he Christian Faith hinges on a Resurrection of Jesus. It must happen, lest our faith be in vain, as St. Paul once said. That’s in 1 Corinthians 15: and verse 14, one line among many great words within that great Resurrection-themed chapter of the Bible.
Our parish, called for this Resurrection Mystery, is named for the most crucial truth of the Catholic Catechism—that Jesus Arose. By the way, happy anniversary! 1981 to now. And let’s rise up, Resurrection people!
I read about Resurrection from the Catechism Part 1, 638. They point to one of many Scriptures that treats Resurrection as a most big deal. Like, Acts 13:32-33 says “We bring you good news that what God promised to our forefathers, this day He has fulfilled to us their children by raising Jesus.” That’s talking of Easter. God fulfills His promise. “This Is The Day that the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it.” Psalm 118:24 is fulfilled. The Day Has Come. Our Day Has Come.
The Catechism in 638 to 648 continues its teaching on how big Easter really is. ”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…and preached as an essential part of the Paschal Mystery, along with The Cross.”
It’s the Cross and then the Rising. Both real events and historically verified. Coupled together –The Paschal Mystery.
The Happening of Christ’ Resurrection says that the Savior-Redeemer-Reconcilier came to us. He did His job as Savior-Redeemer-Reconciler. It’s done and the Offer is accepted up to God. His Work Approved. Victory Won.
Jesus Died and it was exactly what the human race needed for our forgiveness of sins and a rebirth to live in God again, in friendship and peace and acceptance and a call back to the Kingdom living of God.
As we considered last night on Good Friday, a Good Work has been done for us by Jesus bringing about a new day. It’s now Resurrection covenant time. It’s New life in Christ time.
Now let’s look at how we need Resurrection to follow up on the Calvary part of Jesus at the Cross. Jesus testified in His parting words: “It is Finished.” Tetelestai! Paid in full. Game Over. That was explained in Fr. Pius’ homily last night. So here at the Cross, Jesus gives his life. It still leaves the Resurrection to now happen, in effect. Will He be received? Does the Spirit and Father God answer? Does the Son of God have the power? Yes. Yes. Yes.
Before explaining it theologically or spiritually, I think I can bring it down to simpler terms. Ok. I am a baseball fan and I could put the Paschal Mystery in a sporting comparison. The Dying of Christ must be carried out by the Rising of Christ. In Jesus winning it all for us, “It is Finished” “Game Over” — it would be like as if Jesus is hitting a home run in the final at bat to send Himself and the runners of base safely home to certain victory. We were seemingly losing but Jesus surprises with the big home run accomplishment that changes the outcome. Yet, in baseball comparison to a need for Resurrection accomplishment, Jesus will need to touch all the bases and then finally touch home plate for it to all be officially game won. That is like the action of Resurrection. He comes around to Home and then the Hallelujah cheers can start. ‘Got it?
I explained that rule to someone and said that a baseball game is not over or completed when a batter hits a winning homer to change the score at the last inning to favor your winning amount. It is only when the batter has run the four bases with touching all of them in a row, and then the outcome is made. Because the name of the game is base… ball. It’s not called home-run-ball. And the purpose of base… ball… is to advance around all four bases… successfully, without being called or tagged out. You get to home plate and you score—that’s the object: to get home. You get awarded a free run around the bases if you hit a fair ball over the home run wall, and if you choose to run out the bases to home plate, and then, it’s a homer. The point is not only to hit home runs. A home run is the means to the end. It’s not the end itself. You hit the ball out of the park but then should run or trot your way around the diamond basepaths to 1st, 2nd, 3rd base and to Home, and then the score changes. You see, I know my baseball rules. In the Major Leagues rules it says that if the home run hitter fails to touch home plate or even one of the other three bases along the way, in a home run, as is supposed to be done—it won’t be a four-bagger homer, a dinger, a homer and a winner. He must do it correctly. What happens if you miss home plate? Official Baseball Rule 5.09(b)(12) states that should a runner, in scoring, fail to touch home plate and continue on the way to the bench (making no effort to return), the runner may be put out by the fielder touching home plate and appealing to the umpire for a decision.
Jesus would carry out the Resurrection, and be the One to do it all perfectly. How so? Because He is God the Son, that is how He is able. He is no mere man, nor just a prophet, nor only a holy wise man, nor something else. He is the one and only God-man. He’s the God who took on flesh, into the very creature of humanity that He had first designed in His image. Jesus kept His divinity while in our humanity. In the finishing part of His public ministry on earth, Jesus carries forth a victory over the grave, and He brings it about in His Resurrection. He is able, and He knows the Way Home. He is known by the Father and the Spirit in the Holy Trinity. He is coming back to Heaven’s reign. So it is that Jesus’ Victory at the Cross needs to run forth to Resurrection. The Catechism says that Jesus would be able to carry this out. Jesus claimed it so beforehand, stating “I lay down my life, that I may take it up again…I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again!” That comes from John 10:17-18 and 1 Thess. 4:14.
Jesus could go back to Heaven because He had come from there. As His identity as God, as the great “I AM” that He kept identifying Himself by (numerously in Matthew’s and John’s Gospel accounts), Jesus has the right as God to return. What is amazing and interesting is that He returns as triumphant man too. The Holy Trinity has a new era begun, of involvement of saved humankind being redeemed into life with them, as holy children of God or as saints to the eternal kingdom. He plans to love us eternally in this Resurrection plan. He’ll raise us up, so we can fly as eagles: a line from a song we had Mark Forrest sing here in Lent.
The Catholic Catechism says: Part 1, 648. “Christ’s Resurrection… is a transcendent intervention of God Himself in creation and history. In it the three divine persons act together as one, and manifest their own proper characteristics. The Father’s power “raised up” Christ His Son and by doing so perfectly introduced His Son’s humanity, including his body, into the Trinity. Jesus is conclusively revealed as “Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by His Resurrection from the dead.” (Romans 1:3-4) St. Paul speaks of the working of the Holy Spirit who gave life to Jesus’ dead humanity and called it to the glorious state of Lordship. There is a lot happening in the Resurrection Mystery.
Here’s what we believe: Jesus is Lord of Heaven and Earth. He’s The God-Man. He’s The Mediator between God and humankind. Jesus accomplished an amazing thing by becoming the Word made flesh and doing His saving work. We believe it was all accepted and approved by The Divinity. So he runs the bases up into Glorious Home.
And we are called to follow Him. If we would die with Him, then we would also so rise with Him. So goes the Mystery of our Faith. So Resurrection Mystery is crucial—in that Jesus has opened eternal life for us. Christ’ Resurrection changed everything. We can now have resurrection of the body and life everlasting, with our soul never dying but going to God, and a new risen bodily life to join us again in that two fold body and soul existence. That’s reason to celebrate Easter.
Extra ↓
In our parish Bible study in Revelations, we have just been studying the questions in heaven being asked of “Who is Worthy to break open the scroll of life of us all, undoing the seven seals?” It is a question in Revelations chapter 5, and St. John the apostle is in a vision of heaven and becomes a heavenly witness to this question—as in it being asked up yonder: “Who can save fallen humanity and the creation on earth?!”—and it is so astronomical a problem and such a daunting task that is being asked, that it seems too impossible a thing to ask of anyone, making John to weep deeply. Somehow John has been able to see what was the human condition, but then of how Christ Jesus His Savior did remedy it. Rev. 5:5 ”But an elder of heaven spoke to me, “ speaks John, hearing him say, “There IS One Who is worthy (of such a mighty rescue enterprise). Weep not, behold, the Lion of the Tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that He can open the scroll and its seven seals.” John says then that he saw (vs. 8) the Lamb there with the scroll, and all were in worship around him… stating (Rev. 5:13b) “To him who sits upon the Throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and mighty forever and ever.”
That is a Glorious picture to lift our hearts. The Book of Revelation has lots of it. Those of us who’ve studied it in Lent have been feeling a peak preview of Easter. The congregation of the earth of God’s faithful join with those above with Him to say: To our God our Father, and in the Spirit, and to the Lamb Jesus Christ be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever. Amen.”