Happy Easter to You! Jesus is Risen! So, in many ways are you!
Jesus’ Resurrection is all-encompassing, and should be not only be seen as in just Him rising up on the original Easter, but the Mystery of the Resurrection is communal, too, as it also is rising with Him, in Him, by Him. It is a Resurrection Mystery to be given for a people He purchased by His Blood, that we can be co-rising with Him. We are a Church of the Resurrection most glad to have this share of hope. Easter has changed us to be a-rising! More than alone as the individual Jesus of Nazareth rising, which He surely did, as God raised Him from the dead, the “anastasis” is that Jesus reaches out and grabs those reaching out for Him, and takes them along in His rising. To put it in loose language, those just ones in the abode of the dead got into an uprising (what the Resurrection word “anastasis” means)—and uprising to a deliverance, by the Christ Risen who grabs and takes them to the Eternal Light. He descended to the dead, or Sheol, to raise up first those awaiting the Anointed One Who would open the gates of paradise. That was stage one, but now for us we are also signed and sealed for a deliverance or uprising, that Christ’ Rising is put into us, that we might become now the Easter people of God. At Mass, we pray our connection to God in Christ, as being “through Him, with Him, and in Him, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, for all glory of union to the Father” (in the acceptance of Christ’ eternal sacrifice.) Amen.
In easy going terminology, we got ‘caboosed on’ or ‘train-carred on’ to the Risen Lord. All of the just believers, sincere followers in history—forward or backward—got a ride on the power of the Resurrection of Jesus—as the engine to pull us into new life with God. A caboose has little power, but it is meant to travel with a locomotive engine. It is fitted to connect in that train, even to many cars, but always somewhere behind the locomotive car. Maybe more we are all train cars, rather, but all hooked into the One Who is already leading people into Heaven.
See Christ as the Head of the Train, and the Church following Him already has many into Glory, while we are still being carried along in His Strength, in Resurrection connection.
Where do I come up with this co-rising idea? Many places. I think of my studies of St. Paul through the years. In college, I discovered how Romans’ epistle shows that we are co-crucified with Christ, co-risen, co-ascended, co-heirs to the Glory. I thank Josh McDowell and a Bible study for that revelation.
I think of my own conversion path, that Jesus wanted me to recognize His role as communal Savior, and not just personal Savior. I have had to learn to love the Church, even with all her warts, blemishes, scars and such. As I love Christ in this way, I am learning the route to resurrection better. God’s connecting me! My resurrection revelation is truly of how we connect into Christ’ Salvation via the Body to the Head, His people to their Lord, and how Eucharist is so much a Paschal Mystery of being united as co-crucifed and co-risen with Christ in experience. How? As members of His Body. He is glorified as the Head in Heaven, and, as we remain on earth, we still may be united to Him as Head by Sacrament, such as Baptism and regularly by Eucharist. I don’t know if I can clearly communicate this point as much as I want. Yet I have found an open secret about the Holy Mass of how we are linked to Jesus in this real holy sign or Blessed Sacrament, that I may be one in Christ Jesus (or, smile, won in Christ Jesus too). I’ve got the Risen Lord in me. This co-rising mystery going on in Holy Mass has me confirm my baptismal identity, that I live to be in union (or communion) in Him and with others of His body. The Mass plays an active, vital role in this remaining with the Lord. As I saw how John 15 and its message of abiding or remaining with the Lord was so Eucharist-based, and how John wrote likewise of this abiding mystery in his epistles, I saw how the living Jesus is in this Eucharist to feed me and lead me on the journey to Glory. Our Mass on earth is united to the Mass/celebration in Heaven to the same Lamb of God Jesus Christ.
We live in a world of such an independent spirit, of doing things on our own, and private way. The Mass and plan of Jesus Christ is given to counter to all of that. Co-rising is about joining Jesus and being a part of His community, for His love to lift us up higher, than we’ve been before. An Anastasis—an up rising.
When I think of artwork of the Resurrection, how I would like to see a modern artist find a way to show Jesus rising with many others going forth up with Him. Because He lives, we now live, and for a rising! So I will settle now for my long train running image of Jesus leading the uprising on the Gospel train up to Heaven, and on that straight and narrow railway of His unique Worthiness, with us as cars or cabooses connected and following behind in one communion or common up-leading.
This co-rising in Christ Resurrection is taught by St. Ambrose of Milan (4th c.) as he says: “If Christ die not rise for us, then he did not rise at all, since He had no need of it just for himself. In Him the world arose, in Him Heaven arose, in Him the earth arose. For there will be a new heaven and a new earth.” Amen!