Easter Sunday (see Matthew 28:1-15; Mark 16:1-14; Luke 24:1-48; John 20:1-23)
The Christian heart rejoices in Christ’s resurrection at Sunday Mass. “…he has risen, as he said…” (Matthew 28:6b), alleluia! Today, Easter, the incarnate Son of God has finished His redemptive work. He has conquered sin and its ultimate consequence of death. The sins of the world which put Him on the Cross could not bind Him. He is victorious and the merits of His victory are applied to all His followers which He can now claim as His own. Mankind has been redeemed. The Catechism states:
Christ’s Resurrection is the fulfillment of the promises both of the Old Testament and of Jesus himself during his earthly life. The phrase “in accordance with the Scriptures” indicates that Christ’s Resurrection fulfilled these predictions.
Finally, Christ’s Resurrection – and the risen Christ himself is the principle and source of our future resurrection: “Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep. . . For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.” The risen Christ lives in the hearts of his faithful while they await that fulfillment . In Christ, Christians “have tasted. . . the powers of the age to come” and their lives are swept up by Christ into the heart of divine life, so that they may “live no longer for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised.” (pars 652, 655)
By courtesy of Catholic World Report
Artwork: The Dance of Grace, Mark Keathley
