Christ is Risen! He has risen indeed! Alleluia!
Today we rejoice for the tomb was not the end and so after three days He rose again in accordance of the scriptures. Our celebration of the Lord’s Resurrection is important for us because it affords us hope and orients our life down a path which leads towards Everlasting Life. This is the great hope that is brought forth through our celebration of His Resurrection.
The doctrine of the resurrection of the body is central to our Christian belief. As we profess in the Nicene Creed, “I look forward to the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come.” This statement of faith applies to each of us. Therefore, at a Funeral Mass we are able to proclaim despite the certainty of death “that life has changed, but not ended.”
When the Lord was taken down from the cross and placed inside of the tomb it would of been easy to think that this was the end. Likewise, whenever we face the reality of death it could be easy to look at it as if it were the end. Nevertheless, the Lord triumphs over the tomb and thus hope springs forth from it that all of those who have been touched by sin and death will be given life.
As Christians we have been marked with a seal through the event of our baptism for through these waters we were given life. In the Book of Ezekiel the faithful received a mark upon their forehead, the faithful are also given a mark upon their forehead in the Book of Revelation, and we enter into this mark through that which has been given to us at our baptism.
Baptism is not a reality that stays in the past, but enters into the present and into the future. Through it we are given an indelible mark which will not go away even with death. Therefore, we are always marked as Christian and we should live as such. It is through our consent to sin that we turn away from God and this life that has been extended to us.
Christ suffered and died upon the cross, rose again on the third day, and Ascended into Heaven. These acts brings about the totality of His sacrificial action. Through such acts of complete love we ought to realize the seriousness of what we come to profess with our hearts, voices, and lips. Let not our life be lived in accordance with the Gospel for only a moment, but always.
This is truly what we come to profess through our celebration of the Lord’s Resurrection. The Good News that springs forth from the empty tomb must continue to be meaningful for each of us. Our life must be lived in accordance to this message, for this message is one of Everlasting Life. Let us desire this pearl of great price which is foreshadowed by our Lord’s glorious Resurrection and order our life towards it.
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