We Are People Of The Resurrection!

Who does not fear death? No matter how courageous you are, no matter how contented you are, no matter how holy you are, no matter what, I suppose, death has a certain amount of sting in everyone. The fact that we are "living", gives death a counter-effect. At least, in this sense, the resurrection is very relevant. This is not to make the resurrection as an anti-thesis to death. Rather, death is part of the resurrection. Death is part of life. Death is part of living. While it is regarded immediately as a negative, an end, a failure, a frustration, or a "kill joy", it is actually and in reality a part of life! To live is to be aware of death. Life has so much meaning because of the truth and presence of death.

Death is earthly life's door to eternal life. Every Christian hopes to reach his final destiny with God in His Kingdom where he would spend after life eternally. Death provides the only entry towards eternal life. It is for this reason that Jesus embraced it too, willingly. Not that God glorifies death, but that through death, God, and later man, would be glorified! Death has really no power against God who is life. Death is even used by God to help man appreciate and understand His love. Death was used by God to lead us to Him. In other words, unless we die, we could not live! The life being referred to here is of course a life with God.

It is interesting to note that eternal life presumes eternal death. While earthly death leads to eternal life, if a person is not worthy of it, eternal death becomes an option. Eternal death means an after life spent in separation with God. Nothing can be more "painful" and "dreadful" than that! We are not anymore talking of physical pain here because we were done with it after we met our earthly death. We are talking of "spiritual pain". This is not just about the consequences of sin in the form of punishment, but what we are losing and not experiencing because we are not with God. The parable of the Prodigal Son is very applicable here. The younger son committed a great sin against his father when he asked for his share of his inheritance while his father was still alive. Then he left his father and spent all his inheritance. Living alone and away from his father, he was not only concerned about the hardship he was going through but also of what he was missing if he was with his father. In a way, the pain eternal death is the same. Essentially, it is more!

Death is dead. The resurrection removed its deadliness! Death still happens but only as part of life. That is what the Lord Jesus showed when He embraced it on the cross. It was not easy. His humanity offered resistance. But His divinity prevailed. At the garden in Gethsemane, He was tempted to forgo with it as planned. But His obedience to the Father prevailed. Obedience was the key. Obedience founded on trust. When life is at stake, our convictions are jarred. When life is at stake, our loyalty is challenged. When life is at stake, resolve begins to crumble. When life is at stake, our foundations tend to collapse. To whom do we turn to? Jesus turned to His Father. Just like His Mother, He saw that the only answer to the situation is, "Your will be done!" Later, St. Paul would see the decision of Jesus as a redemption of the fall of Adam who disobeyed God that led to the lost of Paradise. He referred to Jesus as the NEW ADAM, Mary as the NEW EVE and the resulting situation as the NEW CREATION.  Where Adam and Eve failed, Jesus and Mary succeeded! What Adam and Eve lost, Jesus and Eve recovered. What Adam and Eve violated, Jesus and Mary obeyed.

As a last point, Jesus' feat tops. Nowhere could we found a religion sect, group, or anyone who could lay claim to what we claim. Our God became one like us, lived with us, died, was buried and RESURRECTED! The first and the last are our greatest and important claim. The last one, the Resurrection, is our main claim. It is the very foundation of our faith. If Jesus did not rise from the dead, all of what we have done, are doing, and will do, have no meaning at all. It will be an exercise in futility. Death as an end will be mans greatest frustration. Indeed, if we do not believe in the resurrection, the best option to live would be to eat, drink, be merry, for tomorrow we will die. But we elect to pray, sacrifice if necessary, and do acts of charity. We are more than bodies. We have souls. We are meant for eternal life. The resurrection gives us that hope. The resurrection inspire us in this life. The resurrection will lead us through the door of death to life eternal!

"This is the day the Lord has made. Let us be glad and rejoice"

Happy Easter!