The Sunday Sermon Archive

Dear Friend,

The foundation of the Faith rests upon the fact of Christ's resurrection. St. Paul in the first letter to the Corinthians says: "If Christ be not risen again, your faith is vain, for you are yet in your sins. Then they also who have slept in Christ have perished."

Christ did rise from the dead and this has been attested to by His own disciples and the apostles. Even the enemies of Christ have been forced to attest to the truth of His resurrection.

His resurrection is different from the dead that Christ brought back to life (The youth of Naim, the daughter of Jairus, and Lazarus.). Christ was not brought back to life He returned life to His own Body by His own power, proving beyond doubt that He is God. He expressed this truth when He said: "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up." (St. John 2: 19.) And again: "I lay down My life, that I may take it again. No man taketh it away from Me, but I lay it down of Myself, and I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it up again." (St. John 10: 17,18),

When St. Paul says: "God the Father, who raised him (the Son) from the dead" (Gal 1:1.) we must understand that this is not a denial of Christ rising of His own power. The Son is of the same essence with the Father. The divine power by which the Son raised Himself from the dead may be called the power of the Father, and consequently the raising of Jesus Christ is a work of the Father because They are One.

Christ rose with a glorious body. The sacred body of Christ was the same as before the Resurrection, but it was now in a more glorious state than before,. A wonderful transformation in the body of Jesus took place on Mount Thabor: "His face did shine as the sun, and His garments became white as snow." (Matt. 17: 2.) This transfiguration of Christ, which upon Thabor was only transient and partial, after His Resurrection became permanent and general; not only His face, but His whole body was diffusing a much brighter and more resplendent sparkling light than the noonday sun. If in His apparitions He had not suppressed the rays which ever streamed forth from His glorified body the disciples would not have been able to endure the sight.

After His Resurrection He was no longer susceptible of any painful sensation. Before His Resurrection His body was mortal, He could die a natural, a painful death; after it His body was immortal; as He could no longer suffer, so He could die no more. Therefore the Apostle writes: "We know that Christ, rising again from the dead, dieth now no more; death shall no more have dominion over Him." (Rom. 6: 9).

	The body of Christ is no longer confined by space and time, being without weight or heaviness. No time was needed to go to any place, It could pass in a moment through the immense space of creation and be at any spot It wished. The body of Christ remained after His Resurrection a true body, but It laid aside all density, so that, like a pure spirit, It could penetrate everywhere and render Itself invisible to the eyes of men. The bodies of the just will possess these same qualities, only in a less degree, when they rise from the dead. This should be a powerful incentive for us to hold our body and its senses in honor, and to employ them for the service of God. The apostles and disciples gave testimony of Christ's resurrection before Jews and Gentiles, before the high and the low, the learned and the unlearned, friends and enemies, and not only occasionally, but they continually referred to it and made it the foundation of Christianity. These men were not deceived nor could they deceive others. Let us rejoice over this most important and consoling mystery of our holy religion, upon which rest our faith and hope, and profit by it, so that at this holy time of Easter we may celebrate our spiritual resurrection. Let us remain no longer in the grave of sin, of inordinate inclinations and passions. Let us come forth by a true conversion to God; walk in the life of grace, and "seek the things that are above, where Christ is sitting at the right had of God." (Col. 3: 1) Click here for a FREE sample copy of THE SERAPH Franciscan Benefactor Seraph Subscription Vocations Have you remembered God? Would you like to make a donation? Or, just log onto PayPal.com, after signing in you can send your donation to us at: Friars@friarsminor.org . Blog with audio downloads Return to Menu. Return to Homepage.