Touch and See

We encounter the disciples in the aftermath of the resurrection, grappling with disbelief and confusion. Jesus appears among them, and they are frightened, thinking they are seeing a ghost. But Jesus reassures them: "Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? Look at my hands and my feet; it is me. Touch me and see because a ghost does not have flesh and bones. As you can see, I have."

We, too, may sometimes find ourselves tempted to perceive Jesus as a ghost-like presence in our lives, a distant and intangible figure. Sometimes, we struggle to grasp the reality of Jesus' presence among us, especially in times of doubt, fear, or suffering. When the storms of life rage around us, when the path ahead seems dark and uncertain, we cry out, "Where are you, God?" 

Jesus is not a distant, intangible figure from a long time ago. As St. Augustine tells us, God is closer to us than we are to ourselves. God knows our joys and our sorrows, our hopes and our fears, our faith and our doubts. Jesus walked the dusty roads of Galilee, laughed and wept with his friends, and shared in daily life's struggles and triumphs. He shares everything we experience, even death, so we can share everything he experiences, including his bodily resurrection. Death does not have the last word. The Author of life, Jesus himself, has the eternal word.

Like the disciples, may we recognize the risen Christ in our midst. He is not a ghost. He is not a distant intangible figure from a long time ago. 

Jesus is closer to us than we are to ourselves. NQ

Lord of Life

One of this country's best-known preachers, when very young, was asked to preach at the funeral of an influential businessman. He went immediately to the Scriptures to see what Jesus himself had said at funerals. He quickly noticed NOT what Jesus said but what he did.

Jesus went to a funeral three times. And in every instance, he broke up the funeral. He threw out the mourners from the room and raised Jairus' daughter from the dead, giving her back to her parents. At another funeral in the village of Nain, he touched the coffin of a young man during the funeral procession and said, "Get up!" and gave him back to his mother alive. And Lazarus, the friend for whom he wept, Jesus called forth from the grave and returned him alive to his sisters, Martha and Mary.

Jesus exercised power over death during his own life on earth at three funerals.

Jesus, who died for our sins on the Cross, has risen from the dead. The Father made him Lord of the living and the dead. And so, when we are united with the Risen Lord when we die like him, when we die to sin, God raises us to life in the Spirit.

We are united with Jesus through baptism. Every Easter, we renew our baptismal promises. In baptism, we die with Christ; we die to sin so that we might rise with Him. Our lives should be marked by a constant process of renewal and conversion, day by day, turning away from patterns of doing and thinking that block our relationship with God and one another and embracing the way of God, the way of love.

We are united with the Risen Lord, which means carrying the Easter hope and joy into every aspect of our lives. It means seeing the world not as a place of death and despair but as the creation of the loving God who has power over death. Are we bearers of hope in our families, workplaces, and communities? Do we treat each person with dignity as children of God?

At the end of our lives, Jesus makes our funeral procession a victory march through death to life eternal in our true home with our Heavenly Father.

Magdalen told Peter and John that the tomb was empty! Magdalen and all the apostles came to see that Jesus, the Crucified One, had been raised! He is the Lord of Life! Every preacher, famous and unknown, rejoices in proclaiming this good news.

God's Friday

Today, we stand in the shadow of the cross. Jesus suffered and died for our sins. And sadness is the dominant mood. Churches around the world are stripped of decorations, with an empty altar and the tabernacle door wide open, as if we are all mourning.

We feel betrayed by Judas. We share in Jesus' agony in the garden. We weep with Peter after his denials. We feel helpless and powerless during Jesus' trial. We are hurt with Jesus as he is nailed on the cross, and we mourn with Mary at his burial. And yet, paradoxically, we call this day "Good" Friday.

It is ironic that the events we commemorate are filled with suffering and sorrow, yet we refer to this day as "good." The term "good" in Good Friday reflects the outcome, the result, the eternal significance of the event on Calvary. Jesus had two options: either inflict on us the punishment we so deserved because of our sins or assume it. Jesus chose to assume it, to take upon Himself the weight of our sins. That's the goodness of this day. It lies in the ultimate act of love and sacrifice—Jesus laying down His life for us and opening the path to salvation. 

It is called Good Friday because, on this day, Jesus redeems us, offering us a new life by dying to our former selves and our sins. It is called Good Friday because, on this day, Jesus makes us good.

We live in a world filled with suffering and sorrow, a world where death abounds in the midst of life. Every day, we hear about death because of abortion, drug overdoses, suicides, hunger, sickness, or war. Yet, the outcome of Good Friday, the result of Jesus' love and sacrifice, solidifies our hope that life will prevail over death, that life is good, that life is worth living.

As we venerate the cross today, we embrace the complex emotions this day evokes—sorrow for our Lord's suffering, gratitude for his unbounded love, and hope in the new life he offers.

This Friday is called "good" because God is good. NQ