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Posts Tagged ‘Redemption’

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Resurrection of Jesus

In 06 Scripture & Theology on 2011/04/25 at 1:39 PM

    The most concise definition/explanation of the Resurrection can be found in the Glossary  of Joseph Ratzinger’s (Pope Benedict XVI) JESUS OF NAZARETH, Part Two) Ignatius Press

“The entrance by Jesus, following his death on the Cross, into an entirely new form of life that lies beyond the order of natural biological generation, resuscitation, and  dying and that includes a transformed bodily dimension of existence, possessing physical and spiritual aspect. (Mt. 22:30; 1 Cor. 15:42-44, 50-54; Luke 24:39; Jn 20:24:24-27)

“The Resurrection is the Father’s vindication of Jesus’ divine sonship and validation of the believer’s faith in Jesus’ redemption of sinful humanity.”  (Acts 2:24; Rom.1:4; 1 Cor. 15: 14, 17)

“It is also the pledge of  ‘first fruits’ of a general resurrection, the beginning of a new kind of humanity to be realized in the age to come.”  (1 Cor 15:23)

“The Resurrection of Jesus in not the mere passing of a spirit into the next life or a miraculous resuscitation to mortal existence, as with Lazarus.  It is an entirely new mode of bodily existence.”

For a spiritual and scholarly expansion, see chapter 9, Jesus’ Resurrection from the Dead.

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“He has triumphed over death”

In 01 Daily Meditations on 2011/04/25 at 1:32 PM
Easter Octave – Monday: “He has triumphed over death”.
The risen Christ, Christ in glory, has divested himself of the things of this earth, so that we men, his brothers, should ask ourselves what things we need to get rid of. (The Forge, 526)

“Christ is alive.” This is the great truth which fills our faith with meaning. Jesus, who died on the cross, has risen. He has triumphed over death; he has overcome sorrow, anguish and the power of darkness. “Do not be terrified” was how the angels greeted the women who came to the tomb. “Do not be terrified. You are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen; he is not here.” “This is the day which the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.”

Easter is a time of joy — a joy not confined to this period of the liturgical year, but to be found really and fully in the Christian’s heart. For Christ is alive. He is not someone who has gone, someone who existed for a time and then passed on, leaving us a wonderful example and a great memory.

No, Christ is alive. Jesus is the Emmanuel: God with us. His resurrection shows us that God does not abandon his own. He promised he would not: “Can a woman forget her baby that is still unweaned, pity no longer the son she bore in her womb? Even these may forget, yet I will not forget you.” And he has kept his promise. His delight is still to be with the sons of men.
(Christ is passing by, 102)

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ΧΡΙΣΤΩΣ ΑΝΕΣΤΙ (CHRIST IS RISEN)

In 06 Scripture & Theology on 2011/04/23 at 9:39 PM

ΑΛΙΘΩΣ ΑΝΕΣΤΙ (HE IS RISEN INDEED)  Greek being the cultural language of Rome until its fall, this is the greeting and response the Christians exchanged at Eastertime.  It is still the greeting used by the Greek Orthodox.  Say that to any Greek restaurant owner,  and you will bring joy to him.  



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New Order

In 06 Scripture & Theology on 2011/04/23 at 3:41 PM

Something new happened at Calvary.  The sufferings of the pure and sinless son of God transformed sinful man by love.  God himself was the point where reconciliation took place in the person of his Son who atoned for the sins of mankind.

A new order began with the Crucifixion.  Man’s disconnect was rectified; the relationship between God and man, which sin had severed, was now restored.  St. Paul explains to the Gentiles: “We beg you on behalf of Christ to be reconciled to God” (2 Cor 5:19-20).

What makes man unique is his God-given gift of free will.  God wills all men to be saved, but he respects man’s free will and his free will choice.

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Three Crosses

In 07 Observations on 2011/04/22 at 3:38 PM

In his Vol. 2 of IN CONVERSATION WITH GOD, Francis Fernandez present the picture of a recently arrived spectator on the first Good Friday.  The visitor see three men, each heading for death on the cross he carries.  Each carried his cross in a different way just as we today can carry ours in one of their three ways:

One can carry his cross complaining, filled with anger, and even cursing God.  That cross has no meaning and is as useless as it was to the “bad” thief.

Another way to carry our cross is with resignation or acceptance (because there is no alternative).  Here there is the possibility of change by conversion as in the case of the “good” thief.

The third way is embracing our cross with love for the love of God, and discovering that sorrow, suffering and contradictions cease to be merely negative as soon as the cross is seen to be not just one’s own but that of Jesus.  Jesus is an image of hope; he is beside the sufferer and actually will carry our cross.

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Holy Week

In 06 Scripture & Theology on 2011/04/21 at 1:52 AM

During this week which Christians traditionally call holy week, we are given another chance to reflect on and to re‑live the last hours of Jesus’ life. All the things brought to our mind by the different expressions of piety which characterize these days are of course directed to the resurrection, which is, as St Paul says, the basis of our faith. But we should not tread this path too hastily, lest we lose sight of a very simple fact which we might easily overlook. We will not be able to share in our Lord’s resurrection unless we unite ourselves with him in his passion and death. If we are to accompany Christ in his glory at the end of Holy Week, we must first enter into his holocaust and be truly united to him, as he lies dead on Calvary.

Let us meditate on our Lord, wounded from head to foot out of love for us. Using a phrase which approaches the truth, although it does not express its full reality, we can repeat the words of an ancient writer: “The body of Christ is a portrait in pain.” At the sight of Christ bruised and broken — just a lifeless body taken down from the cross and given to his Mother — at the sight of Jesus destroyed in this way, we might have thought he had failed utterly. Where are the crowds that once followed him, where is the kingdom he foretold? But this is victory, not defeat. We are nearer the resurrection than ever before; we are going to see the triumph which he has won with his obedience.  J Escriva

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Psalm 34 and the Sacrifice of Jesus Christ

In 06 Scripture & Theology on 2011/04/19 at 4:42 PM

PSALM 34 in the light of the Sacrifice of Jesus Christ

The psalmist in Psalm 34 petitions God for justice. He had followed the teachings of psalms: do good, seek peace, yet he
was harassed even by the people he treated well. His description of the situation is found in its most extreme form in the
Lord’s life. He “went about doing good and healing all that were oppressed by the devil.” (Acts 10:38)  ”They hated Him without
cause.” (John 15:24; Ps 35:19.)

A Spanish priest wrote this forceful meditation on Psalm 34:

“He came to save the world,
and His own denied Him before Pilate.
He showed us the path to goodness,
and they dragged Him along the way to Calvary.
He gave an example in everything He did,
and they preferred a thief convicted of murder.
He was born to forgive,
and without cause they condemned Him to the gallows.
He came along the paths of peace, and they declared war on Him.
He was the light,
and they handed Him over to the powers of darkness.
He brought love,
and they repay Him with hatred.
He came to be King,
and they crown Him with thorns.
He became a slave to free us from sin, and they nailed Him to the Cross.
He took flesh to give us Life,
and we rewarded Him with death.”