A reflection on the Resurrection of Jesus accompanied by the words of St.Vincent de Paul
“They said he was dead; they knew he was dead; they would say he would not rise again; and yet they watched! In the history of the world, only one tomb has ever had a rock rolled before it, and a soldier guard set to watch it to prevent the dead man within from rising: that was the tomb of Christ on the evening of the Friday called “Good”. What spectacle could be more ridiculous than armed soldiers keeping their eyes on a corpse? But sentinels were set, lest the Dead walk, the Silent speak, and the Pierced Heart quicken to the throb of life.”-Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen
The resurrection of Jesus Christ is absolutely the best attested reality in ancient history.The belief that Jesus Christ, after his earthly life, passion and death, conquered death and was raised by His Heavenly Father on the third day is the basic truth of Christianity and is affirmed by New Testament writers. (Mathew27:64, Mathew 28:6-7, Mark 16:6, Luke 24:6, 1 Corinthians 15:15-17). There can be no doubt that each evangelist has told the story in his own way. Therefore, it should not surprise anyone that there are differences in the narration of the reality of the resurrection and post- resurrection experiences and also differences in the accounts of what people saw when Jesus rose from the dead. Even the reactions (excitement, joy, anxiety, fear, onderment, etc.) of people were different from person to person. However, there is no variation in the basic facts: the tomb was empty and Jesus had risen. Although all the evangelists do not begin their gospels in same manner, yet they all conclude their gospels with an account of Christ’s resurrection. They all present us with some varying facts concerning the resurrection:
- The words of the angel that, “He is not here; he has risen” ( Mathew28:6).
- The stone rolled away from the opening of the tomb (John 20:2).
- The testimony of the guards who were guarding the tomb (Mathew 28:11).
- The empty sepulcher (Luke 24:3).
- The linen-clothes (Luke 23:53) … Luke spoke about Joseph wrapping Jesus’ body in a “linen cloth); just as the baby Jesus was wrapped in strips of cloth as a sign of the Messiah’s birth, so now “the linen cloths” become a sign of the Messiah’s resurrection.
- The cloth which latter enwrapped the head is separated and is even lying, wrapped together, in a place by itself (John 20:6). The burial-clothes were not carried away, as they naturally would have been, if the body had been stolen
- Jesus was seen alive by multiple people after his resurrection (Mathew 27:53, Mark 16:14, Luke 24:13-35, John 21:1-14).
- The disciples were changed ( John 20:8, Luke 24:12).
- Apart from the gospel narrations, the studies and scientific research which have been carried out on the Shroud[1]for a nearly century have led to the incontrovertible finding that the image on the Shroud was imprinted by a corpse that nevertheless left no traces of decomposition: the body remained wrapped in the Shroud long enough for the image to form, but not so long as to undergo the effects of decomposition.
The empty tomb was not really empty. It contained a gallery of people and things (angels, two men, light, linen cloth and napkin) which were not supposed to be there, and it did not contain one thing (the body of Jesus) which was supposed to be there.The empty tomb proclasims the message of the Resurrection, namely,
a) The tomb could not contain His body, the empty tomb affirms that our Savior has power over every one of our enemies.
St.Vincent de Paul says: “Even if the whole world should rise up to destroy us, nothing will happen except that God, in whom we have put our hope, will allow.”
b) The resurrection of Christ has not only shattered the bonds of death, the closed gate of the sepulcher, and the seal and the guard of the world, but the resurrection of Jesus Christ also calms the grief, the doom, and little faithof the disciples.
St.Vincent de Paul says: “Fear not; calm will follow the storm, and perhaps soon.”
c)With his resurrection, Jesus passed from a time of humiliation to a time of exaltation as Lord and Christ.
St.Vincent de Paul says: “His Divine Goodness is merciful to us when it pleases Him to allow us to encounter blame and public contempt. If the glory of the world is nothing but smoke, the contrary is a solid good, when it is accepted in the right way. I hope that great good will come to us from this humiliation.”
d) Christians need not be afraid of the grave since Christ himself was laid to rest in a tomb; there is nothing in the tomb that is frightful … it is not a pit of destruction nor are the worms in it ever-living worms.
St.Vincent de Paul says: “I beg Our Lord, that we may be able to die to ourselves in order to rise with Him, that he may be the joy of your heart, the end and soul of your actions, and your glory in heaven. This will come to pass if, from now on, we humble ourselves as He humbled Himself, if we renounce our own satisfaction to follow Him by carrying our little crosses, and if we give our lives willingly, as He gave His.”
e) The most glorious hopes are often the result of moments of darkness and now that the darkness has been conquered we have a renewed hope.
St.Vincent de Paul says:
“Do not be surprised by your trials, since the Son of God has chosen them for our salvation.”
Death, where is your sting?
Grave, where is your victory?
He’s alive, He’s alive
He’s risen
Behold the vacant tomb
That held our Lord
That grave became the stage
For Heaven’s glory
And behold the risen King
In open skies
He is the Resurrection
He is the life
Death, where is your sting?
Grave, where is your victory?
He’s alive, He’s alive
He’s risen!!
-Cory Asbury
Fr. Rajeev Peter CM
Southern Indian Province
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Bibliography
The Holy Bible: Revised Standard Version. 2nd. Catholic ed., San Francisco: Thomas Nelson: Publishers, 2006.
Blomberg, Craig L. Matthew. The New American Commentary, v. 22. Nashville, Tenn: Broadman Press, 1992.
Brown, Raymond E, Joseph A Fitzmyer, and Roland E Murphy. The Jerome Biblical Commentary. 2 2. London: Chapman, 1981.
Cory Asbury. “Reckless Love,” Bethel Music , Tennessee 2018.
Gangel, Kenneth O., and Max Anders. Holman New Testament Commentary: NIV Based. Vol. 4: John: Holman Reference, 2006.
John Barton, and John Muddiman. In Oxford Bible Commentary. New York: Oxford University Press, 2001.
John Peter Lange, Philip Schaff, J. J. van Oosterzee, and Charles C. Starbuck. In Luke. A Commentary on the Holy Scriptures. Bellingham: Logos Research Systems, 2008.
Sheen, Fulton J., and Esther B. Davidowitz. Your Life Is Worth Living: 50 Lessons to Deepen Your Faith. New York: Crown Publishing Group, 2019.
Vincent de Paul, and Pierre Coste. Correspondence, Conferences, Documents. [Brooklyn, N.Y: New City Press, 1985.
Wright, N. T. Christian Origins and the Question of God. Vol. 3: The Resurrection of the Son of God. Nachdr. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2008.
[1]“The Shroud is the burial cloth in which Jesus was wrapped after he was taken down from the crosses. The gospels say that Joseph of Arimathea laid the body of Jesus in the tomb after wrapping it in a Shroud. The Shroud has undergone numerous examinations and had been the subject of much research. It is the most studied relic in the world and has involved over 25 different sciences.”(Information gathered from Cattedrale di Torino- Italia, where the Shroud is preserved.)
