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)