Resurrection Power and the Resurrection Life (Friday, Week 24, Year 2)

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Today’s reading (1 Cor. 15:12-20) is a sort of an elaboration of what St Paul introduced in the portion we read yesterday about the resurrection of the dead. As we were made to understand yesterday, some Christians in Corinth seemed to have found it difficult to believe in the doctrine of the resurrection because of the prevailing Greek belief that if the body is evil, the resurrection of the body is inconceivable. In order to help them make some sense out of the Christian belief in the resurrection, first St Paul made reference to the appearances of the Lord to his apostles and to many others. Secondly, St Paul made it very clear to them that if there is no resurrection, then Christ has not been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. Our joy, our faith is that Christ, having been raised from the dead, is the first fruit of those who have fallen asleep (who have died). 

Take away “the resurrection” from our faith, everything crumbles. If there is no resurrection of the dead, our faith won’t lead us anywhere. If “resurrection” is not part of our faith, the beauty of our faith will be like that of a newly painted and refurbished car with no drop of fuel/petrol in it. It can’t function, not to talk of moving. The resurrection is that aspect of our faith that assures us of eternal life and eternal rewards. Our belief in the resurrection convinces us that we are going somewhere, that we are not earthbound. By our belief in the resurrection, we are consoled in our sufferings in this world because as St Paul says, “what we suffer on earth cannot be compared with the glory that lies ahead”.

If we sincerely believe in the resurrection, then we should have experienced the resurrection power in our lives by which we empowered to do good wherever we are and in whatever we do. We shouldn’t wonder why people do good and give to charity as some women did for Christ and His disciples in the gospel reading (Luke 8:1-3). These are people who may have experienced the resurrection power in their lives. Those women mentioned in the gospel reading were particularly touched by Christ: it is specified that “they had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities”. In other words, those women had temporarily experienced a certain form of resurrection and newness of life. They were renewed in the spirit and began to live a new life of love. If we believe in the resurrection, can we prove that we really believe in the resurrection by our lives?     


    

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