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In his 1 st Letter to the Corinthians, one of the earliest parts of the New Testament, St. Paul makes clear that Christianity rises or falls on truth of the Resurrection. It is not a hyperbole or idyllic thought of inspiration, but it is the HEART of our religion. He tells us that if Christ is not raised from the dead, we who believe are most of all to be pitied (cf. 1 Cor. 15:19). All of which lead us back to the Person of Jesus, to Jesus who spoke often of his sacrificial death… and at every mention of his death, he affirmed that Resurrection would follow, an immediate, historical resurrection in our humanity, body and soul. So what are we to make of this?
Ultimately, we have two choices. Either we will judge Christ according to our own standards of excellence and find him to be a super teacher and a human being of highest moral character who was killed by a group who felt threatened that he had usurped their power. Or else, we may come to the realization that it is not just the Resurrection but the whole of Christ’s existence that demands faith on our part: his identity as God’s Son; his incarnation; his preaching and miracles; his death on the Cross; his rising from the dead; his exaltation in heaven. In the logic of the Gospel, and the witness of the apostles, Resurrection was not just an event but divinity blossoming through all chaos humanity had brought upon itself and through it finally humanity is redeemed and is claimed to live eternally.
So, every aspect of the life of Jesus Christ demands our faith… not a faith which is a leap into irrationality, but rather the surrender of ourselves to an immensely beautiful and powerful love, a love that corresponds to the deepest desire of our hearts – the desire for absolute love, the desire to share in God’s life and love forever. Faith opens the door to God’s love, which awakens and enflames our love, and it is love that leads us truly to know who Jesus is and what he did for us. When we allow God to radiate his love in our hearts, hope of eternal life is born in us. In him alone we find a love that is stronger than sin and more powerful than death.
Unfortunately, many today try hard to satiate this hunger for the divine in exhilarating pursuits rather than through a personal relationship with God who send his Son to be one of us. If we surrender to the One whose love broke the bonds of sin and death, if love opens for us the truest understanding of Jesus, then, I assure you, our lives will be profoundly changed. No one welcomes such love into their hearts and at the same time takes it for granted, relegates it to the margins of one’s life, lets everything else take priority. Rather, the hope and joy engendered by the Resurrection will overtake us even amid the anxieties, problems, and sufferings of daily life. If so, we will begin to judge those challenges, not according to our own standards, but according to the standards that Christ taught us, confident that in picking up our Cross and following in Christ’s footsteps, we ourselves will arrive at the Resurrection of the Dead and Life in the world to come. Happy Feast of the Resurrection!