Without Jesus Christ, one can neither understand life nor death, God nor oneself. - Blaise Pascal

 

It is the central event of Christianity. The Resurrection unlocks the meaning for us, not only of Jesus Christ, but of our own life and death and eternity.

 

Gospel Passage: John 20

 

On the first day of the week, Mary of Magdalena came to the tomb early in the morning, while it was still dark, and saw the stone removed from the tomb. So she ran and went to Simon Peter and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and told them, They have taken the Lord from the tomb, and we dont know where they put him. So Peter and the other disciple went out and came to the tomb. They both ran, but the other disciple ran faster than Peter and arrived at the tomb first; he bent down and saw the burial cloths there, but did not go in. When Simon Peter arrived after him, he went into the tomb and saw the burial cloths there, and the cloth that had covered his head, not with the burial cloths but rolled up in a separate place. Then the other disciple also went in, the one who had arrived at the tomb first, and he saw and believed. For they did not yet understand the scripture that he had to rise from the dead. Then the disciples returned home. But Mary stayed outside the tomb weeping. And as she wept, she bent over into the tomb and saw two angels in white sitting there, one at the head and one at the feet where the body of Jesus had been. And they said to her, Woman, why are you weeping? She said to them, They have taken my Lord, and I dont know where they laid him. When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus there, but did not know it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, Woman, why are you weeping? Who are you looking for? She thought it was the gardener and said to him, Sir, if you carried him away, tell me where you laid him, and I will take him. Jesus said to her, Mary! She turned and said to him in Hebrew, Rabbouni, which means Teacher. Jesus said to her, Stop holding on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and tell them, I am going to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God. Mary of Magdalena went and announced to the disciples, I have seen the Lord, and what he told her. On the evening of that first day of the week, when the doors were locked, where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, Peace be with you. When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. (Jesus) said to them again, Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you. And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, Receive the holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained. Thomas, called Didymus, one of the Twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples said to him, We have seen the Lord. But he said to them, Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands and put my finger into the nail marks and put my hand into his side, I will not believe. Now a week later his disciples were again inside and Thomas was with them. Jesus came, although the doors were locked, and stood in their midst and said, Peace be with you. Then he said to Thomas, Put your finger here and see my hands, and bring your hand and put it into my side, and do not be unbelieving, but believe. Thomas answered and said to him, My Lord and my God! Jesus said to him, Have you come to believe because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed. Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of (his) disciples that are not written in this book. But these are written that you may (come to) believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through this belief you may have life in his name.

 

1. The Resurrection and eternal life

 

Pope John Paul met a group of youth during his visit to one of the Roman parishes and commented: I am nearly 80 years old. He went on to say that, in spite of his advanced age, he sought to keep himself young because youth is a time for looking forward. Then he asked: But can you keep on looking forward at 80 years of age? Swiftly he answered himself: Yes, because you can look forward to eternal life!

 

This is the day when eternity has been opened for us. O Blessed Day indeed! The long expected day waited for during thousands of years by fallen humanity, tortured and bewildered by the sight of the darkness of a life ending merely with death. This is the day waited for by the great minds of all civilizations, who groped in the darkness of their minds for a glimmer of hope! Exsultet! Of this night scripture says: The night will be as clear as day: it will become my light, my joy. Night truly blessed when eternity is wedded to time!

 

Christian, stoop down like Peter and peer into the tomb. Peer into the tomb and see nothing but wrappings. And go your way full of amazement at what has occurred. Christian, are you not aware that your life has been utterly changed because of Christs resurrection?

 

Conversation with Christ: Lord that I may see! That I may open my eyes to the dramatic and awesome beauty of your resurrection, for in your resurrection I can find all that I have ever desired and longed for. Lord that I may see!

 

2. The great existential consequences of the Resurrection

 

The Resurrection is the great lighthouse towering over the turbulent, storm-tossed seas of history and civilizations. Its strong beams of light help you to see three great truths of your life:

 

1. You can live life with abandon. With daring and audacity. With fire and passion. Because the light of the Resurrection shows up life as only beginning here and now in our 30, 60, 80 years of existence. You dont need to live like a rat racing to catch every last bit of pleasure, power and fame before the whistle is blown. You dont need to live miserly, hoarding every minute of your time for yourself and your well-being because you are haunted that at any moment your time may be up. This night you have risen with Jesus Christ. You share in his life! And one day when, as C.S. Lewis said, the anesthetic fog which we call nature fades away, you will find underneath all the appearances of your being something you have never yet imagined: a real man, an ageless son of God, strong, radiant, wise, beautiful, and drenched in joy. Because this day, the Risen Jesus Christ, re-ascending from his great dive into the depths of our human nature, is bringing up Human Nature with him. Where he goes, it goes too. It, you, will be made like him. So you can recklessly spend your time in love, in apostolic coinage, because you, Christian, are one of the wealthiest men on the face of the earth.

 

2. You can live with the awareness of having the greatest mission on the face of the earth. You can give to others what no other man can give. You can give eternal life. You can restore eternal life. You can nourish eternal life. What greater way could you spend your life? Your mission is the greatest because the way of humanity, as individuals and as society, necessarily follows the beams of light from the lighthouse of the Resurrection or else finishes on the destructive reefs of evil.

 

3. You can live your life with the excitement of the journey. Yes, you feel the struggles with the old nature. Yes you feel the temptations, from all sides that howl against the ship of your nature. But remember, as C.S. Lewis so eloquently stated, a new nature is being made out of precisely that old beaten-up nature that you feel as pure weakness. We live amid all the anomalies, inconveniences, hopes and excitements of a ship that is being rebuilt into a yacht that will cut through the ocean waves with pride into eternal life.

 

Conversation with Christ: Lord, may nothing hold me back from so great a destiny as you have willed for me through your resurrection. May my heart beat with the excitement of what your resurrection holds for my life and eternity. Lord, that I may see!

 

Conclusion: O Amazing Night in which the Sun has shone at midnight! The light of Christs Resurrection has dispelled the darkness of our hearts and minds. The great rumor that had been whispered through the ages before Christ has happened: human nature has been caught up by Christ and you can live life with love, with the awareness of your mission and with the enthusiasm of a life that never ceases to advance towards the eternal dawn.

 

Questionnaire:

 

To help you to examine your life, in the light of the inspirations God just gave you in these moments you shared with him.

 

1. Since the resurrection is the most important historical event with meaning for my life, should I not dedicate time each week to reflecting on its meaning for me? Why not dedicate 15 minutes each Sunday?

 

2. Am I aware that the life of the Risen Christ enters my being each time I receive the Holy Eucharist, enabling me to be divinized in seed-like form for Heaven?

 

3. In the light of the resurrection, do I perceive the grandeur of giving my life to enable my brothers and sisters to rise to eternal life in Heaven?