Today Christianity across the world
celebrates the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. Easter is a celebration of a
miraculous—and seemingly impossible—event. The feast of Jesus’ Resurrection
holds a special place in my heart. I wish to share the basic biblical
proof of the Resurrection, examples from some saints, and my own personal
experience.
Note: If you still have questions related to a more cerebral and
logical argument for the Resurrection of Jesus, I highly recommend Carl
Olson’s: Did Jesus Really Rise from the Dead?
Gospel
evidence
Since there is a lot of evidence to
refer to and I prefer to keep today’s post as concise as possible I will only
focus on the two strongest pieces of evidence, I found to be convincing for me
in showing validity in Jesus’ Resurrection. First, the witness of the women
being the initial people to notice the empty tomb is strong evidence. The
reason for this is due to in 1st century Palestine life women did not
enjoy the benefits of voting, membership in the workforce, or even respect to
be witnesses in events like today.
Why would the Gospel writers
uniformly state that the first witnesses to the empty tomb and to proclaim
Jesus as risen were women unless it was true? It still does not make sense to
me why the gospel writers would embarrass the apostles by placing women in
a place of honor at being the first evangelizers of Jesus’ Resurrection unless
that was the truth!
Secondly, the Gospel of Matthew
already shows alternative explanations already surfacing to explain the disappearance
of Jesus’ body when the tomb was opened. According to Matthew, the priests and
elders charged the Roman soldiers to create a story to explain why the tomb was
empty. They [priests and elders] state, “You are to say, ‘His disciples came
during the night and stole him while we were asleep’. If any word of this gets
to the procurator, we will straighten it out with him and keep you out of
trouble.” (Matthew 28:13-14). This never made sense to me. If the
apostles were fraudulent, why the Matthew plainly write about the theory of the
stolen body of Jesus? Such a theory only makes sense as a lie developed by the
priests and elders.
Saintly
Sources
Because of the vast array of saints
to attest to the truth of the Resurrection, I will only focus on two for
conciseness’ sake—St. Peter and St. Paul. The thing that I really love about
St. Peter is his fervor to follow the gospel after Jesus’ Resurrection. In
addition to being the 1st pope of the Catholic Church, Peter testified to the
truth of the Gospel as a martyr via crucifixion.
St. Paul represents arguably the
greatest conversion in the history of Christianity. Paul went from being a
murderer of Christians to the Church’s great evangelizer and writer of almost
2/3 of the New Testament. These two men show us that they encountered someone
who transformed them. Peter and Paul’s conversions are an effect of the power
of Jesus’ Resurrection!
My
Testimony
While my own testimony does not hold
the same weight at Scripture and Tradition, I still am convinced that certain
things in my life transpired due to a power outside of my control and full
understanding. During my darkest days a few years ago, I learned of the power
of God. He rose me up from the loss of a job and our miscarriages. God
continues to demonstrate the glory of His Resurrected Son in seemingly ordinary
things too. For example, I asked my cousin to pray for my wife for an important
interview. My cousin told me, “Of course, and incidentally she [my wife] was
the person my cousin and his fiancée scheduled to pray for, in a special way, anyways.” This is not the first time this seeming coincidence
happened to my cousin.
Through
Scripture, Tradition [the saints], and my personal experience with daily and
extraordinary events I have come to more deeply realize the Resurrection of
Jesus as an historical fact. I pray that you come to enjoy this truth in
Scripture, Tradition, and your own life’s experiences!
Twenty four years ago today, April 19th, the
nation suffered a horrendous loss as 168 men, women and children (19) were
killed by a domestic terrorist bombing brought about by Timothy J. McVeigh and
Terry L. Nichols. The bombing destroyed
or damaged 324 buildings within a 16 block radius of Oklahoma City. The
blast shattered glass in 258 other buildings and destroyed 86 cars. Besides the 168 people killed about 680 people
suffered injuries from the blast. The emotional
damages caused by the blast are immeasurable.
Truly our nation suffered greatly
and families are still suffering from their loss.
Five years after the bombing, on April 19th, 2000
the Oklahoma City National Memorial was dedicated at the site. The memorial consists of 168 stone and glass
chairs representing each life lost. It
is very sad to see them all, especially the 19 smaller chairs representing the
children that were killed. Remembrance services are held every year on
April 19th. Certainly this large tragedy can never be
forgotten.
A teddy bear sits on a chair in the field of chairs at the Oklahoma City National Memorial and Museum in Oklahoma City, Tuesday, April 19, 2011, on the 16th anniversary of the Oklahoma City bombing. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)
Directly across from the site of the bombing is the oldest parish church in Oklahoma City, St. Joseph Old Cathedral. The Cathedral was badly damaged but has been rebuilt. The parish rectory was destroyed by the explosion. At the site of the demolished rectory, the parish has placed their own memorial. It is an Italian marble statue of Jesus with His back towards the site of the bombing. Jesus has His head down and His hand over His face in sorrow. Around the statue are pillars representing the children and unborn babies who were killed by the blast. The name of the sculpture is “And Jesus Wept” (See picture on top). It was dedicated in 1998.
This year the anniversary of the bombing falls on Good
Friday. I can’t help but to see a
message for all of us in this. First of
all, acts of terror such as these really show the depravity of those who plan
them. They have no concern for the
people who are so horrendously affected.
To call this sin would be an understatement. It reflects the pure evil, the pure darkness
that Jesus came to shed His light upon.
It shows why Jesus endured so much suffering for the sin that permeates
humankind.
Secondly, it shows how our knowledge of how Jesus suffered
can help us in our own suffering. The
Catholic Church has always placed redemptive value upon the sufferings that we
find in our own lives. Somehow, our own
sufferings are united with the sufferings of Jesus. Somehow His sufferings can help us in our
sufferings. When we experience our own
crosses, His cross helps us to endure.
Thirdly, we know that the sufferings and death of Jesus upon
the cross led to the Resurrection of Jesus on Easter morning. People of faith know that even though we miss
our loved ones when they die, some day we will all be back together in the
precious gift of heaven. Jesus suffered
and died and rose from the dead so that we might have life forever in the
presence of our Heavenly Father.
We as Christians must do everything that we can to fight the
evil within the world. We must fight it
with hope and with love. The statue of
Jesus weeping reminds us how Jesus joins in with us in mourning our losses and
in mourning the sin and evil that can be so destructive to life. Everything about God is about LIFE. Everything about evil is about death. When we work with God, we work on the side of
life. When we are caught up in sin and
evil, we work on the side of death. God
calls us to choose life, not death.
I Know of a Cure for Everything: Salt Water – by Deacon
Marty McIndoe
I have lived almost
all of my life on an island, surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean and the Long
Island Sound. I feel very blessed by
that. I almost feel as if the sea is so
much a part of me that I can’t fully live without being near it. Every year my wife and I usually try to
escape to warm weather for the months of January and February. Two years ago we spent the time in the
southwest traveling around Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico and inland Southern
California. We absolutely loved it and
appreciated the beauty of the southwest.
However, I really felt like I was out of place. I was no where near any large body of salt
water. It just didn’t seem right to
me. I was out of place, literally. This year we did our winter getaway in the
south and in Florida and stayed almost all of the time in timeshares that were
on the beach, overlooking the Atlantic Ocean or Gulf of Mexico. I felt so much more at home than I did on our
desert trip. There is a real comfort and
awe when we look out on the ocean. For
me, I see and feel God in the beauty and immensity of the ocean.
I came across a
quote from Isak Dinesen (also known as Tania Blixen author of “Out of Africa”)
from her “Seven Gothic Tales” which consisted of the following dialogue:
An old seaman says
to his unhappy foster-son, “I know of a cure for everything: Salt water.”
“Salt water?” I
asked him.
“Yes,” he said, “in
one way or the other. Sweat, or tears, or the salt sea.”
I couldn’t help but
to see the truth in that statement. The
cure for everything is Sweat or Tears or the Salt Sea. I would like to share some thoughts about
that with you. First of all, it is
interesting to see the history of man’s use of salt. The Hebrew Scriptures (The Old Testament)
value salt so much that it was considered to be able to be used as a gift to
God as a “covenant of salt” (Lev. 2: 13; II Chron. 13:5; Num. 18:19). It was
also used in sacrifices by the Israelites (Ezek. 43:24 and Gen. 31:54). Belief in its preservative and healing
properties led to its use to dry and harden the skin of newborns (Ezek.
16:4) and to prevent umbilical cord infection. The Egyptians and the Persians
considered it such a special commodity that it could only be handled by their
royalty. The ancient Romans paid their
soldiers their wages in salt (Latin word is “sal”) from which we today get the
word “salary” and the expression, “worth his weight in salt”. Salt had been used for over 3500 years as a
preservative for meats and a flavoring for food. It is still seen as a sign of hospitality and
friendship in the Middle East. In Mark
Chapter 9, verse 50 Jesus says, “Have salt among yourselves, and be at peace
with each other.” St. Paul’s tells us in Col. 4:6:”Let your
conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know
how to answer everyone.” Jesus also
called His followers to be the “salt of the earth”. Salt is
all about preservation and healing and peace.
The Church has a
special prayer for the blessing of salt.
After the blessing, the salt is often placed in Holy Water, or sometimes
used by itself. This prayer, from the
Roman Ritual says, “Almighty God, we ask you to bless this salt, as once you
blessed the salt scattered over the water by the prophet Elisha. Wherever
this salt (and water) is sprinkled, drive away the power of evil, and
protect us always by the presence of your Holy Spirit. Grant this through
Christ our Lord. Amen.” Salt
is also seen as a means of driving away evil or preserving one from evil
corruption.
Salt is found
naturally in the sea, in our tears, and in our sweat. All three of these can help to heal us. As motivational speaker Rita Schiano tell us,
“Tears are God’s gift to us. Our holy water. They heal us as they flow”. Tears come to us from our very being. They are responses to hurt and loss as well
as happiness and gain. Tears can be shed
from earthy stimuli such as movies and can also be shed from spiritual stimuli
such as God’s Word or the touch of Christian love. They are an expression that sometimes can
speak louder and clearer than words.
They bring us healing in so many ways.
Sweat is a result of
our hard work. The Catholic Church has
always stressed the importance of work in our lives. The Protestant Churches are also known for
their work ethic. Work is not only
necessary for civilization to flourish, but it brings a sense of purpose and
often healing to the individual. It also
helps us to accomplish our dreams. Colin
Powell tells us, “A dream doesn’t become reality through magic; it takes
sweat, determination and hard work.”
We find our happiness in working hard for our dreams whether it be as
simple (yet profound) as a man or woman working hard to support their family,
or a researcher finding the cure for cancer.
Work, and sweat, are part of who we are called to be.
The Sea is a special
gift to us from God. Our scientists tell
us that life itself originated there.
For us, it is a place to enjoy in so many different ways whether it is
swimming and fishing or simply gazing out towards its majesty. As John F. Kennedy told us, “We are tied
to the ocean. And when we go back to the sea, whether it is to sail or to watch
– we are going back from whence we came.”
The Sea can truly be a healing influence in our lives.
In writing this
article, I hope to make you think and pray about the healing influence of the
Sea, Sweat and Tears. I am including
some quotes for you to think about and pray about and see how the Lord may be
speaking to you. I hope that you find
some quiet time to pray and think about these quotes. May our good Lord bless you and bring you His
healing love. May you come to better
realize the healing gifts given to us in Salt Water: the Sea, Tears or Sweat.
QUOTES TO PONDER AND
PRAY ABOUT:
THE SEA:
“The sea does not
reward those who are too anxious, too greedy, or too impatient. To dig for
treasures shows not only impatience and greed, but lack of faith. Patience,
patience, patience, is what the sea teaches. Patience and faith. One should lie
empty, open, choiceless as a beach—waiting for a gift from the sea.” ― Anne Morrow Lindbergh, Gift from the Sea
“I felt once more
how simple and frugal a thing is happiness: a glass of wine, a roast chestnut,
a wretched little brazier, the sound of the sea. Nothing else.” ― Nikos
Kazantzakis, Zorba the Greek
“The sea always
filled her with longing, though for what she was never sure.” ― Cornelia Funke,
Inkheart
“My soul is full of
longing
for the secret of the sea,
and the heart of the great ocean
sends a thrilling pulse through me.”
― Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
“We are like islands
in the sea, separate on the surface but connected in the deep.” ― William
James
“Hark, now hear the
sailors cry,
Smell the sea, and feel the sky,
Let your soul & spirit fly, into the mystic.
– Into the Mystic” ― Van Morrison
“How foolish to
believe we are more powerful than the sea or the sky.” ― Ruta Sepetys, Salt to
the Sea
“The sea, the sea,
the sea. It rolled and rolled and called to me. Come in, it said, come in.” ―
Sharon Creech, The Wanderer
“In still moments by
the sea life seems large-drawn and simple. It is there we can see into
ourselves.”
― Rolf Edberg
At sea, I feel
comfortable and I come to rest. Laura Dekker
He that will learn
to pray, let him go to sea. George Herbert
SWEAT:
“It’s easier to
bleed than sweat, Mr. Motes.” ― Flannery O’Connor, Wise Blood
“When people tell me
they can’t afford to join a gym, I tell them to go outside; planet Earth is a
gym and we’re already members. Run, climb, sweat, and enjoy all of the natural
wonder that is available to you.” ― Steve Maraboli, Unapologetically You: Reflections
on Life and the Human Experience
“Most times, the
leader’s ornament isn’t the smiles you see on their faces during the time of
victory. It is the sweats we don’t see when they were struggling behind the
scenes.” ― Israelmore Ayivor, Leaders’ Frontpage: Leadership Insights from 21
Martin Luther King Jr. Thoughts
“The sweet smell of
success comes on the back of the stench of hard earned sweat.” ― Anthony
T.Hincks
“Success is
continually a relative of sweat.” ― Bharath Mamidoju
“The pain in your muscles
and the sweat in your brow after doing a work the hard and honest way make you
feel proud of yourself!” ― Avijeet Das
“And Sir, it is no
little thing to make mine eyes to sweat compassion.” ― William Shakespeare,
Coriolanus
“In the sweat of thy
brow shalt thou earn thy daily bread: it was not a curse upon mankind, but the
balm which reconciled it to existence.” ― W. Somerset Maugham, Of Human Bondage
“True blessing comes
in the dress of sweats, never delaying to wave bye to the excuses and procrastination.
True blessing lies in hard work!” ― Israelmore Ayivor, Daily Drive 365
“The thickest sweats
produce the sweetest life. A hard work surely brings unheard happiness. Dig up
your gold.” ― Israelmore Ayivor, Mine Your Gold: How to Dig Up and Optimize
Your Hidden Greatness
TEARS:
“Tears shed for
another person are not a sign of weakness. They are a sign of a pure heart.” ―
José N. Harris, MI VIDA: A Story of Faith, Hope and Love
“Cry. Forgive. Learn. Move on. Let your tears water the
seeds of your future happiness.” ― Steve Maraboli
“Heaven knows we
need never be ashamed of our tears, for they are rain upon the blinding dust of
earth, overlying our hard hearts. I was better after I had cried, than
before–more sorry, more aware of my own ingratitude, more gentle.” ― Charles
Dickens, Great Expectations
“Listen to God with a broken heart. He is not only the
doctor who mends it, but also the father who wipes away the tears.” ― Criss
Jami
“The sea is nothing but a library of all the tears in
history.” ― Lemony Snicket
“Beauty of whatever
kind, in its supreme development, invariably excites the sensitive soul to
tears.”
― Edgar Allan Poe
“Tears are words the
mouth can’t say nor can the heart bear.” ― Joshua Wisenbaker
“My eyes were glued
on life and they were full of tears.” ― Jack Kerouac, Atop an Underwood: Early
Stories and Other Writings
“Tears are the noble
language of eyes, and when true love of words is destitute. The eye by tears
speak, while the tongue is mute.” ― Robert Herrick
