Very often during these visits, I have often thought, how can people live without faith in the Resurrection of Jesus. Without faith in the Resurrection, my visits to the grave would end up in total depression. Life, beautiful as it is, would become meaningless and death would herald a total and utter loss. It is precisely in a graveyard, where everything speaks of death, that the resurrection was first announced. It is very fitting that it was in a graveyard where death seems to reign supreme that the good news of Jesus’ resurrection was first announced.
This is the unique and powerful message of Easter. God can turn what seem to be tragedies into triumphs. No one else in this world can give us this promise of life after our natural death. Only Jesus can. St Paul speaks very passionately about this reality in Chapter 15 of his first letter to the people of Corinth, a sizable town in Greece. Speaking about death, he says Death where is your sting? Death where is your victory? He calls Jesus the first fruit of those who have died. What does this mean.
The first fruits are very important to the farmer. If the first fruits are good and healthy then all the harvest will be good and healthy. However if the first fruits are sickly looking and without life, then the whole harvest will display the same qualities. The first fruits show manifest what the whole harvest is going to be like. Therefore, when Paul describes “Jesus as the first fruit of those who have died”, he is saying “Look at Jesus, whatever happened to him is going to happen to all of us”. Jesus died. We are all going to die. But Jesus rose again and it will be the same for each one of us. My firm belief in the Resurrection teaches me that one day I am going to meet again with my parents and all those who have been dear to me. This is what this feast of Easter challenges and invites us to think seriously about.
The story is told of a young man who went to visit William Gladstone who was Prime Minister of England from 1868 to 1874. This young man shared with the prime minister that he was keen on studying law. William Gladstone’s reply was and what then? “Oh I would like to enter Parliament and serve in the House of Lords”. “What then?” retorted the Prime Minister. The young man smiled and said, “Oh, I suppose I would die”. “Yes” replied, Mr Gladstone, “and what then?”. “I have no plans beyond that”, the young man replied. “I have never thought any further than that”. “Then”, Gladstone replied, “Young man you are a fool. You need to go home and think life through”. Easter gives us the response for that last question.
Moreover when we realize who we are in God; when we realize the great destiny that as believers we are called to, then, in turn, we can be a sign of the Resurrected Jesus to others. When we live our lives, doing the ordinary things in life extraordinarily well, we are a sign of the Resurrected Jesus. When our families try to live our Christian values and ideals, we are a sign of the Resurrected Jesus. When husbands and wives, fathers and mothers commit themselves to give the best to their children and to their marriage, we are a sign of the Resurrected Jesus. Every little act of kindness and generosity is a sign that our God is still alive today. Every time we teach ourselves and our children to think about others through “Project Compassion”, Catholic Mission”, we are being signs of the Resurrected Jesus.
Over the years I have met many people who are still powerful witnesses of the Resurrection of Jesus. Recently, I met this university student from Sao Paolo Brazil. She is energetic, she is intelligent, she has ambitions and she works hard. She also belongs to a Catholic community. In the evenings she goes and works with the drug addicts. She has been often threatened by those who traffic these drugs. One day one of the local drug leaders asked to meet her. When they met he told her that he and his friends were not at all happy with her work because she was being too successful in leading many young people to break their drug habit. This man threatened her. Her reply was very simple yet awesomely powerful. “Do you mind if I say a little prayer with you”.
This man jokingly said. “Ah well prayer never hurts. If this prayer will give me more power to continue in my trade then I have no objection at all if you desire to pray for me”. She prayed over him. Today he has joined the community and is working with young people in order to help them break this awful habit. These things cannot be done with human power. These things are achieved by the power of our God who is alive in us through baptism and confirmation. Jesus is not the God of the dead but the God of the living.
We are going to be faced with many situations that at times are difficult and painful. When your children, parents, husbands, wives, relatives and neighbours come to you sharing a problem or a situation that is causing them anxiety and grief, have the courage to say. “Can I say a little prayer with you”. Then talk to Jesus Christ who is alive, about what that person has shared with you. Believe in your prayers. Believe that Jesus Christ can continue to work with you and because of you because He is alive. Try it. You will be amazed what we all can achieve with this God who is here with us.
Happy Easter
