THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK
Christ is Risen! Once again we proclaim the awesome mystery of our faith! This year, we get to explore the resurrection event through the eyes of the writer of Luke’s Gospel. What is amazing about this account, is that the first witnesses are women (who could not testify in a law court) and two insignificant disciples (one of whom is not even named). Only after this, does Jesus appear to his inner circle! All Peter gets at first, is the enigmatic evidence of an empty tomb. Once again, as with most of Luke’s Gospel, Jesus is making the last first and the first last – and this is an important feature of this resurrection account.
When we keep the resurrection in the past – making it only a historical event, and arguing about the facts and details – we keep its transforming power at bay. It’s easy to say “Jesus is risen” without it having any impact on our lives, even if we are wholly convinced of this truth. But, when we allow our hearts to be captivated by resurrection life – the all-embracing, empowering, inclusive, transforming life that transcends all evil and unjust forces that divide and oppress humanity – then we don’t only say “Jesus is risen”, we live it!
In the next fifty days of the Easter season we will be exploring what it means to live now as people of the resurrection – not just people who declare that Jesus was risen in the past.
To download this week’s reflections in PDF format, click here.
