Community Word: The Spirit of the Lord dwells upon those who believe in the resurrection.
Order: “If you believe you will see the glory of God.” (Jn 11:40)
Reflection:
Our word for the month of April “The Spirit of the Lord dwells upon those who believe in the resurrection” is easier said than done. Why? Because the resurrection of Jesus Christ is what we may call a most undoubted fact. The Jews in Mat 28:13 said that the disciples stole the body of Christ. But that is probably one of the most absurd assumptions for the large stone that covered the tomb could not have been moved without waking some of the guards.
Other free-thinkers advance the view that Christ was dead only in appearance but recovered after an interval and left the tomb. That kind of view, however, run counter to the fact that the pain and loss of blood when he was being tortured and the wound on his side would have been enough to cause death that was reported to Pilate (Mk 15:45) and also the fact that the soldiers did not break his bones because he was already dead (Jn 19:33).
The real truth, and we need to believe in it because our own salvation depends on it, was that Jesus Christ died and rose again to prove to us that he is God, and just as he did with Lazarus whom he brought back to life, we too, are to rise again – but only if we will believe. Then and only then will we experience our own resurrection. As we step deeper into the Lenten Season, let us ponder upon God’s word because in them will we find our bearing with regards the purpose for which we were created.
Fifth Sunday of Lent
The raising of Lazarus who had been dead for four days is actually a reminder that we who are already dead to sin can still be resurrected and brought out of darkness and into a marvelous light if we will only believe in Jesus. Belief and faith in Jesus is the key to being resurrected from the depth of our sinfulness. We suffer spiritual death when we ignore the needs of others and or when we become insensitive to the feelings of others. There is no life in us when we prefer to sow disunity and disharmony in the Church or in the community by our disrespect of the flow of pastoral authority. We are dead when we allow pride to rule our lives thinking highly of ourselves instead of embracing the humility and obedience that Christ has set as a standard. We can be dead by our endless pursuit of fame, power and honour in both our temporal lives and even inside the Church.
And like Lazarus, Jesus Christ can resurrect our bodies that are dead to sin and bring us into a renewed relationship with God and it begins the moment we accept Jesus as our personal Lord and Savior. When we believe in Jesus and accept everything that he says to be true and if we stake everything we have in our possession to gain the truth that Jesus brings then we are resurrected; for we are released from the fear that punctuates the godless life that we lived in the past.
What happens is that when we are raised to a new life in Jesus, our lives become so fulfilled that death has no more power over us and it is also through Jesus and with the Holy Spirit working in us that we are being transported to our place in the Kingdom of Heaven.
Palm Sunday
The betrayal of Jesus by one of his trusted disciples – Judas Iscariot – has become the subject of many debates and numerous assumptions have been made as to why Judas did it. And to this day, no one can exactly say why Judas betrayed Jesus and it would probably remain as the world’s greatest secret. What this Gospel passage is telling us is that the circumstances that moved Judas to betray Jesus are still present today. And Paul saw its influence on the people of Galatia – sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery, idolatry and witchcraft, hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy, drunkenness, and orgies (Gal 5:22).
Today, we can add the reproductive health law, proposals to legalize same-sex marriage, abortion and divorce. There also are avarice, greed, and disobedience that permeate in our society today. When we refuse to accept Jesus, it is when we are at our weakest and like Judas this is when Satan will influence our will that will lead us to commit these sins that St. Paul wrote in his letter to the Galatians. As we journey with Jesus through this Holy Week, let us be aware that we also are guilty of betraying God whenever we sin. The Good News is that God’s compassion and forgiveness are readily available to those who will repent of their sins.
Resurrection of Jesus Christ
True Christians believe not only in the Resurrection of Jesus as an historical event in the history of the Church but that Jesus had truly risen from the dead and who is alive today, now and forever. Such belief is necessary because this is the key to our Christian faith – to believe in the fulfilment of His promise. Our faith should lead us to believe that Jesus is alive now as he was on that first Easter morning and he still invites people today to know Him (Jn 17:33), love Him (Matt 22:37), serve Him (Jn 12:26) and be happy with Him (Jn 16:22) in eternity. Many of us who were brought into the Church and the community especially those who have been baptized in the Spirit have been transformed because we have encountered Jesus the living God.
And we will only come to know Him, love Him, serve Him and be happy with Him if we will step out of our unbelief and believe and have faith in Him who said he will rise from the dead and he did. And one thing is certain. If Jesus had not risen from the dead, we would not have heard of him. A promise fulfilled and no other god or prophet has raised from the dead except Jesus the one true God. Surely this man was the Son of God! (Mk 15:39). Today, we continue to draw on the power of the Holy Spirit who gives us the eyes of faith and the joy to personally know Jesus our Savior and King!
Second Sunday of Easter
It is natural for people nowadays to doubt something that they only heard about and something they don’t see or haven’t seen. And 2,000 years ago this was also the predicament of many of the Jews even after news of the resurrection of Jesus had spread like wildfire in Jerusalem. Today many of us living in this wired world are still caught up in our own doubts and or indifference that prevent us from establishing a more concrete relationship with God that is rooted in humility and obedience. Why? Because the world we are in actually is preventing us from doing so as it offers us a comparative view of both dimensions.
On one hand is the material world where we live in, the fast-paced search for comfort and luxury, anything that would bring us fame, prestige, wealth and authority have kept us glued in this mundane world. On the other is the eternal life that was promised to those who will believe in him. Such belief, however, is premised on our subservience to his Holy Will and a life that is anchored on sacrifice and suffering. This last part is what makes people think because most often we want to reap the promise of eternal joy but without the pain and sacrifice attached to it. We probably also have to ask if we have become forgiving of one another especially now that we are celebrating the Feast of the Divine Mercy. Or do we persist in our unbelief, doubt and meaningless pursuit of what we perceive to be a joyful life. But we should remember that the same Jesus who appeared to Thomas is offering each one of us a new life in his Holy Spirit that we may know him personally and walk in this new way of life through the power of his Resurrection.
The one thing to remember is that Jesus needs the Church to keep the fire burning and we need Jesus because he is the message that we only need to know and bring to others. As God sent Jesus to the cross, so Jesus is also sending us now and no one can truly understand why unless we come to realize that the relationship between God and Jesus is premised on Jesus’ obedience and love.
And so it must be with us. For us to develop a truly meaningful relationship with Jesus we need to humble ourselves and go down from our pedestal and obey whatever He tells us to do; but this subservience to His will must be anchored on love for God and neighbor.
Reflection Questions:
1.What are the things that are stopping me from believing in Jesus Christ and placing my life in the palm of his hands?
2.What am I prepared to do to overcome this hesitance on my part to respond to the call to discipleship?
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