Homily
for the Easter Sunday (Cycle C)
Based
on Jn 20:1-9(Gospel),
Ac 10:34a, 37-43(First
Reading) and Col 3:1-4(Second
Reading)
From
the Series: “Reflections and Teachings of the Desert”
MYSTICAL
DEATH AND RESURRECTION
‘When Christ your life appears, then you too
will appear with him in glory’ (Col 3:1-4)
The Gospel
for this Sunday is fromJn 20:1-9. Verse 1 says: It was very early on the first day of the weeka and still
dark, when Mary of Magdala came to the tomb. She saw that the stone had been
moved away from the tomb…Footnote a
says “This was to become ‘the Lord’s
Day’, the Christian Sunday; cf. Rv. 1:10.”
Parallel
texts are
1.
Mt 28:1-8 - After
the sabbath,a And towards
dawn on the first day of the week, Mary of Magdala and the other Mary went to
visit the sepulcher (v. 1). And all at once there was a violent earthquake, for
an angel of the Lord, descending from heaven, came and rolled away the stone
and sat on it (v. 2). His face was like lightning, his robe white as snow (v.
3). The guards were so shaken, so
frightened of him, that they were like dead men (v. 4). But the angel spoke; and he said to the
women, “There is no need for you to be afraid. I know you are looking for
Jesus, who was crucified (v. 5). He is not here, for he has risen just, as he
said he would. Come and see the place where hec lay (v.6), then go quickly
and tell his disciples, ‘He has risen from the dead, and now he is going before
you to Galilee; it is there you will see him.’ Now I have told you (v. 7)” Filled with awe and great joy the women came
quickly away from the tombd and ran to tell the disciples (v. 8),
Footnote a says “And not ‘On
the Sabbath evening’ (Vulg.) Since the Sabbath was the day of rest, ‘the first
day of the (Jewish) week’ corresponds to our Sunday (Rv 1:10), ‘dies dominica’,
or ‘the day of the Lord’ so named in memory of the resurrection. Cf. Ac 20:7+;
1 Co 16:2”; Footnote b says‘Mary
of James’, Mk 16:1; Lk 24:10; cf. Mt 27:56 and 61”; Footnote c says ‘he’;
var. ‘the Lord’; and Footnote d says “Var.
‘came quickly out of the tomb’. Cf. Mk 16:8.
2.
Mk. 16:1-8 - When the sabbath was over, Mary Magdala, Mary,
the mother of James, and Salome bought spices with which to go and anoint him
(v. 1). And very early in the morning
on the first day of the week they went to the tomb, just as the sun was
rising.a (v. 2). They had
been saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the
entrance to the tomb?” (v. 3). But when
they looked they could see that the stone-which was very big - had already been
rolled back (v. 4). On entering the tomb they saw a young man in a white robe seated on the right-hand
side, and they were struck with amazement (v. 5)But he said to them, “There is
no need for alarm. You are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified: he
has risen, he is not here. See here is the place where they laid him (v. 6).
But you must go and tell his disciples and Peter, ‘He is going before you to
Galilee; it is there you will see him, just as he told you (v. 7)’.” And the
women came out and ran away from the tomb, because they were frightened out of
their wits; and they said nothing to a soul,b for they were
afraid…(v. 8) Footnote a says “Var.
‘when the sun had risen’; and Footnote b says “According
to Mt 28:8; Lk 24:10,22f; Jn 20:18, they did in fact tell the news. Mark, too,
may have said so in a loss ending of his gospel (cf. following note);
alternatively, he may have deliberately refrained from speaking of it to avoid
having to append an account of the apparitions which he has made up his mind to
omit.”
3.
Lk. 24:1-11 - On the first day of the week, at
the first sign of dawn, they went
to the tomb with the spices they had prepared (v. 1) They found that the stone
had been rolled away from the tomb (v. 2),
but on entering discovered that the body of the Lord Jesus was not there
(v. 3). As they stood there not knowing what to think, two men in brilliant clothed
suddenly appeared at their side (v. 4). Terrified, the women lowered their eyes. But the two men
said to them, “Why look among the dead
for someone who is alive? (v. 5).He is not here, he has risen. Remember what he
told you while he was still in Galilee:a (v. 6), that the Son of Man
had to be handed over into the power of sinful men and be crucified, and rise
again on the third day (v. 7)” And they remembered his words (v. 8). When the
women returned from the tomb they told all this to the Eleven and to all the
others (v. 9) The women were Mary of
Magdala, Joanna, and Mary the mother of James. The other women with them also
told the apostles (v. 10), but this
story of theirs seemed pure nonsense, and they did not believe them (v. 11).Footnoteasays
“Lk does not intend to speak of the Galilean
apparitions; he therefore modifies Mk 18:7, just as earlier he omitted Mk
14:28.”
4.
Mt. 28:10 - Then
Jesus said to them, ‘Do not be afraid: go and tell my brothers that they must
leave for Galilee; they will see me there’.eFootnote e says“Though they agree in recording the initial
apparition of the angel (or angels) to the women (Mt. 28:5-7; Mk 16:5-7; Lk.
24:5-7; Jn 20:12-13), the four gospels show divergences when it comes to the
appearances of Christ. Setting Mark aside (his abrupt conclusions presents a
special problem, cf. Mk. 16:8+, and his ‘longer ending’ recapitulates the data
of the other gospels) all the gospels make a clear distinction, both literary
and doctrinal, between; 1. Appearances to individuals that help to prove the fact
of the resurrection; to Mary Magdalen, either alone (Jn 20:14-17; cf. Mk 16:9),
or accompanied (Mt 28:9-10); to the disciples on the road to Emaus (Lk.
24:13-32; cf. Mk. 16:12), to Simon (Lk
24:34), to Thomas (Jn 20:26-29). 2. A collective appearance that is coupled
with an apostolic mission (Mt. 28:16-20; Lk. 24:36-49; Jn 20:19-23; cf. Mk 16:14-18). As well as this distinction
there two traditions as to where the appearances took place: 1. All in Galilee
(Mk. 16:7; Mt 28:10,16-20); 2. All in Judea (Lk and Jn 20). By way of appendix,
Jn 21 adds an appearance in Galilee which though it bears the character of an
appearance to individuals (it is for Peter and John predominantly) is
nevertheless coupled with an apostolic mission (given to Peter). The primitive
apostolic preaching that Paul reproduces in 1 Co 15:3-7 lists 5 appearances
(apart from the appearance to Paul himself) which are not easily harmonized
with the gospel accounts; in particular he mentions an appearance to James of
which the Gospel to the Hebrews also speaks. All this gives the impression that
different groups, which cannot now be easily identified, have given rise to the
different strands of tradition. But these very divergences of tradition are far
better witnesses that any artificial or contrived uniformity to the antiquity
of evidence and the historical quality of all these manifestations of the risen
Christ.”
Verses 2, 3, 4, and 5 say: And
came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved. “They
have taken the Lord out of the tomb,’ she said ‘and we don’t know where they
put him.”So Peter set out with the other disciple to go to the tomb.They ran
together, but the other disciple running faster than Peter reached the tomb
first;he bent down and saw the linen cloths lying on the ground, but did not go
in.bFootnoteb says “The disciple acknowledges that Peter has some title of precedence. Cf.
21:15-17.”
Parallel text for verse 2 are:
1.
Jn 13:22-23 - The disciples looked at one
another, wondering which he meant. The disciple Jesus loved was reclining next
to Jesus.
2.
Jn 18:15 - Simon Peter, with another
disciple, followed Jesus. This disciple,
who was known to the high priest, went with Jesus into the high priest’s
palace.
Verse 6 says: Simon Peter, who was following came up, went right into the tomb, saw the
linen cloths on the ground,
Parallel text
is Lk 24:12 that says: bPeter,
however, went running to the tomb. He bent down and saw the binding cloths but
nothing else; he then went back home, amazed at what had happened. Footnote
b says “Om.v. 12.”
Verse 7 says: and also the cloth that had been over
his head; this was not with the linen cloth but rolled up in a place by itself.
Parallel texts are:
1. Jn
11:44 - The dead man came out, his feet and hands bound with bands of stuff and
a cloth round his face, Jesus said to them, ‘Unbind him, let him go free’.
2. Jn
19:40 - They took the body of Jesus and wrapped it with the spices in linen
cloths, following the Jewish burial custom.
Verse 8 says: Then the other disciple who had
reached the tomb first also went
in; he saw and he believed.
Parallel text is from Jn 21:7 that says: The disciple Jesus loved said
to Peter, ‘It is the Lord’. At this word ‘It is the Lord’, Simon Peter, who had
practically nothing on, wrapped his cloak round him and jumped into the water.
Verse 9 says: Till this moment they had failed to understand the
teaching of the scripture,c that he must rise from the dead.
Parallel texts are:
1. Jn
5:39 - You study the scriptures, believing that in them you have eternal life,
now these same scriptures testify to me, and yet you refuse to come to me for
life!
2. Jn
14:26 - But the Advocate, the Holy
Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything and remind
you of all I have said to you.rFootnote rsays “In place of the departed Christ, the
faithful will have the Spirit, 14:16,17; 16:7; cf. 1:33+; He is the paracletos,
who intercedes with the Father cf. 1 Jn. 2:1, and whose voice is heard in human
courts, 15:26,27, cf. LK. 12:11p., Mt. 10:19-20p. Ac. 5:32. He is the Spirit of
truth, leading men to the very fullness of truth, 16:33, teaching them to
understand the mystery of Christ – fulfillment of the scriptures, 5:39+, the
meaning of his words, 2:19+, of his actions, and his ‘signs’, 14:26, 16:13, 1
Jn. 2:20f,27, all hitherto obscure to the disciples, 2:22, 12:16, 13:7, 20:9.
In this way the Spirit is to bear witness to Christ, 15:26, 1 Jn. 5:6,7, and
shame the unbelieving world, 16:8-11.”
The First Reading is taken from Ac 10:34a, 37-43. Verses34a
and 37 says: Then Peter addressed them:
You must
have heard about the recent happenings in Judaea,k about Jesus of
Nazareth and how he began in Galilee, after John had been preaching baptism.l
Footnote k says“Vv.
37-42 sums up the gospel story, cf. 1:21-22; 2:22+, emphasizing the same points
as Luke brought out in his own gospel”; and Footnote l says“Lit. ‘Jesus from Nazareth, how he began
(var. ‘how it (all) began’) in Galilee after the baptism proclaimed by John’.”
Verse 38 says: God has anointed him with the Holy
Spirit and with power, and because God was with him, Jesus went about doing
good and curing all who had fallen into the power of the devil.
Parallel texts are:
1. Ac
1:8 - ‘But you will receive power when
the Holy Spirit comes on you.iand then you will be my witnessesj
not only in Jerusalem but throughout Judaea and Samaria, and indeed to the ends
of the earth’.k Footnotei says“The
Holy Spirit is a favorite theme of Luke (Lk 4:1+); he talks mostly about the
Holy Spirit as a Power, Lk 1:35; 24:49;Ac 1:8;10:38; Rm 15:13,19; 1 Co 2:4,5; 1
Th 1:5; Heb 2:4, sent from God by
Christ, Ac 2:38, to broadcast the Good News. 1. The Spirit gives the
charismata, 1 Co 12:4f, that guarantee the message; the gift of tongues, Ac
2:4+, of miracles, 10:38, of prophecy, 11:27+; 20:23; 21:11, of wisdom,
6:3,5,10:2, the Spirit fives strength to proclaim Jesus as Messiah in spite of
persecution 4:8,31; 5:32; 6:10;cf. Ph 1;19 and to bear witness to him, Mt.
10;20p; Jn 15:26; Ac 1:8; 2 Tm 1:7f,cf. following note; 3. The Spirit guides
the Church in her major decisions: the
admission of pagans, Ac 8:29,40; 10:19,44-47; 11;12-16; 15:8, without
obligation to observe the Law, 15:28;
Paul’s mission to the pagan worlds, 13:2f; 16:6-7; 19:1 (Western Text) cf. Mt.
3:16+,Ac also mentions the Spirit as
received in baptism and forgiving sins, 2:38, cf. Rm 5:5+.”; Footnote j
says“The primary functions of the
apostles is to bear witness: not only to Christ’s resurrection, Lk. 24:48, Ac
2:32, 3:15, 4:33, 3:32, 24:48,13;31, 22:15, but also to the whole of is public
life, Lk 1:21, Jn 15:27, Ac. 1:22, 10:39f.; and Footnote k says“nothing can limit the apostolic mission”.
2. Ac
4:27 -‘This is what has come true: in
this very city Herod and Pontius Pilatei made an alliance with the
pagan nations and the peoples of Israel, against your holy servant Jesus whom
you anointed.jFootnoteh says“‘Anointed’ ; the Greek word is ‘Christ’; it is explained here, v. 27.
According to its etymological sense.”; Footnote i says“Representing respectively the ‘kings’ and
‘princes’ the Psalm mentions. For ‘Herod’, cf. Lk. 23:6-16.”;and Footnotej
says“The ‘anointing’ that has constituted
him King Messiah, ‘the Christ’, cf. Mt. 3:16+.
3. Ac
4:27 - The Spirit of the Lord Yahweh has been given to me, for Yahweh has
anointed me. He has sent me to bring good news to the poor, to bind up hearts
that are broken; to proclaim liberty to captives, freedom to those in prison…
4. Mt.
3:16 - As soon as Jesus was baptized he
came up from the water, and suddenly the heavens openedl and he saw
the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming down on him.mFootnotel says“Add
‘for him’, i.e. before his eyes; and Footnote m says“The Spirit which hovered over the waters at
the first creation (Gn 1:2) now appears at the beginning of the new creation.
It has two functions; it anoints Jesus for his messianic mission (Ac 10:38 ) which it is guide (Mt 4:1 p;
Lk4:14 ,18: 10:21 ; Mt 12:18 ,28), and, according to the patristic view, it
sanctifies the water, thus preparing the way for Christian baptism, cf. Ac 1:5+.”
5. Ac.
2:22 - Men of Israel, listen to what I
am going to say;nJesus of Nazareth was a man commended to you by God
by the miracles and portents and signs that God worked through him when he was among
you, as you all know.Footnoten says “The content of the earliest apostolic preaching (the ‘kerygma’) is here
summarized for the first time; cf. the five discourses of Peter, Ac. 2:14-39,
3:12-26; 4:8-12, 5:29-32, 10:34-43, and the discourse of Paul. 13:16-41. The
kerygma is 1. a witness, 1:8+, to Christ’s death and resurrection, 2:24+, and
to his exaltation, 2:33+; 2:36+, 2. It also provides certain details of
Christ’s ministry; how it was heralded by John the Baptist, 10:37, 13:24,
inaugurated by teaching and miracle, 2:22, 10:38, completed by the appearances
of the risen Christ, 10:40,41, 13:31, and by the gift of the Spirit, 2:33,
5:32. 3. It places this story in its wider setting: it appeals to the past,
adducing the OT prophecies, 2:23+; 2:35+, and it surveys the future, the advent
of the messianic era, inviting Jews and pagans to repentance, 2:38+, so that
Christ’s glorious return may come the sooner, 3:20-21. The gospels, which are
development of the primitive preaching, adopt the same theme”.
6. Mt.
8:29 - They stood there shouting, ‘What
do you want with us, Son of God? Have you come here to torture us before the
time?’jFootnotej
says“Until the day of Judgment,
the demons are to some extent free to work their mischief on earth, Rv. 9:5;
they do this normally by taking possession of men, 12:43-45+. Such possession
brings disease with it because disease- consequence of sin, 9:2+- is another
manifestation of Satan’s dominion, Lk. 13:16. It is for this reason that the
gospel exorcism though sometimes described simply as expulsions, cf. 15:21-28p;
Mk. 1:23-28p; Lk. 8:2, often take the form of cures, 9:32-34; 12:22-24p;
17:14-18p; Lk. 13:10-17. By his power over the devils Jesus destroys Satan’s
empire, 12:28p; Lk. 10:17-19; cf. Lk.4:6; Jn. 12:31+, and inaugurates the
messianic era of which, according to the prophets, the gift of the Holy Spirit
is the distinctive mark, Is. 11:2+; Jl. 3:1f. Man may refuse to recognize it,
12:24-32, but the demons see it all too well, cf. this passage and Mk. 1:24p;
3:11p; Lk. 4:41;Ac. 16:17; 19:15. This power to exorcise is given by Jesus to
his disciples simultaneously with the power of miraculous healing, 10:18p, with
which it is connected, 8:3+; 4:24; 8:16p; Lk. 13:32.”
Verse 39 says: Now, I, and those with me, can witness
to everything he did throughout the countryside of Judea and in Jerusalem
itself; and also to the fact that they killed him by hanging him on a tree,
Parallel text is Ac 1:8+, 22 that says: But you will receive power when the Holy
Spirit comes on you.i and then you will be my witnessesj
not only in Jerusalem but throughout Judaea and Samaria, and indeed to the ends
of the earth’.k(1:8) ‘…someone who was with us right from the time
when John was baptizing until the day when he was taken up from us- and he can
act as a witness to his resurrection.’ (v. 22)
Footnote i – The
Holy Spirit is a favorite theme of Luke (Lk 4:1+); he talks mostly about the
Holy Spirit as a Power, Lk 1:35; 24:49;Ac 1:8;10:38; Rm 15:13,19; 1 Co 2:4,5; 1
Th 1:5; Heb 2:4, sent from God by
Christ, Ac 2:38, to broadcast the Good News. 1. The Spirit gives the
charismata, 1 Co 12:4f, that guarantee the message; the gift of tongues, Ac
2:4+, of miracles, 10:38, of prophecy, 11:27+; 20:23; 21:11, of wisdom,
6:3,5,10:2, the Spirit fives strength to proclaim Jesus as Messiah in spite of
persecution 4:8,31; 5:32; 6:10;cf. Ph 1;19 and to bear witness to him, Mt.
10;20p; Jn 15:26; Ac 1:8; 2 Tm 1:7f,cf. following note; 3. The Spirit guides
the Church in her major decisions: the
admission of pagans, Ac 8:29,40; 10:19,44-47; 11;12-16; 15:8, without
obligation to observe the Law, 15:28;
Paul’s mission to the pagan worlds, 13:2f; 16:6-7; 19:1 (Western Text) cf. Mt.
3:16+,Ac also mentions the Spirit as
received in baptism and forgiving sins, 2:38, cf. Rm 5:5+. Footnote j – The primary functions of the
apostles is to bear witness: not only to Christ’s resurrection, Lk. 24:48, Ac
2:32, 3:15, 4:33, 3:32, 24:48,13;31, 22:15, but also to the whole of is public
life, Lk 1:21, Jn 15:27, Ac. 1:22, 10:39f. Footnote k- nothing can
limit the apostolic mission.
Verse 40 says:
Yet three days afterwards God raised him to lifem and allowed
him to be seen…Footnote m
says“Lit. ‘raised him on the third
day’; stereotyped formula of the Christian preaching and faith. It appears as
early in 1 Co. 15:4 (a first stage of the creed) with the addition ‘according
to the scriptures’. The formula echoes Jon 2:1 (cf. Mt 12:40); see also Ho.
6:2. It occurs in Mt 16:21; 17:23; 20:19; 27:64; Lk. 9:22; 18:33; 24:7,46.”
Parallel text is from Ac 2:23 that says: This man, who was put into your power by
the deliberate intentiono and foreknowledge of God, you took and had
crucified by men outside the Law.p You killed him, but God raised
him to life, freeing him from the pangs of Hades;q Footnote o-
says“The OT prophecies demonstrate this
divine plan: Ac 3:18; 4:28; 13:29; cf. 8:32-35; 9:22; 10:43; 17:2-3; 18:5,28;
26:22-23,27; 28:23; Lk 18:31+; 22:22; 24:25-27,44”; Footnote p
says“In this case, the Romans. The
primitive kerygma accused the Jews is the same way, and confronted them with
that act of God whish raised up Jesus, 2:32,36; 3:13-17; 4:10; 5:30-31; 7:52;
10:39-40; 13:27-30; 17:31; Mt. 16:18+; and Footnote q says“‘of Hades’ Western Text; ‘of death’ Text.
Rec. Cf vv. 27 and 31. ‘Hades’ in LXX is sheol, Nb 16:33+; Mt 16:18+.”
Verse 41 says:not
by the whole people by only by certain witnesses God had chosen beforehand. Now
we are those witnesses – we have eaten and drunk with himn after his
resurrection from the dead…
Footnote nsays “Add (West.) ‘and were his companions for
forty days after his resurrection from the dead.’”
Parallel texts are:
1. Ac
1:3-4 - He had shown himself alive to them after his Passion by many
demonstrations: for forty days he had continued to appear to them and tell them
about the Kingdom of God.d When he had been at table with them, he
told them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait there for what the Father had
promised. Footnote d says “The kingdom of God, Mt 4:27+, must be the
main subject preached by the apostles, cf Ac 8:12, 19:8; 20:25; 28:23,31, as it
was the main thing preached by Christ, cf. Mt 3:2+.”
2. Jn
14:22 - Judas - this was not Judas Iscariot - said to him, ‘Lord, what is all
this about? Do you intend to show yourself to us and not to the world?’
3. Lk.
24:41-43 - Their joy was so great that they still could not believe it, and
they stood there dumbfounded; so he said to them, ‘Have you anything to eat?’
And they offered him a piece of grilled fish, which he took and ate before
their eyes.
4. Ac.
13:31 - And for many days he appeared to those who had accompanied him from
Galilee to Jerusalem and it is these same companions of his who are now his
witnesses before our people.
Verse 42 says: And
he has ordered us to proclaim this to his peopleo and to tell them
that God had appointed him to judge everyone, alive or dead.p
Footnote o says“I.e. the Chosen People, Israel, 10:2; 21:28”;
and Footnote p says “Those still alive at the glorious coming and
those who have died before the coming but then rise for judgment. See 1 Th
4:13-5:10. By raising up Jesus, God has solemnly invested him as supreme Judge,
Ac 17:31; Jn. 5:22,27; 2 Tm 4:1; 1 P 4:5; to proclaim the resurrection is
therefore to invite men to repentance, Ac. 17:30-31.”
Parallel text is from Ac 2:36 that says: For this reason the whole House of Israel
can be certain that God has made this Jesus whom you crucified both Lord and
Christ.v Footnote v says“Conclusion of the argument from scripture. It is by his resurrection
that Jesus has been constituted the ‘Lord’ of whom Ps 110 speaks, and the
‘Messiah” (Christ) to whom Ps 16 refers. From Ps. 2:7 (Son of God), Ac 13:33+;
Heb. 1:5; 5:5; Rom. 1:4+ develop a similar argument. Cf. also Ac 5:31 (leader
and savior); 10:42 and Rom 14:9 (Judge and Lord of the living and dead); Ph.
2:9-11 (glorified Lord).”
Verse 43 says: It is to him that all the prophets
bear witness: that all who believes in Jesus will have their sins forgiven
though his name.
Parallel texts are:
1. Ac
2:23- This man, who was put into your
power by the deliberate intention and foreknowledge of God, you took and had
crucified by men outside the Law.p Footnote o says “The OT prophecies demonstrate this divine plan: Ac 3:18; 4:28;
13:29; cf. 8:32-35; 9:22; 10:43; 17:2-3; 18:5,28; 26:22-23,27; 28:23; Lk18:31+;
22:22; 24:25-27,44. ; and Footnote p says “In this
case, the Romans. The primitive kerygma accused the Jews is the same way, and
confronted them with that act of God whish raised up Jesus, 2:32,36; 3:13-17;
4:10; 5:30-31; 7:52; 10:39-40; 13:27-30; 17:31; Mt. 16:18+.”
2. Ac
2:38 - ‘You must repent’ Peter answered
‘and every one of you must be baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus Christx
for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy
Spirit.Footnote x says “Baptism is administered ‘in the name of
Jesus Christ’ (cf.1.5+) and the recipient ‘invokes the name of the Lord Jesus’
(cf. 2:21+; 3:16+): 8:16;10:48;19:5;22:16; 1Co 1:13,15; 6:11; 10:2; Ga 3:27; Rm
6:3;cf. Jm 2:7. Such expressions are not necessarily the actual liturgical
formulae of baptism, cf. Mt 28:19, they may simply indicate its significance,
namely, that the baptized profess their faith in Christ, and Christ adopts
those who thenceforth are dedicated to him.”
3. Ac
3:16- And it is the name of Jesus which,
through our faith in it, has brought back the strength of this man whom you see
here and who is well known to you. It is faith in that name that has restored
this man to health, as you can all see.jFootnote j says“The
‘name’ according to the ancients, is inseparable from the person and shares his
prerogatives, see Ex. 3:14+. By invoking the name of Jesus, 2:21+, 38+, his
power is stirred to action, 3:6, 4:7, 10:30, 10:43, 16:18, 19:13, LK. 9:49,
10:17, se also Jn. 14:13,14, 15:16, 16:24,26; 20:31. Faith is of course
required if this invocation is to be effective, cf. Ac. 19:13-17, Mt. 8:10+.”
The Second Reading is from Col 3:1-4. Verses 1 and
2 say: Since you have been brought back to the true life with Christ, you must
look for the things that are in heaven, where Christ is sitting at God’s right
hand.Let your thoughts be on heavenly things, not on the things that are on the
earth,
Parallel texts for verse 1 are:
1. Ep.
2:6 - And raised us up with him and gave us a place with him in heaven, in
Christ Jesus. e Footnote e says“Here as in Col. 2:12, 3:1-4, the use of the
past tense shows that the resurrection and triumph of Christians in heaven is
considered as actually existing whereas the future tense in Rom. 6:3-11,
8:11,17f treats it as something that has still to take place. Treating the
eschatological reality as already existing is a characteristic of Paul’s
letters written from prison.”
2.
Ph 3:20 - For us, our homeland is in heaven, and
from heaven comes the savior we are waiting for, the Lord Jesus Christ.
3. Ac
2:33 - Now raised to the heights by God’s right hand,s he has
received from the Father the Holy Spirit, who was promised, t and
what you see and hear is the outpouring of the Spirit.Footnotes says “Words borrowed from Ps.
118 (v. 16 LXX ‘ The right hand of the Lord has raised me up’) used in their
preaching by the apostles who took it to be messianic: Ac. 4:11, 1 P. 2:7, Mt.
21:9p,42, 23:39, LK. 13:35 ,
Jn. 12:13, Heb. 13:6. But it is possible to translate “Having been raised up to
the right hand of God and to see in this an introduction to the quotation (v.
34) of Ps. 110), which is another theme of apostolic preaching: Mt. 22:44p.,
26:64p., Mk. 16:19, Ac. 7:55,56, Rm. 8:34, 1 Co. 15: 25, Ep. 1:20, Col. 3:3,
Heb. 1:3,33, 8:1, 10:12, 12:2, 1 P. 3:22”; and Footnote t says“According
to the prophets, the gif of the Spirit would characterize the messianic era, Ex. 36:27+. Peter explains
the miracle his bearers have witnessed as the ‘pouring out’ of this spirit,foretold
in Jl 3:1-2 by the risen Christ.”
Verse 3 says: because you have died, and now the life you have is
hidden with Christ in God.
Parallel texts are:
1. Col
2:12 - You have been buried with him, when you were baptized, and by baptism,
too, you have been raised up with him through your belief in the power of God
who raised him from the dead.
2. Ph.
1:21 - Life to me, of course, is Christ, but then death would bring me
something more.
Verse 4 says: But
when Christ is revealed – and he is you’re a life – you
too will be revealed in all your glory with him. b
Footnote a says
“Var. ‘our’”; and Footnote b says“Through
union with Christ in baptism, 2:12, his followers already live the identical
life he lives in heaven, cf. Ep 2:6+, but this spiritual life is not manifest
and glorious as it will be in the
parousia”.
Parallel texts are:
1. Col.
1:27 - It was God’s purpose to reveal it
to them and to show all the rich glory of this mystery to pagans. The mystery
is Christ among you, your hope of glory:nFootnoten
says“Previously, when it had seemed (to
the Jews) that pagans could never be saved, as salvation was restricted to
‘Israel’, pagans had seemed to be without a Messiah and consequently to be
deprived of all hope, Ep. 2:12. The ‘mystery’ or secret of God that had now
been revealed was that the pagans too were, and had been, all called to be
saved through union with Christ, and so to reach eternal glory , cf. Ep.
2:13-22; 3:3-6.”
2.
1 P. 5:1 - Now
I have something to tell you elders:a I am an elder myself, and a
witnessb to the sufferings of Christ. and with you I have a share in
the glory that is to be revealed.Footnote
a says“These elders are to be
identified with the ‘presbyters’ of Tt. 1:5+; cf. note on 5:5 where ‘elders’
means older people”; and Footnoteb
says“This can mean either that as an
apostle, 1:1, he witnessed the Passion of Jesus, or that through his own
sufferings he is a witness to Christ.”
3.
1 Jn 3:2 - My dear people, we are already the
children of God but what we are to be in the future has not yet been revealed;
all we know is, that when it is revealed we shall be like him because we shall
see him as he truly is.
4. Rm.
8:19 - The whole creation is eagerly
waiting for God to reveal his sons.k Footnotek says“Lit. ‘ waiting for the revelation of the
sons of God’. The material world, created for man, shares his destiny. It was
cursed for man’s sin, Gen. 3:17, and is therefore now deformed: impotent and
decadent, vv. 19-22. But like man’s body, destined to be glorified, it too is
to be redeemed, vv. 21-23; it will share the glorious liberty of the children
of God, v. 21. For the Greek philosopher matter was evil and the spirit must be
delivered from it; Christianity regards matter as itself enslaved and to be set
free. In other texts also salvation is extended to creatures (especially
angels) other than men, cf. Col. 1:20; Ep. 1:10; 2 P. 3:13; Rv. 21:1-5.”
In these two biblical proofs concerning the
resurrection of Jesus Christ, the reports of those who say that they are
witnesses that Jesus Christ rose from the dead do not agree, do not tally, and
their reports ran against one another and contradict each other. It is
because the writers of the gospel
narrative are in difficulty in explaining what really is the meaning of the
word “resurrection.” It is indeed better if the stories that we read in the Bible concerning the resurrection of
Jesus Christ do not agree, do not
conform, contradict and ran against each other, so that the true meaning of the
“resurrection” maybe kept hidden from
the readers of the bible who are not supposed to understand, and so that the
doctrine on the resurrection may become hard to believe by majority of the
people because the story of the resurrection is in the form of allegory (a
story, poem, or picture that can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning, typically
a moral or political one; a symbol), a parable (a succinct, didactic story, in
prose or verse, which illustrates one or more instructive lessons or
principles; stories that in their true to life did not happen but they are told
so that a meaning, message, truth, doctrine or teaching may be given), or even
a myth (a traditional story, especially one concerning the early history of a
people or explaining some natural or social phenomenon, and typically involving
supernatural beings or events). Hence, the data that are being reported in the
story about the resurrection of Jesus Christ from death that the evangelists
are narrating do not agree, do not tally, or contradict each other because
their intention is not really to report a true incident that historically
happened (that a dead person rose again from being dead) but to convey or tell a biblical
teaching concerning the situation of a person after he died (the resurrection).
These stories have deep meaning and secreted by the storyteller in an
unbelievable story that is hard to understand or believed.
The truth about the “resurrection” story is this: the
Word “resurrection” came from the Greek Word “anastasis” (cf. Acts 17:18k,
which is the same source of another Greek word ‘anastesai’ which means “to
restore,” “reinvigorate,” ‘return”, or “bring back” (Cf. Job 19:25-27 and
footnoteh). The theme of all
the OT prophets was restoration (Zec. 9:11-17, the Messiah and the Restoration
of Israel; Is. 60 – the glorious resurrection of Jerusalem; Ezk 37:1-14 –
“breath entered into them, they rose again and stood up, a great horde of armyd.
I will raise you up from your graves, my people, and bring you back to the land
of Israel”; Dan. 12:2-3 – ‘Then others to shame, the others to life everlasting.
Those who are learned (Cf. 11:35) while shine in glory like the heavenly
firmament, and those that teach righteousness to others will shine like the
stars in ages that have no end’d; Likewise in the Prophet Jeremiah’s
Book of Consolation 30 and 31, 33; Bar.
5:1-9; Ho. 2:16-17; 3:5, 11:10, 12:10; 14:2-9; Joel 4:1; Amos 9:14-15; Micah
7:11-12. In the book of Wisdom 3:1-9, 4:7-5:24 and Psalm 16:10+, 49:15,
104:29-30 we get the resurrection-restoration theme.
For the prophets, the return of Israel from exile to the
Promised Land is the great restoration made by God for his people, like the
return of the sons of Jacob from the land of death and slavery, Egypt, bringing
them out to the desert up to the Promised Land in a great Exodus. God also did
the same during the time of Abraham. In all these return to the land given by
God, is a manifestation of his intention to bring man back to his former
condition in Paradise, or the garden of Eden, which the first man lost through
disobedience.
In this place called Paradise, man lived in a body of
light, a glorious and pure body (body of light or astral body), which is none
other than water which is different from the body of flesh (clay). But when he
disobeyed God, he was sent away from Paradise and was given a new clothes, the
body of flesh (skin in Gn 3:21), which is a corruptible body (1 Co. 15:42-43),
and mortal (Col. 2:23, Jn. 6:27, Rm. 7:5). But when Jesus Christ died for the
sin of man, his divine condition was restored to him (Ph 2:6-11) when God
raised him from death (Ph 2:9) and his ascension into heaven. This is the
meaning of the resurrection of Jesus: his return (restoration) to his former
condition before he assumed human flesh. Hence, because of this resurrection-restoration
of Jesus Christ, God restored to man the possibility that he could return to
his former condition before Adam fell, in Paradise, and to be able to cloth
himself again with the body of light or “astral” body.
This doctrine is clearly stated in the New testament:
regarding the divine condition of Jesus Christ - Ph. 2:6-11, his incarnation – 1 Tm. 3:16; the restoration of previous or
original condition – Col. 2:11; as a
body of light or glorious body – 2 Co. 5:1-5. Regarding the resurrection of man
– 1 Co. 15:44+, 2 Mc. 7:9-14+, 12:38, 43-46, Mt. 22:29-30 (Cf. 1:7+, Rm. 2:6,
Rm. 1:4+, Acts 1:6-7, 2 P. 3:12, Acts 3:20-21o, Jr. 15:19, Rm. 8:11,
1 Th. 4:14-18, 1 Co. 6:14, 1 Co. 15:20, 2 Co. 4:14, 16-17, 2 Co. 5:1-10, 2 Co. 13:4,
Rm. 6:5-11, Ep. 2:6e, 2 Tm. 2:8-11, Heb. 9:23-28, 1 P. 3:18-22,
4:1-6).
Hence, during a man’s death, he has to strip off his body of
flesh (Col. 2:11, 3:1-4) and return it to the earth (ground) to let it decay (1
Co. 15:42-43). What is raised during death
is the body of light which is water, which is already there in man before but
clothed in the flesh (2 Co. 10:3-5, Col. 3:9-14, 2 Co. 5:1-10). Concerning the
body of light, please see Dan. 12:3, Ws 3:7); the body of light is water, the element
that was mixed by God in the clay when he formed man that when he breathed his spirit into it became a living soul (Gn. 1:2, 2:7). Therefore,
so that man can live according to the will of God, he has to feed the body of
light with the heavenly food, Ws 16:20. He has also to purify the body of flesh
so that the body of light (water) will live (Pr 25:4, Ws 3:5). Hence, the dipping into the water of baptism is the sacrament (sign, symbol) that man has washed his earthly body through
sharing in the death of Jesus Christ ( Gal. 2:19-21, Col. 2:12) so that the
cleansed body of flesh will die under the water and what will emerge from the
water is the purified glorious body who is Christ himself (Ph. 3:21, Col.
3:1-4). What will ascend to heaven is this body of light (Apo. 11:11-12, 20:4).
Concerning the “Universal Restoration”, see Acts 3:21, 7:55-56, Sal. 122:3,
126:2ª, Jr. 16:14-15.
Concerning our body of light, which is water, this is the
reason why Jesus Christ said in Jn. 6:27 “Do not labor for the food that decays
but work for the food that brings to eternal life”. This food that decays is
the food for the body of flesh. The food
for eternal life is the food for the body of light that Jesus Christ mentions
in Lk. 10:41: “Martha, Martha, you worry
and fret about so many things, and yet
few are needed, indeed only one...” This one thing that man needs is water,
which is the food for the body of light because this body is water only. Then
you will say, “there is no enjoyment in life if man will only take water.” The
answer is: “God did not make us to enjoy.” Question: “Why did God make
enjoyment if we will not take advantage of it?” Answer: “God made enjoyment for
those people whom he wants to be lost from eternal life.” This is the reason why
fasting is important, because in fasting we are taught to live on water only
which is what is important for our body of water.
The celebration of the resurrection of Jesus Christ is the Christian’s way of entering into the
four elements of the earth so that he may have peace in this life because this
is the fruit of the resurrection of Christ, cf. Col. 1:13-14,20; 2:9-15. He has
conquered the spirits that captivated the soul of man because of the four
elements of fire, water, air and earth. He did this by dying on the cross (sign
of the four elements) in the middle of the four elements in order to make peace
or quieten down these spirits so that they do not harm man.
Hence, the Paschal
Vigil celebrates the triumph of Christ in destroying the evil spirits
inhabiting the four elements in order to save man from their harmful effects;
like, conflagration and drought, flooding,
torrential rain fall and typhoons, earthquakes and famine, disease or
plagues. Christ removed man’s fear for these elements and their bad effects to
man. Then he strips off his body of flesh that came from the earth so that it
will not be resided by earthy spirits, and to cloth on the body of light, Col. 1:12, 3:4, 2:11, so that it will not
become enslaved to the spirit of the world.
Here is the illustration
of the Paschal Vigil:
 |
