MEANING OF THE RESURRECTION

Reflection for Easter Sunday

Easter is the most important day in our church year. It is the day we celebrate Christ's victory over the forces of darkness that tried to kill him. St. Paul reminds us of the absolute centrality of the Resurrection when he says:

If Christ is not risen,
our faith is in vain
and we are still in our sins

What the Resurrection of Christ Meant to Him, to the Apostles, and What It Can Mean to Us.

For Jesus, the Resurrection was God's "resounding yes" to all that Jesus was about during his life on earth. Good Friday was the world's "resounding no" to Jesus and what he stood for. Easter was God's "resounding yes" to Jesus' claim to be the Messiah, his compassionate attitude towards the poor, the marginalized and the sinner. The Resurrection was God's "resounding yes" to Jesus' miracles, exorcisms, teachings and the way he remained faithful even when fidelity cost him his life.

For the Apostles, Easter was, among other things, the restoration of hope for men who had started to lose hope. In today's opening prayer, we heard these beautiful words:

Today is the day of Easter joy,
This is the day when the Lord appeared to men
Who had begun to lose hope
And opened their eyes to what the scriptures foretold....

For us, Easter can mean the following:

When we stand on the side of love, justice, truth and peace, we will one day be vindicated either in this life or in the life to come. People may persecute us and reject us. We may feel like total failures; but, in the end, God will be our Vindicator. Just think of all the people who have spoken out against injustices and wrong doing and paid a huge price for their witness. The Resurrection holds out the promise that one day, in this life or the next, the forces of good will win out over the forces of evil.

Easter also means that when darkness or bad stuff invades our lives, they do not need to have the final word if hold fast to our faith in Christ. On Good Friday, it seemed as if darkness, evil and sin were having the last word, but their victory was short-lived. In and through Jesus' Resurrection, God turned the tables on evil and stole its apparent victory. Some years later St. Paul, reflecting on the Resurrection, would write:

O death where is they victory?
O death where is they sting?
It is swallowed up in the victory of Jesus.

In life's journey, the forces of darkness or bad stuff, invades our lives (loss of a loved one, health, a job, a marriage breaks up, we are hurt very badly) Unfortunately such bad things lead some people to commit suicide, and leads others to become very bitter. Darkness wins when this happens. But it doesn't have to be like this. With the help of God and the support of friends we can defeat the dark forces that seek to destroy us and embitter our lives.

Fortunately, there are many outstanding examples of where the forces of darkness did not win out:

Nelson Mandela was in jail and unjustly mistreated for 30+ years of his life. He should have become very bitter. All of us would have understood. But he didn't. Instead, he forgave his prosecutors and persecutors and became an instrument of peace and reconciliation in his homeland. His life is a wonderful example of the Resurrection at work in the heart of an ordinary human being.

John Paul II was almost assassinated in St. Peter's Square. He could have become filled with fear when it came to public appearances and become filled with hatred for the man who tried to assassinate him. Instead, he went to a Roman jail to forgive his assassin and a few weeks after the attempted assassination, he was back in St. Peter's Square mixing with the crowds. Both actions are another wonderful example of the forces of good (Resurrection power) overcoming the dark forces that tried to kill the body and spirit of the Pope. Today, John Paul's witness of holy suffering is also a great example to all who suffer from a terminal or terrible disease.

Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King and Archbishop Oscar Romero also stood against the forces of evil and did not allow them to swallow them up. In their lives, the light of the Resurrection enabled them to remain faithful, even if fidelity cost them their lives.

Closer to home, each of us know people who have stared down the forces of evil and kept the faith. I think of individuals and caregivers in our parish who have dealt with long term sickness and kept faith in God and inspired others who do the same. I think of people who have been able to forgive big hurts. I think of people who have been able to pick up the pieces of their lives after very bad things happened to them. I think of Art Carney, an Ascension parishioner who died recently. Art faced the darkness of death with amazing courage and faith. Once Art came to realize that his cancer was going to kill his body, he made sure that it would not kill his spirit. He didn't deny his oncoming death. He faced it. He talked to members of his family. He had all of his affairs in order and trusted that the God who raised up Jesus would enable him to pass through death to eternal life. That is what I call "dying well". Unless, we die suddenly, the last thing all of us will get to do is to "die well". It will be our final legacy to all who know us. When Jesus knew he was going to die, he didn't go into denial. He faced it. He talked to his friends about it. He kept faith in a God who seemed to be abandoning him.

The Resurrection also means that it is God's will that good come out of the bad things that happen to us. We see this when an addiction leads someone to find God, when a loss of some kind leads people to become more compassionate, more God-centered and discover gifts within them that they never thought existed. Needless to say, there are time when it is not easy to see the good in some bad situations. I think of people who are mentally ill and medicine is not working to make them well or bring them relief. I think of people who suffer strokes and physical therapy cannot help. I think of people struck down with Alzheimer's disease. It is not easy to see good in these kinds of situations. But maybe some invisible good is happening that only God knows about.

We can say that the Easter event-the Resurrection of Jesus is at work in our lives to the extent that we work with our Lord to defeat the forces of sin, darkness and evil at work in us and in our world.

Finally, as we deal with the bad stuff in life, we shouldn't judge ourselves too harshly, if we do for a time get angry at God, become withdrawn and become bitter. It seems Job in the Old Testament may have done all of those things before he finally came to terms with his situation. Getting mad at God and being bitter about our bad lot is surely normal. We just hope that we can pull through the bad and bitter times and try to accept as best we can what cannot be changed. This usually demands a lot of cooperation with God's grace, the support of others and sometimes even some spiritual and/or psychological counseling.

Two Other Reflections on Easter

The following two reflections were written by Sr. Joyce Rupp:

Very truly, I tell you, you will weep and mourn, but the world will rejoice; you will have pain, but your pain will turn into joy. John 16:20

Remember the times you thought you couldn't endure the pain or the loss any longer? It seemed too much to bear. Maybe you are in a situation like that now. At such times it's difficult to believe that grief will be turned into joy. Others can assure us that the pain will pass with time, but usually everything in us doubts this. That's why we need to celebrate Easter continually. We need to recall and welcome the Easter story much more than just once a year. We celebrate Easter every time we look closely at the little surprises of joy in our lives. Each time we announce these joys to ourselves or to others, we are like the angels at the empty tomb announcing resurrection.

I know a woman who is never without the pain of four metal rods pressing in her back. Yet she has found joy beyond her daily pain. She relishes happiness in her relationship with her spouse, delights in her grandchildren, enjoys the beauty of the changing seasons. She is an Easter person who daily chooses to believe that she does not have to stay in the tomb of pain and discouragement.

Risen Christ,
Lead me to my own Easter moments.
Clear my mind and open my heart
so I can see the surprising little joys
that are waiting to greet me today.

Raised to New Life

There is one lesson in particular which I learn over and over again. It is the truth that I cannot control the difficulties of my life all by myself. Usually my anxiety level has to reach an intense level before I admit to this reality. Each time I re-learn how necessary it is to throw myself into the arms of God, I promise myself that I won't forget again. But somehow I always do. I guess it's part of being human.

Easter is a wonderful reminder that we cannot get out of our troubles and our tombs all by ourselves. Even Jesus did not overcome his great obstacles alone. Jesus did not just rise up from the tomb by his own efforts. The Acts of the Apostles tells us that "This Jesus God raised up" to new life. It was the surrender of Jesus, heard so poignantly on the cross, that went with him into the tomb.

The Easter story assures us that we need God's guidance and strength and we need to let go of our own efforts to try to control life by ourselves. Let us place our hand in God's hand and trust that God can raise us from our dead places just as Jesus was raised to new life.

Amazing One,
There is much in me that needs
to be raised from the dead.
I place my trust in you
to resurrect my lifelessness.

A House Blessing

Sprinkle holy water in the rooms of your home and then pray the following blessing.

God our refuge and protection, our home is yours.
In these rooms
we have experienced joys and sorrows.
Lord, be our shelter
when we are at home
and be our companion
when we are away from home.
Send down your holy angels
to watch over us
and over all who enter this home.
May our home be a place of hospitality
and a place where you are honored
and your values cherished.
This we pray through your son, Jesus.
Amen

EASTER SUNDAY DINNER PRAYER

Creative God and Lord of life,
You who call forth from the darkness of death
all those who love you,
we rejoice, on this Easter Sunday,
in the resurrection from the dead
of our Lord, Jesus Christ.
Visit our home and this table
with Your bright blessing of peace and life.
We pause in the midst of this prayer
to remember all the holy dead of our family
who live now in You and who await
the final and glorious resurrection of the dead.
May they and we, because of our faith in You,
our God, taste in the victory of life over death.
May they and we, because of our faith in You,
our God, taste in the victory of life over death.
May the Risen Christ, our Lord and Savior,
be our guest as we celebrate His resurrection
with this Easter Sunday dinner.
Bless those whose work to prepare this meal
has truly been a work of prayer,
and bless all of us who shall share it
with Easter love and joy,
May You then bless this table and this food,
and each of us in Your holy name:
Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Amen.