At Mass every week we recite the Nicene Creed, which summarizes the primary beliefs of the Christian faith. In the middle of the Creed we say this about Jesus: “For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate, he suffered death and was buried, and rose again on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures.”
If you ask me, this is the way we should say it at Mass: “...crucified under Pontius Pilate, he suffered death and was buried, and ROSE AGAIN ON THE THIRD DAY!!”
If you ask me, this is the way we should say it at Mass: “...crucified under Pontius Pilate, he suffered death and was buried, and ROSE AGAIN ON THE THIRD DAY!!”
I’m not sure the priest celebrating Mass would approve if everyone shouted at the top of their lungs, but it would be appropriate considering how central the Resurrection is to our faith. If you think I exaggerate, then don’t take my word for it, listen to a friend of mine instead. He’s an old buddy, nicknamed “Paulie Motormouth,” and he had this to say about Jesus’ resurrection:
“How can some among you say there is no resurrection of the dead?…For if the dead are not raised, neither has Christ been raised, and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is vain; you are still in your sins. Then those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If for this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are the most pitiable people of all.”
Yes, my pal Paulie is THAT Paul, the guy who wrote close to a dozen epistles in the New Testament. The quote above is from Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians, chapter 15. And if St. Paul wrote something in the Bible, you can take it as gospel. (No wait, that old figure of speech, “take it as gospel,” is not appropriate here, since Paul didn’t write any of the gospels. Paul instead wrote New Testament epistles, and since they’re in the Bible, which is the inerrant Word of God, we believe they convey the truth, just like the gospels — er, I mean, except they’re not gospels. Oh, never mind.)
Anyway, the Resurrection of Jesus is the make-or-break doctrine of Christianity. If He really did rise from the dead, then we have hope for eternal life in Heaven. And if He did not really rise from the dead, then our faith is a hollow shell that offers no hope. If Jesus did not rise, then as Paul explained, Christians are “the most pitiable people of all.”
“How can some among you say there is no resurrection of the dead?…For if the dead are not raised, neither has Christ been raised, and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is vain; you are still in your sins. Then those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If for this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are the most pitiable people of all.”
Yes, my pal Paulie is THAT Paul, the guy who wrote close to a dozen epistles in the New Testament. The quote above is from Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians, chapter 15. And if St. Paul wrote something in the Bible, you can take it as gospel. (No wait, that old figure of speech, “take it as gospel,” is not appropriate here, since Paul didn’t write any of the gospels. Paul instead wrote New Testament epistles, and since they’re in the Bible, which is the inerrant Word of God, we believe they convey the truth, just like the gospels — er, I mean, except they’re not gospels. Oh, never mind.)
Anyway, the Resurrection of Jesus is the make-or-break doctrine of Christianity. If He really did rise from the dead, then we have hope for eternal life in Heaven. And if He did not really rise from the dead, then our faith is a hollow shell that offers no hope. If Jesus did not rise, then as Paul explained, Christians are “the most pitiable people of all.”
If Jesus never rose from His grave, Christians are indeed pitiful because the whole point of our faith is to restore our broken relationship with our Creator, so we can spend eternity in His heavenly kingdom. But if even Jesus could not rise from the dead, what are the chances we will? That’s right: zero.
This undeniable fact of our faith makes me shake my head in amazement whenever I read about people who claim it’s possible to be a good Christian while NOT believing Jesus actually rose from the dead. Haven’t these folks been paying attention at all?
For example, there is an institution in New York City called the Union Theological Seminary. It was founded in 1836, and its constitution stated the seminary’s goal was to “promote the Kingdom of Christ.” Professors were required to affirm they believed “the Scriptures of the Old and New Testament to be the word of God” and the “only infallible rule of faith and practice.”
That was then. Today the seminary’s president is the Rev. Dr. Serene Jones. Here is a list of some of the things Dr. Jones does NOT believe in: the virgin birth, the power of prayer, miracles, and Jesus’ Resurrection. When asked what happens when people die, Dr. Jones responded, “I don’t know! There may be something, there may be nothing.”
Does anyone besides me think Dr. Jones might be in the wrong profession? I mean, I know many people who would agree with Dr. Jones’ beliefs. Those people are called atheists. But none of them, at least the ones I know, would claim to be an ordained Christian minister. And none of them would aspire to be the president of a seminary that supposedly trains people for Christian ministry.
However, the Rev. Dr. Serene Jones is just one of countless people who claim to be Christian, and yet do not believe in the most important doctrine in all of Christian theology: the actual, physical, really-real Resurrection of Jesus Christ.
If a person doesn’t believe in the Resurrection, as my friend Paulie Motormouth — er, I mean, St. Paul — said, that person’s faith can only be described as pitiful.
Thank God the Resurrection did occur. Jesus really did rise from the grave, and in the process He conquered death once and for all. And most importantly, He promised that if we put our faith in Him, we can do the same thing.
This undeniable fact of our faith makes me shake my head in amazement whenever I read about people who claim it’s possible to be a good Christian while NOT believing Jesus actually rose from the dead. Haven’t these folks been paying attention at all?
For example, there is an institution in New York City called the Union Theological Seminary. It was founded in 1836, and its constitution stated the seminary’s goal was to “promote the Kingdom of Christ.” Professors were required to affirm they believed “the Scriptures of the Old and New Testament to be the word of God” and the “only infallible rule of faith and practice.”
That was then. Today the seminary’s president is the Rev. Dr. Serene Jones. Here is a list of some of the things Dr. Jones does NOT believe in: the virgin birth, the power of prayer, miracles, and Jesus’ Resurrection. When asked what happens when people die, Dr. Jones responded, “I don’t know! There may be something, there may be nothing.”
Does anyone besides me think Dr. Jones might be in the wrong profession? I mean, I know many people who would agree with Dr. Jones’ beliefs. Those people are called atheists. But none of them, at least the ones I know, would claim to be an ordained Christian minister. And none of them would aspire to be the president of a seminary that supposedly trains people for Christian ministry.
However, the Rev. Dr. Serene Jones is just one of countless people who claim to be Christian, and yet do not believe in the most important doctrine in all of Christian theology: the actual, physical, really-real Resurrection of Jesus Christ.
If a person doesn’t believe in the Resurrection, as my friend Paulie Motormouth — er, I mean, St. Paul — said, that person’s faith can only be described as pitiful.
Thank God the Resurrection did occur. Jesus really did rise from the grave, and in the process He conquered death once and for all. And most importantly, He promised that if we put our faith in Him, we can do the same thing.
It’s probably not a good idea if we all shout at Mass: “ROSE AGAIN ON THE THIRD DAY!!”
But wouldn’t it be nice if that’s exactly how we felt about it in our hearts?
But wouldn’t it be nice if that’s exactly how we felt about it in our hearts?
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