Resurrection: A Foothold in Heaven?

March 23, 2008

Easter Sunday
The Resurrection of the Lord

The Mass of Easter Day

By Rev. Joseph McCloskey, S.J.

Piety

This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice in it and be glad. (Psalm 118:24)

Study

http://www.usccb.org/nab/readings/032308.shtml

Resurrection is God’s personal response to who we are. The heart of Jesus pierced on Calvary blankets us with the blood of salvation. The warmth of Christ’s love touches the loose ends of our lives. Christ has died for us and we want to be with him forever. Resurrection is much more than a destiny; it is the fulfillment of love. Christ’s love of the Father, even to death on the cross, promises a stake in heaven when we own Christ’s death. The Cross and Resurrection of Christ are our salvation and our foothold in heaven.

Resurrection ought to be an integral part of us. Resurrection implies many simple statements of our faith. God is in our world! He loved us so much that he sent his only Son to redeem us! God let His only Son die ignominiously on a cross! Resurrection should not be something we are vaguely waiting for after we die. The destiny to be with God forever is part of who we are now in God’s love. Christianity is living the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Our love of God needs the resurrection as an energizer. Christianity without the resurrection is a mockery of God’s love. God wants us with him. Wanting to be with God is the force of the Resurrection touching our lives now. People without hope have the resurrection as a missing link in their lives. A continual growth of resurrection’s meaning in our lives gives us a firmer foothold on heaven. Christ’s death calls us to our own resurrections. The difference resurrection makes in our lives defines the final meaning of life. Knowing what awaits us in the resurrection surpasses our powers of imagination. The “infinite ocean of mercy” of the Sacred Heart resolves doubts about personal resurrection. On the day we die all question marks will be removed by Christ’s loving heart. The mystery will be over, and we will know how worthwhile it was to respond to that love.

The Resurrection involves us personally with Christ. He claims our hearts when we look up at his cross. Seeing Mary and the young John standing close by, we can feel a part of that scene. Christ says to his Mother: “...Behold your Son!” (John 19:26) Christ is really speaking to us when he says to John: “Behold your mother!” Christ dying on the cross tells each of us his mother Mary is to be our mother and we are to belong to her in a special way. Our hearts expand on the journey to Calvary with even a glimpse of what happened. The resurrection brings victory to the death on the hill of Calvary. Our Eucharistic acclamation of faith, “Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again,” proclaims our hearts.

Action

The resurrection had its beginning on the hill of Calvary. Going from the Christ on the cross to the Christ of the resurrection encompasses our lifetime. We envision this Christ of the resurrection at the end of our lives as someone we are going to meet, see and touch. If the resurrection is going to motivate our lives, then our hope of the resurrection should be expressed every day of our lives. The significance of saying "yes" to living the resurrection does not automatically change our lives. Our “yes” now changes our lives. Now always touches eternity.