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Has Jesus really risen from the dead?
Answer:
The question is, of course, a big one, central to the Christian faith and to our lives as Christians. Whether or not Jesus really rose from the dead -- not just in some symbolic sense, but really, physically, in his human body -- would actually make a huge difference to every human being on this earth. So if there ever was an important question, this is it.
Most people asking the question look for some scientific evidence to decide whether or not to believe in the resurrection. But what we are dealing with here is, in a sense, way beyond science, because the resurrection is something way beyond nature. Therefore, if we want to understand what happened in that tomb on Easter night, we need to be open to what is beyond nature; beyond what our eyes can see and our hands can touch. We need to be open to the fact that beyond this world of ours there is a world, real but different; not subject to the laws of our time and space; utterly beautiful, perfect and …eternal.
Now, there was someone else, a long time before us, who was wondering about the resurrection of Jesus. In fact, he could not bring himself to believe that it had really happened. His name was Thomas, one of the twelve apostles. Jesus appeared and asked Thomas to touch his wounds. Thomas did, and he believed. There are many other reports in Sacred Scripture of Jesus appearing to his disciples after the resurrection, talking with them and even eating with them. One of the most moving of these accounts shows two of his disciples on their way to a little village called Emmaus, not far from Jerusalem . There again the disciples did not recognize him at first; but after Jesus walked and talked with them for a while, their hearts burned within them, they said, and they knew it was true.
How can we know today that it is all true--Jesus' resurrection, that is-- and all the talk about the world beyond? Well, we can, and we don't need apparitions or visions, as powerful and amazing as they would be. We don't have to get into psychic or paranormal things either, dangerous stuff at the best of times. What we have to do is allow Jesus to walk with us and talk to us, as he did with his disciples; and we can do so in a very direct and concrete way. This is exactly why he left us his words, his teachings, his sacraments and his Church, so that we today can come to know him, hear him, talk with him and walk with him.
Once we do, we come to understand and see things which otherwise we would not know: that death, for example, was never meant to be and can be overcome; that sickness, pain and struggle, tough though they are, can somehow be a blessing; that evil, sin and wrong do real harm first to ourselves and then to others; that despite the nasty things in life there can be meaning and purpose in it all; that beauty, peace and love are real, but often hidden underneath; that life is meant to last forever in a world we have always dreamed of and desired.
These things are hard to explain and many people find them just absurd. But for us as Christians they are our way and they make perfect sense. Christ not only taught them, but made them possible for us to experience. By coming back to life in his human body, transformed and glorious, he showed us what we and the whole world could be like, and one day, God willing, shall be like "in the life of the world to come." Dare to believe and you'll know it's true!
God bless,
Father Norbert