By Fr. Christopher Foeckler, MJ •  St. Josaphat Formation Center • Phoenix, AZ

The Resurrection of Christ gives all the hope and certainty of life after death.  Pope Francis assures us, “If we live united to Jesus, faithful to Him, we will be able to confront with hope and serenity even the passage of death.”

In teaching His disciples, Jesus often spoke of His Resurrection and almost never spoke of His Passion without announcing His Resurrection in three days. (cf. Mk 9: 10, Mt 16: 21, Lk 17:22) When called upon to justify what He was doing and teaching, Jesus said, “Destroy this temple and I will raise it up in three days,” and, “No sign will be given this generation except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the whale, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.” (cf. Mt 12:39-40) Of all the miracles that Jesus worked, His own Resurrection from the dead provides the most conclusive proof of His divinity. In fact, St. Paul says in his letter to the Corinthians, “If Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is futile, and you are still in your sins.” (cf. I Cor 15:14,17) The Resurrection of Jesus is the very basis of our Faith.

In his first letter to the Corinthians, within 25 years of the event, St. Paul offers a long list of eye witnesses—many of whom are still living at the time of his writing—to the historical fact of the Resurrection of Jesus: “For I handed on to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures; that he was buried; that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures; that he appeared to Cephas, then to the Twelve. After that, Christ appeared to more than five hundred brothers at once, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. After that he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Last of all, as to one born abnormally, he appeared to me.” (cf. I Cor 15:3-8) This passage offers the strongest argument for the Resurrection being a historical fact, since most of these witnesses lived and died affirming the evidence of their witness.

However, the Resurrection of Christ is not only a historical fact; it is also a mystery of faith as well, since Christ is not simply resuscitated to life again as Lazarus or Jairus’ daughter were, but rather,  “Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him.” (Rm 6:9) His Resurrection is the basis of our Faith in the promise of our own resurrection on the last day.

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