THE RESURRECTION OF CHRIST TEACHES US VIRTUES - 04/16/22 (The Easter Vigil)

Luke 24:6-7,10-12

6 Remember how He told you, while He was still in Galilee, 7 that the Son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and on the third day rise."

10 Now it was Mary Mag'dalene and Jo-an'na and Mary the mother of James and the other women with them who told this to the apostles; 11 but these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them. 12 But Peter rose and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen cloths by themselves; and he went home wondering at what had happened.

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Blessed Easter! This is the most important liturgy for the Church, and it is the beginning of the Easter. The resurrection of Jesus from the dead on the evening shows us that His light will banish the darkness of our sins. As we celebrate this most important event, let's be reminded that His resurrection is teaching us to progress in our virtues, especially on our faith, hope, and love. 

First, the resurrection of Christ teaches us to have a pure faith. One of the reasons why the disciples were discouraged after His death was because they were expecting differently. They expected that Jesus was a King who would be victorious against the Roman soldiers. It was as if they lost their purpose in life knowing that our Savior died on the cross. This was one of the reasons why some of the disciples could not even believe the testimony of Mary Magdalene. How about us? Is our faith dependent on the circumstances in our lives? Sometimes, when an unexpected circumstances come, we may be weak in our faith and no longer spend time with God or hold onto the teachings of the Church. If we are not devout in our practice of the faith before, God is calling us to imitate St. Peter. He denied Jesus three times, but he ran to look at the tomb, a symbolism of our perseverance in our faith amidst our sins before. 

Second, the resurrection of Jesus teaches us to hope in our own resurrection. Everything that Jesus does is out of love for us and for our own salvation. When He defeated death, He shows us that we can also defeat our spiritual and physical death. It is unfortunate that some of us do not find our hope in God. This happens when our hope is attached to worldly things such as recognition of others, riches, achievements, and others. As such, when we do not get what we are seeking, it can lead us to discouragement, even despair. But, why should we find satisfaction in these things when the joy of heaven and resurrection is infinitely better than all of these things? By detaching ourselves from worldly things, we can hold onto Christ who never fails in His promises for us. 

Lastly, the resurrection of our Lord teaches us to love God and our neighbors. Our faith is not in vain because of His resurrection, and we have the hope of being glorified with Him. But, this glorious event in the life of Christ should lead us to love Him and make Him loved by others. The truth of our faith should make us obedient to His commandments and the teachings of the Church. At the same time, if we love our neighbors, we should desire their salvation and happiness as well. It was because of the love St. Mary Magdalene towards our Lord and His disciples that gave her courage to tell them about His resurrection, even if they did not believe her at first. Like her, we should discern God's will as to how we can share our faith to our family members and loved ones.

Amen +

 

Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, be with us always until the hour of our death. Amen. +

 

May the Lord + bless us, protect us from all evil and bring us to everlasting life. Amen. +  

Reflection by: Dominic