Death, Where Is Your Victory?
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Happy Easter! Now is the season when we ponder and rejoice in our Savior who has defeated death. Because Jesus is risen, each of us today can be filled with hope that we, too, will be resurrected with the Lord. We can cry out in triumph with St. Paul, “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?” (1 Corinthians 15:55).
Paul no doubt was speaking from his own experience of having faced the deaths of some of his brothers and sisters in the Lord. I am sure that even as he grieved over the loss of these friends, he found strength and comfort from his hope in the resurrection. He addressed this hope directly in a letter to the Christians in Thessalonica. “We do not want you to . . . grieve like the rest,” he said, “who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose, so too will God, through Jesus, bring with him those who have fallen asleep” (1 Thessalonians 4:13-14). Even though we continue to miss our loved ones, our abiding hope in the resurrection can help transform and lessen our grief.
The Resurrection Begins Now. In this special Easter edition, we want to explore the promise that we don’t have to wait until we die to begin experiencing the power of Jesus’ resurrection. In our first essay (page 4), we see how the power of Jesus’ resurrection was for St. Peter—and can become for us—the power to forgive others, even our enemies. We see how our experience of Jesus’ mercy transforms us into merciful people. Forgiveness truly reflects heaven.
In the second essay (page 9), we see that the power of Jesus’ resurrection can strengthen us to face death with the courage that martyrs like St. Stephen and St. Maximilian Kolbe showed. One day we will all pass through the door of death, and Jesus, the firstborn from the dead, can fill us with confidence and even joy as we make that journey. The risen Jesus can give you faith and hope in the promise of heaven.
Lastly, the third essay (page 14) shows how the resurrection of Jesus can help us become “apostles of unity” like St. Philip the deacon, who brought Samaritans, Greeks, and even Ethiopians to the Lord. As we encounter Jesus, the risen Lord of all creation, we are filled with the grace to bring healing unity to wounded family relationships. We find the grace to welcome anyone who enters the doors of our parish church. And we are empowered to show love and respect to anyone the Lord puts in our paths. Unity and love flow from the risen Christ in our hearts.
Brothers and sisters, the resurrection begins now. Jesus’ resurrection has changed our lives in this world, just as we believe it will transform us in the next. Thank you, Jesus, for conquering sin and death! Alleluia!
Jeff Smith, President
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