Published in the bulletin of Holy Ghost Catholic Church in Knoxville, TN, on the 5th Sunday during Lent.
My dear Parishioners,
Peace! The fifth article of the Apostle’s Creed is “Jesus Christ descended into Hell, and rose from the dead on the third day.” There are five (5) In Brief passages in the Catechism of the Catholic Church regarding this article of the Creed. The following is a reflection on article 656.
Inspired by Almighty God, Saint Paul teaches us that “If Christ has not been raised our Faith is in vain” (cf. 1 Corinthians 15:14, 17).
When Lazarus was raised by the Lord Jesus it was a resuscitation (cf. John 11:1-45). Lazarus subsequently died ‘again.’ Our Christian faith in the resurrection of Jesus Christ on Easter is for us a joy and hope. In His human body, which Saint Thomas the Apostle could touch (cf. John 20:24-28), to which Mary Magdalene could cling (cf. John 20:11-17), with which He could eat (cf. John 21:5-14), the Lord Jesus Christ rose from the dead. Christian Faith acknowledges not only the death of Jesus on Good Friday when His body and soul were separated but also His resurrection when His body and soul were reunited for all eternity, never to die again (cf Summa Theologiae III Q. 53, A 1-4).
The Gospels give us the words and deeds of Jesus Christ. The Church affirms the historicity of the Gospels (cf. Dei Verbum, 19). One of the deeds of Jesus occurred on Easter: He rose from the dead (cf. Matthew 28:6; Mark 16:6; Luke 24:6, 34; John 2:22)! Where are the refutations from the day if the Lord Jesus did not rise from the dead? The late Reverend William G. Most addresses the historicity of the Gospels in his books The Consciousness of Christ (1980) and Free From All Error (1985).
The risen Lord Jesus had breakfast on the beach with the Apostles (cf. John 21:5-14). The risen Lord Jesus met with the Apostles in the upper room (cf. John 20:19). Mary Magdalene met with the risen Lord Jesus in the garden (cf. John 20:11-17). There were more than 500 of the early Christians who saw the risen Lord Jesus before His Ascension (cf. 1 Corinthians 15:6).
While there are historical reasons for our faith in the resurrection of the Jesus Christ, His resurrection also transcends history. Transcendency is that which is beyond normal or physical experience, not subject to the limitations of the material universe. In this every human person is transcendent thanks to the rational soul. All the more so Christ Jesus Himself, true God and true man. The Lord Jesus is beyond the normal physical experience in His resurrection, not limited by the Cross or the grave.
In His glorious resurrection Jesus’ humanity has a new quality, namely, impassibility or the inability to suffer any more. This same quality is enjoyed by all the saints in Heaven (cf. Summa Theologiae III Q. 79, A. 1-3; Q. 82, A1-4). In this He shares the Glory of the Father and so shall we!
God bless you!
Father John Arthur Orr