This statement from one of the major German-language fiction writers of the 20th century well portrays the fundamental mood of those who, at some point in their lives, have had the experience of the Resurrection of Jesus. It is really an ‘abyss of light’, a mystery which leads to a completely new understanding of human life.
The splendour of that eternal light has travelled through the long annals of history right into the present time, and shines just as brightly today as it did 2,000 years ago. That light did not only shine for people like Saul on the way to Damascus, it shines for us today too, and may envelop anyone of us at any moment!
Throughout history, Christianity has survived the onslaughts of the fiercest opposition imaginable thanks to faith in the Resurrection of Christ – the decisive point of our belief. Saint Paul states this clearly in his first letter to the Corinthians, “If there be no resurrection then Christ was not raised; and if Christ was not raised then our gospel is null and void. We turn out to be lying witnesses for God… and of all men are most to be pitied.” (1 Cor 15:15-19)
Now, if Christ has risen then death no longer has the last word, and “God will bring with Jesus all those who have fallen asleep with Him”(1 Thess 4:14). This explosion of light then becomes an explosion of joy. Against the Culture of Death and its representatives, we can reply with a smile: we do not live to die – we die in order to resurrect.
Without the resurrection Jesus would undoubtedly have remained a most admirable figure, a prophet who chose to sacrifice His life in favour of the downtrodden. He would merely have been an extraordinary human being in the chronicles of our history, but the humiliation of the Cross would have highlighted His mortal nature.
The Cross, however, did not turn out to be the pinnacle of His limitations, but His true starting point. Christianity begins with the resurrection; it is the historical proof substantiating the hope of the believer: not death, but life is the last word God has spoken on the destiny of the human being!
It is on this hope that we can and must build our present and our future, that we can and must commit ourselves, on the different levels on which we live, to fight the good fight, to live according to Jesus’ teachings, and to realise God’s Kingdom so that we may transform our lives and turn wars, hate, violence, dishonesty and impurity into peace, goodness, respect and generosity.
We must really create a civil society based on love, true love. This is why Pope Benedict, in his messages, is constantly inviting us to change our way of life so that we show more awareness to those who are worse off, and greater solidarity towards others. To celebrate Easter in this particular moment of our history means that it is up to us, to each one of us, to create immediately a relationship of respect, understanding and openness towards our neighbour. It means we must measure our honesty against the evangelical message, and not against the prevailing habits of our times, and we must rediscover in daily prayer the light and the strength to follow the path which will detach us from selfishness and falsehood, and lead us to a more humane and fairer society.
Let us celebrate Easter this year by remembering Saint Anthony’s message of love, and his constant commitment in favour of those who are weak and most in need. “Faith without love is useless – he reminds us – but with love it is true Christian faith. It is one thing ‘to believe God’ and another ‘to believe in God’. ‘To believe God’ is to hold what He says to be true, something which even evil people do. ‘To believe in God’, on the other hand, means to believe with love, to go to Him with love, to be made one with Him in love. This is the kind of faith that justifies a person”.
A happy, holy Easter to all of you, dear readers!
Updated on October 06 2016