astray.

When you heard the call of God
Choosing to fulfill his plan,
By your perfect act of love
Hope was born in fallen man.

Help us to amend our ways,
Halt the devil's strong attack,
Walk with us the narrow path,
Beg for us the grace we lack.

Mary, show your motherhood,
Bring your children's prayers to Christ,
Christ, your son, who ransomed man,
Who, for us, was sacrificed.

Virgin chosen, singly blest,
Ever faithful to God's call,
Guide us in this earthy life,
Guard us lest, deceived, we fall.

Mary, help us live our faith
So that we may see your son;
Join our humble prayers to yours,
Till life's ceaseless war is won.

Praise the Father, praise the Son,
Praise the holy Paraclete;
Offer all through Mary's hands,
Let her make our prayers complete. 

Short Prayer to Memorize and Repeat During One's Day: Pray for us, O holy Mother of God, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Scripture Verse to Memorize:  "My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior; for He has looked upon his servant in her lowliness and all generations shall call me blessed." (Mary's words of praise to God in the Gospel of Luke 1:47-48)

24. PRAYING THE LIFE OF JESUS: THE THIRD GLORIOUS MYSTERY - THE DESCENT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT ON PENTECOST

APPETIZER:  Fifty days after the Resurrection at Pentecost the glorified Jesus Christ poured out the Spirit in abundance and revealed him as a divine Person so that the Holy Trinity was fully manifest. The mission of Christ and of the Spirit became the mission of the Church. (Compendium CCC 144)  The Spirit builds us up, gives us a share in divine life to and makes us holy. As the Spirit of Love, he restores in us through Baptism the life of grace that was lost through sin and enables us to share, through Christ, in the very life of the Holy Trinity. He sends us forth to bear witness to the Truth of Christ and he bestows gifts upon each of us so that all might bear the fruits of the Spirit. (cf. Compendium CCC 145) 

MAIN COURSE: It's quite easy for us to misunderstand the Holy Spirit because, unlike the other Persons of the Trinity we cannot easily grasp or at least imagine who he is. We understand by analogy to our own experiences what it means when we call the First Person "Father". And of course we most easily relate to the Son because he became a human and lived as we do. But the Holy Spirit?  In the past it was quite common to hear him referred to as the "Forgotten Person of the Trinity".  But fortunately for us, the Catholic pentecostal movement which began in the 1970's has helped to clear up this confusion! All of the modern popes have declared that a deeper understanding of and devotion to the Holy Spirit is a gift of the Catholic Charismatic Renewal to the worldwide Church.

It’s important that we avoid the common mistake of thinking of the Holy Spirit as an impersonal powerful force rom God.  The word that misleads us in this regard is "spirit" but we are not talking here of such a thing as the "spirit" of a school or of a sports team, or of the driving force of an ideal or an energy. The Third Person of the Trinity is not “what” but “Who.”   Equal in dignity and majesty with the Father and the Son, the Spirit is very bit as much divine and desirous of entering into a relationship with us as are the other Divine Persons.  We can know and love the Holy Spirit just as we know and love the Father and the Son.  From Scripture and Tradition we have come to call him by various names: Paraclete, Advocate, Counselor, Spirit of Truth, Promise of the Father, Gift of God, and Divine Companion to list just a few.

When it comes to imagining the Persons of the Blessed Trinity, we also run into some issues and problems. We humans need to wrap our minds around some image when we speak of God - we cannot simply think of empty space! And so even though the Father and the Spirit never took on human nature like the Son, and are 100% spiritual beings, we tend to imagine them in physical forms according to what we know about them.  It has become common to picture the Father as an elderly wise man, with a powerful almost stern look about him. We get some symbols of the Spirit from the Bible and so we picture him under the symbols of a dove (peace of heart), fire (purifying us), and wind (mighty invisible force). 

The Holy Spirit did not suddenly come upon the scene at Pentecost. He has been present and active as part of the Trinity from all eternity. We first hear of him in the opening lines of the first book of the Bible (Genesis) where we are told he hovered over the waters at the creation of the world. Throughout Old Testament history he has been present active in the development of God's People and as made God's Word known to them as we proclaim every time we recite the Creed at Mass "he has spoken through the prophets." The opening stories of the New Testament show us that God's plan for our salvation was made possible through the power of the Spirit coming down upon Mary of Nazareth and bringing about within her the miraculous virginal conception of Christ in her womb. And of course is is active and present throughout the life of Jesus as noted in the Gospels and the Church as recorded in the Book of the Acts of the Apostles.

We get our fullest Biblical teaching on the Holy Spirit from the letters of St. Paul. He does not give us an academic theology of the Holy Spirit but reveals who the Spirit is by showing us what he does for us and in us. The Spirit of God dwells within us (Romans 8:9; 1 Corinthians 3:16) and is the proof that we are God's children because the Father has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who is the bond of the love of God (Galatians 4:6). He teaches us that we are only able to pray because of the Spirit who is within us praying in us and for us (Rom 8:26-27) and he proclaims that we are the living breathing temples of God the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19). 

From the writing of St. Paul and the teaching of the Church we learn that the Spirit is the actual soul or life-force of the Church, which is the Mystical Body of Christ on earth. This is why we call Pentecost the "birthday of the Catholic Church."  This life-force is ignited and kept aflame by the active presence of the Spirit in every Christian as individuals and in all Christians together as the Church of Christ. The Holy Spirit gives to each baptized member of the Church charisms (spiritual gifts such as preaching, teachings, serving the poor, counseling  healing, singing, praying, etc.)  by which each one of us are able to participate in and carry on the mission of Jesus to the people of our time and place in history. 

It is the Spirit who makes the sacraments more that religious rituals which would be no more than simple prayer-services. His divine power and presence in our worship is what makes the sacraments powerful channels of God's grace that actually bring out supernatural effects and blessings into our hearts and lives.  Without the Holy Spirit, Baptism would not wash away sin and bring us a share in God's life; Confirmation would not bestow up on us the strength to faithfully follow Jesus as his witnesses; the Eucharist would remains imply blessed bread and wine and not be transformed into the actual Body and Blood of Christ; Reconciliation would be ineffective in forgiving serious sin and restoring us to a right relationship with God; Anointing would not relieve people of their pain and suffering of mind, body and spirit;  Matrimony would remain simply a legal marriage contract and Orders would be nothing more than a special ceremony of commissioning leaders and teachers in the Church.

So you see, though once called the "forgotten Person of the Trinity" the Spirit is now as well known and invoked in Christian life as are both the Father and the Son.  How does the happen in YOUR life? Do you pray (speak) with the Holy Spirit from the heart in our own words? Is there a favorite prayer or devotion in his honor that has special meaning to you? Do you ask for his enlightenment when you read Scripture or listen to he readings and homily at Mass? These are a few ways in which we can help to make the Divine Spirit an integral and active part of our lives. Don;t miss the opportunity to do so!

DOGGIE-BAG: Something to take away with you for spiritually snacking...

Prayer for the Guidance of the Indwelling of the Spirit
Breathe in me, O Holy Spirit, that my thoughts may all be holy. Act in me, O Holy Spirit, that my work, too, may be holy. Draw my heart, O Holy Spirit, that I love but what is holy. Strengthen me, O Holy Spirit, to defend all that is holy. Guard me, then, O Holy Spirit, that I always may be holy. Amen. (Saint Augustine of Hippo, d. 430AD)

Chaplet of the Holy Spirit

The Chaplet of the Holy Spirit is a rosary-type prayer that can be very helpful  in opening us up to the Spirit's presence and power! Unlike the usual rosary, there are no mystery meditations to ponder during each decade but many people find it very helpful to imagine the Day of Pentecost or some other Scriptural event associated with the Spirit's presence and power  This Chaplet is prayed using regular rosary beads as follows:

1. Begin with the Sign of the Cross. 

2. Skip the first 4 beads after the cross and go directly to the beginning of the 5 decades of your rosary.

3. On each "Our Father" beads of the rosary pray this invocation:  "Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in us the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit and we shall be created, and you shall renew the face of the earth."

4. On each of the 10 "Hail Mary" beads of your rosary pray the following short invocation, taken from the Book of the Acts of the Apostles:  "Heavenly Father, through your Servant Jesus, send me the Holy Spirit!"

5. At the end of each decade (that is, after the 10th short invocation of each decade) pray the Glory Be: "Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be world without end. Amen."

6. End with the sign of the Cross.

Scripture Verse to Memorize:  "Because we are his children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, prompting us to call out, “Abba, Father.” (Galatians 4:6)

23. PRAYNG THE LIFE OF JESUS: THE SECOND GLORIOUS MYSTERY - ASCENSION INTO HEAVEN

APPETIZER:  Christ died and lived again, that he might be Lord both of the dead and of the living. Christ's Ascension into heaven signifies his participation, in his humanity, in God's power and authority. Jesus Christ is Lord: he possesses all power in heaven and on earth. He is far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, for the Father has put all things under his feet. Christ is Lord of the cosmos and of history. In him human history and indeed all creation are transcendently fulfilled. (Catechism of the Catholic Church, #668)

MAIN COURSE:  Most of us are used to understanding that Christ’s Passion (his sufferings and death) is inseparably linked to his glorious Resurrection.  In other words, we easily grasp that Good Friday and Easter Sunday go together like bread and butter. But we might not realize that the Ascension is also an inseparable part of what we call the Paschal Mystery (a theological term for what Jesus did to save us and heal us from sin and death).  Something vitally important to human salvation is missing if we forget about the Ascension. Even though it was one Saving Event, let's break down the Paschal Mystery into three parts and take a closer look.

Good Friday shows us in a very real flesh and blood way that the Lamb of God offered himself up as the sacrifice for our sins. But when Good Friday night came to its end, all we had was a dead and buried Messiah. 

However, first thing Easter Sunday morning the Resurrection takes place and this changes the entire story! Why is this? Because the Resurrection was the marvelous sign and proof that God the Father had accepted the sacrifice of the God-Man Jesus of Nazareth on behalf of the human race. It was a total game-changer!

Easter shows us that Jesus' rescue and restore mission was successful! Human nature was healed of its spiritual wounds. The power of sin to drive a wedge between us and God was conquered.  Death, the ultimate penalty of sin, was destroyed and no longer had the last word over human beings. It was transformed from a deep dark dungeon of despair into a hopeful doorway to eternal life. 

However, though successful Jesus' rescue and restore mission was not yet fully accomplished. There was another step to go. Yes our sins were forgiven on the Cross. And yes death has been conquered by a human being by his rising from the grave.  But there is still more to come in God's plan for us human beings.  The Ascension takes up from where the Resurrection left off.  It leads us human beings into the glory of Heaven. It shows us that the whole person, the entirety of our human nature – body as well as soul - will experience this glory once we ourselves have passed through death and trampled it under our feet in Christ. And those last wo words make all the difference in the world!

You see, I think that many Christians have a misunderstanding when it comes to the Ascension.  They think that once Jesus rose up from the dead and returned to Heaven he left his humanity behind and is now worshipped and adored solely as God. But this isn’t the case at all! The Risen and Glorified Lord Jesus is at the right hand of the Father, living and reigning with him, as a Human as well as being Divine.  And that’s what is so awesome and marvelous about the Ascension.  It elevates us humans far above what we were originally created to be!  

By having one of us humans, namely Jesus of Nazareth, actually enter into the direct Presence of God and reign there in Heaven completes God's rescue and restore mission.  The whole Paschal Mystery is accomplished on Jesus' end, but now each one of us must become part of this story of salvation. It begins with our baptism, continues on with our living of an authentic Christian life, and will be complete with our resurrection from the dead, when we will each be lifted up, body and soul, to live and reign with the Ascended Christ forever in Heaven. 

So, you see, limiting the Paschal Mystery to only Good Friday and Easer Sunday actually strips the Ascension of its purpose, strips Jesus of all he has done for us, and strips us humans of our full dignity in Christ. There are those words again! In Christ.  But they are indispensable, awesome and sweet words! 

We are only saved and healed of sin and selfishness by becoming part of Christ, which means becoming a member of his Mystical Body the Church.  This happens first through Baptism and then we grow in this gift through our inseparable union with Christ by remaining part of his Mystical Body the Church. This happens  especially through Confirmation which completes our Christian Initiation and through the Eucharist., which is the nourishment of our life in Christ.  

This is why the teaching of the apostles, the teaching of the Church from Day One until now has been and always will be that salvation is impossible if people are not in someway linked to the Church, the community that forms the Mystical Body of Christ on earth. And this is why the next Glorious Mystery of the Rosary, the one that we will ponder in our next lesson, is the Descent of the Holy Spirit.   It is the Holy Spirit who is, as St. Paul the Apostle tells us over and over again in the New Testament, our connection, our bond, our link, with Christ.    Pentecost, the Day of the Spirit's Great Arrival, is the birthday of the Catholic Church. And it is the mission of the Catholic Church to go out to all the world telling others about Jesus and inviting anyone and everyone to be come part of Him so that they, too, can share in the blessing of the Paschal Mystery.

DOGGIE-BAG: A little something to take with you for spiritual snacking...

Notable Quote: “Jesus' Ascension into Heaven thus allows us to know this reality that is so consoling on our journey: in Christ, true God and true man, our humanity has been brought to God. He has opened the way. He is like the leader of a mountain climbing party that is roped together. He has reached the summit and pulls us to himself, leading us to God. If we entrust our lives to him, if we let ourselves be guided by him, we are certain of being in safe hands.” (Pope Francis,  Ascension 2013)

Prayer of Praise:  Come all you faithful, and let us climb the Mount of Olives and with the Apostles let us lift up our minds and our hearts on high. Let us behold our Lord as He is taken up to heaven and let us cry out with joy and gratitude : Glory to Your Ascension, O Most Merciful One! (From the Byzantine Catholic Liturgy for the Ascension)

Prayer of Petition:  Dear Lord Jesus Christ, before your Ascension into heaven you told your disciples to be Your witnesses to the ends of the earth. And to make this possible you promised to send down upon them the power and presence of the Holy Spirit. May I also become a witness to you and your Gospel message in word and deed.  Please pour out upon me the Promised Gift of the Father, the Spirit of Truth, that I may do so prudently and joyfully, with your help, your guidance, and your grace! And remembering this glorious event of your Ascension, help me to seek and keep my heart on what is above where you are seated at the right hand of our Father! Amen.

Scripture Verse to Memorize: "Both with and in Christ Jesus he raised us up and gave us a place in the heavens." (Ephesians 2:6)

22. PRAYING THE LIFE OF JESUS: THE FIRST GLORIOUS MYSTERY - THE RESURRECTION

APPETIZER: The Resurrection of Jesus is the crowning truth of our faith in Christ, a faith believed and lived as the central truth by the first Christian community; handed on as fundamental by Tradition; established by the documents of the New Testament; and preached as an essential part of the Paschal mystery along with the cross. (CCC #638) The mystery of Christ's resurrection is a real event, with manifestations that were historically verified, as the New Testament bears witness. In about A.D. 56 St. Paul could already write to the Corinthians: "I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures, and that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas (Peter), then to the Twelve." (CCC #639) The Resurrection above all constitutes the confirmation of all Christ's works and teachings. All truths, even those most inaccessible to human reason, find their justification if Christ by his Resurrection has given the definitive proof of his divine authority, which he had promised. (CCC #651)

MAIN COURSE:  The Resurrection of Jesus is THE central truth or teaching of Christianity. And this has been recognized right from the very beginning. Just 20 years after that first Easter Sunday, St. Paul wrote: "If Christ has not been raised from death, then we have nothing to preach and you have nothing to believe...And if Christ has not been raised, then your faith is a delusion and you are still lost in your sins. It would also mean that the believers in Christ who have died are lost. If our hope in Christ is good for this life only and no more, then we deserve more pity than anyone else in all the world.  But the truth is that Christ has been raised from death, as the guarantee that those who sleep in death will also be raised." (1 Corinthians 15:14-20)  

There have always been those who seek to discredit the Resurrection so that they can dismiss Christ as God.  They know that Christianity rises or falls upon the truth of the Resurrection and so they seek to twist the Gospel story that has come to us from eye-witnesses.  They know that they cannot deny the Empty Tomb because it is a fact of recorded history. So they try to refute the Resurrection itself and usually come  up with some version of the following four possibilities: that the body of Jesus was stolen and then the thieves claimed a Resurrection; that the body of Jesus was swallowed up by the earthquake mentioned in Matthew's Gospel; that Jesus didn't really die, but was simply unconscious when placed in the tomb; or that the hundreds of disciples who say they saw the Risen Jesus were hallucinating. 

Let’s tale a quick look at each one and I think we will see how easily it is to refute them.

Stolen Body.  One reaction to the Empty Tomb says that the corpse of Jesus was stolen and then a fake Resurrection was announced. Ok, so who would have stolen Him?  The Romans? No reason.  They killed him to put an end to his influence and possible rebellion. Plus Roman guards were fiercely loyal to their duty, and the guards at the tomb would have guarded it at the stake of their own lives.  The Jewish Leaders? It makes no sense at al. They could have  then easily displayed the corpse and put an end to Christianity which they saw as a blasphemy and corruption of Judaism. Lastly, the Discples? No way. First of all they were cowards locked away in hiding out of fear for their lives. Second, how in the world could they overcome the Roman guards? Plus, they were tortured and as martyrs for this truth.  People do not undergo suffering and death for something they know is a lie.

Swallowed Up by the Earthquake.  Matthew’s Gospel tells us that there was a great earthquake at the time of the Resurrection. So some scetpics say that the corpse of Jesus was swallowed up into a fissure caused by the quake.  Then how is it that the earthquake didn’t also take the shroud, and burial cloths as well? Besides, the disciples found these linens neatly folded and laid aside on the tomb. Was this the work of an extremely polite and neat earthquake? Belief in this reason for the Empty Tomb take more mental gymnastics than believing in the  Resurrection!

Jesus was unconscious, not dead.  Jesus was crucified by professionals. Then his side was pierced by a spear. Physicians who read this account say that the blood and water flowing out from his side tell us that the heart itself was punctured. But let's say he wasn't dead, simply unconscious and revived in the tomb. How could a man who had food and water withheld for 24 hours, was beaten, tortured, crucified and had his heart speared find the strength to move a huge stone covering the cave and evade the Roman guards? Besides, the eye-witnesses encountered a glorious, powerful risen Lord, not a weak, wounded stumbling man.

Finally, there is the accusation of hallucinating witnesses.  One of the most astounding historical testimonies we have about the Resurrection is that over 500 Christians were all gathered together and saw the Risen Lord among them.  There have  been some who have claimed these disciples were so torn apart and stressed out by what they had gone through that they hallucinated the appearances of the Risen Christ. Now that could be true of some of them for sure but psychologists - as well as our human intelligence – tell us that it is impossible for 500 people to all have the exact same hallucination at the very same time and in the very same place!  They were indeed seeing Someone who was truly appearing in front of them. Also, the account of this event was written while many of those witnesses were still alve and if it was intrue or inaccurate they could have easily pointed this out.  But not a one contradicted what St. Paul had written about them.

In addition to the Resurrection being all about Jesus and his glory, it is also about us and our future glory. St. Paul tells us that since Christ has risen then all who have been made one with him through baptism will also rise. This is what we profess every Sunday in the Creed when we declare that we "look forward to the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come." While we do not know the specifics (because God did not choose to reveal these to us) we can deduce some things about what this will be like by looking at the Risen Jesus and seeing what he was like. Bible scholars and theologians have speculated on this topic and come up with various ideas but the two main qualities of our risen bodies will be these:

Immortality. Our bodies will no longer suffer pain, sickness or death. We will not have need for food or drink but will be able to enjoy them if we wish, just as Christ did after Easter. There will be no imperfection in our bodies, no disabilities, no aging. We will be the perfect age and have the perfect body.

Spiritual. Our bodies will be tangible but not subject to the laws of physics. We will be able to pass through solid objects (as Jesus passed through locked doors) and will travel at the speed of thought. Nothing will be able to hinder us or harm us.

Many Catholics seem to have never been taught about the Resurrection of the Dead. Many raise an eyebrow when told that they will truly live a REAL life again, in a REAL place, in the company of other resurrected people, and with a REAL body united to their immortal souls. Some look at you as if you are not Catholic when saying this but are instead preaching some strange cultic religion! And yet this was precisely this teaching of Christianity that attracted the first converts and strengthened the many martyrs of every century to face death rather than deny Christ. They  wanted to live forever in the Kingdom with God, n a real life with all the angels and saints.

DOGGIE-BAG: Something to take away with you for spiritual snacking...

From Our Catholic Tradition: Clarifying Confusion in the Creed. In the Nicene Creed we pray: "he rose again on the third day" and in the Apostles Creed we say "on the third day he rose again from the dead."  Why do we say that Jesus "rose again? Did he have two resurrections?" Nope. The problem is a bad translation of a word from our original ancient Greek liturgy.  The Greek word "anistemi" means to stand up, to get up.  But for some reason it has been translated as "rose again". So what the Creed IS saying is that "on the third day he stood up or got up (from the tomb)".  There is not "again" in the original!  But like so many important things when it comes to liturgy or theology, we Catholics are extremely hesitant to change, even if it means for the better.  Just look at all the fuss some people made about changing the Mass from Latin to the language of the people. For goodness sakes, 60 years later there are still small but vocal groups of people agitating against it.  Such is our institutional Catholic resistance to change. But hopefully this clarifies the confusion in the Creed for you.

PRAYER TO OUR RISEN LORD JESUS CHRIST

O Risen Lord, be our resurrection and life.

Be the resurrection and the life for us and all whom you have made.

Be the resurrection and the life for those caught in the grip of sin and addiction.

Be the resurrection and the life for those who feel forsaken.

Be the resurrection and the life for those who live as if you do not.

Be the resurrection and the life for those who do not believe they need resurrection and life.

Be the resurrection and the life in churches that believe they are dying, and in successful churches who don't know they are dead.  

Be the resurrection and the life in us who know the good but fail to do it, who have not been judged but still judge, who know love but still live for self, who know hope but succumb to despair.

Be the resurrection and the life for those dying of malnutrition and hunger.

Be the resurrection and life for those imprisoned unjustly and those imprisoned justly.

Be the resurrection and life for those who live under regimes that seek to crush all who proclaim resurrection and life.

Be the resurrection and the life for those in the throes of sickness that leads to death.

Be the resurrection and the life in families where the weak are maltreated by the strong.

Be the resurrection and the life in marriages that are disintegrating.

Be the resurrection and the life for women trafficked and enslaved by the forces of wickedness.

Be the resurrection and the life for those whose lives are snuffed out in the womb.

Be the resurrection and the life for anyone anywhere who knows suffering and death in any form, and for Creation itself, which groans in travail.

V. We done you, O Risen Christ and we praise you!

R. Because by Your Cross and Resurrection you have set us free!

Almighty God, who through your only‑begotten Son Jesus Christ overcame death and opened to us the gate of everlasting life: Grant that we, who celebrate the Lord's resurrection with joy, may be raised from the death of sin by your life-giving Spirit; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

HOLY QUOTES...

"May Christ, who has already defeated death and opened for us the way to eternal salvation, dispel the darkness of our suffering humanity and lead us into the light of his glorious day, a day that knows no end." (Pope Francis, Easter 2020)

"In short, I didn’t become a Christian because God promised I would have an even happier life than I had as an atheist. He never promised any such thing...Rather, I became a Christian because the evidence was so compelling that Jesus really is the one-and-only Son of God who proved his divinity by rising from the dead. That meant following him was the most rational and logical step I could possibly take." (Lee Strobel, former atheist & investigative reporter for the Chicago Tribune, author of the "Case for Christ" and international speaker.)

NOTE: I cannot recommend Lee Strobel's book enough for anyone who wants to take a simple but thorough investigation into the biblical evidence for the life, death and resurrection of Jesus! 





Scripture Verse to Memorize: “I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me will live, even though they die." (Jesus in Gospel of John 11:25)