Rejoice, Christ Is Risen

 

This Holy Saturday is when, as the liturgy tells us: “There is a great silence on the earth today, a great silence and stillness, the whole earth keeps silence because the king is asleep."  Take time, make time, to reflect on what the dawn the day after will bring to light: God/Man, risen from the dead.

 

What is the alternative for one to embrace? One could, I suppose, side with the secular skeptics who claim what would be the classic of all secular coups among the four Evangelists, namely, that the Gospel narrative is a figment of their imaginations. That doesn’t mesh well with the traditional understanding we hold, that the authors of the four Gospels not only didn’t make a killing for their written testimony, but were "killed" for their respective writings.  (While it is true that John apparently died a natural death, he nonetheless is considered a martyr insulated from fame and fortune on the isle of Patmos despite that, or perhaps because, he was the Gospel narrator “whom Jesus loved.”) Still, there unquestionably are those in academia who denigrate the historical accuracy if not the motivation of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John; Catholic and non-Catholic biblical scholars alike – especially, I think, regarding accounts of raising the dead back to life.

 

On this forthcoming silent, still Saturday of the Easter Triduum, perhaps we should spend a few minutes considering some of the dumbed-down theories challenging the Resurrection accounts.

 

Well, in the case of Jairus's daughter, Christ himself said to the mourners, "Depart; for the girl is not dead but sleeping." So if the girl was merely sleeping, why did the “report” of her rising "[spread] throughout all that district" (Mt. 9:24)?

 

Well, the widow’s son from Naim could have been merely unconscious, showing no sign of life. But Luke tells us Christ had him sit up and speak on command. And news of this event, “spread through the whole of Judea and all the surrounding district" (Lk.7:17). Not likely if the mourners didn’t witness evidence of death on the son's corpse.

 

Why, even Lazarus himself really wasn't dead. Again Jesus told his disciples, "Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I go to awake him out of sleep"(Jn.11:11). Then he changes his opinion of Lazarus’ true state of being, or John changes it for him, thus setting the stage for the fantasy of Lazarus' resurrection? Ah yes, what a clever writer this Galilean fisherman appears to be. Who would have thought?

 

Take care to go beneath the bare surface of these miracle narratives. Consider not only that these diverse people are supposedly raised from the dead, but take time to consider the intimate blood relationships of a daughter, a son, the only brother (presumably) of two single sisters (supposedly) to their respective survivors. Does anyone seriously think the surviving family members would have listened to the flute players' dirges, joined the bier bearers, or stood watch over a cave serving as a tomb for over three days if they did not believe their loved ones were dead? These devastated survivors – parents, mother, sisters – all would be certain that death had indeed claimed their loved ones.

 

Finally, we come to the Gospel account of Christ’s own death, burial, and Resurrection. It's absolutely ludicrous to think a crack detail of Roman soldiers would fall asleep abandoning their guard. Absolutely laughable to think scared-silly disciples scattered to the four corners of Jerusalem and beyond would coalesce and out-muscle a military guard, then haul the body of Christ away. Well, we're all guilty of accepting as certain what we want to embrace as fact. Of course, we as Catholic Christians – hopefully all Christians – acknowledge that we come to the certainty of the Resurrection through faith. But rest assured, a faith based on right reason.

 

Before closing, let me cite another Apostle – Thomas – who features prominently in the Gospel narratives of Christ's Resurrection. "The other Disciples told him we have seen the Lord." But he said to them, “Unless I see in His hand the print of the nails, and place my fingers in the mark of the nails and place my hand in His side, I will not believe" (John 20:25).

 

My good confreres of the Order of Malta, do not become doubting Thomases this Eastertide.  The 2,000-plus years of testimony of our living faith attests to the truth that the God/Man, Christ Jesus, conquered sin and death in the first rays of light on that first new Sabbath Sunday.  This is the certainty we want to embrace this Eastertide. This is the reality to behold beyond all others.

 

REJOICE, CHRIST IS RISEN!