matter of fact
"In their panic and fright they thought they were seeing a ghost. He said to them, 'Why are you disturbed? Why do such ideas cross your mind?' " —Luke 24:37-38
Jesus is risen! This proves Jesus is God. This means we should live no longer for ourselves but for Him (2 Cor 5:15). Jesus' Resurrection and divinity mean that everything Jesus said is true, including His promise to raise His disciples from the dead. The fact that Jesus intends to raise us from the dead has mammoth ramifications for us — not only after our deaths, but also in our daily lives. We need no longer be slaves through the fear of death (Heb 2:15). We can live radically free and unselfish lives of love.
However, for us to receive the astounding benefits of the Resurrection, we must believe in Jesus as the Resurrection and the Life (Jn 11:25). We must not think of Jesus as a ghost (Lk 24:37) or of His Resurrection as unreal, merely symbolic, or mythical. The Resurrection is not a story; it is an objective, historical fact (Catechism, 639, 643, 645, 647). Through the Scriptures and the breaking of the bread, that is, the Eucharist (Lk 24:30-32, 45), the Holy Spirit will give us the faith to open our eyes to the reality of the risen Christ (see Jn 20:22). Then we will spend our lives as witnesses for the risen Christ (Acts 3:15).
Prayer: Father, deepen my faith in the risen Christ so that I would deserve to be persecuted.
Promise: "If anyone should sin, we have, in the presence of the Father, Jesus Christ, an Intercessor Who is just. He is an Offering for our sins, and not for our sins only, but for those of the whole world." —1 Jn 2:1-2
Praise: Praise the risen Jesus, Whose love and mercy has conquered both sin and sinner! "His mercy endures forever" (Ps 136:1).
Rescript: †Most Reverend Joseph R. Binzer, Auxiliary Bishop, Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, December 12, 2017
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