Risen is the Reason

The Catholic Liturgy for the 5^th Sunday of Ordinary Time, Feb. 10, 2019. Reading: 1 Corinthians 15:1-11; Luke 5:1-11. Topic: Risen is the Reason.

When I was reflecting on the Scriptures in preparation for our liturgy, the second reading from St. Paul’s Letter to the Corinthians really jumped off the page for me. Even though it’s tucked in between the Old Testament and the Gospel, I think it’s the most important reading of the three for us today. 

In this reading, St. Paul deals with the very reason why we are at Mass today; the reason why we strive and even struggle to live the teachings of the Gospel; the reason why we stand up for the welfare of the poor and the protection of the vulnerable; in other words, it is the very reason why we are Christians. And that reason is this: the historical, actual, physical Resurrection of the Crucified Lord Jesus from the dead.

St. Paul will go on to say to the Corinthians – in a part of this letter which we are not reading at Mass today - that if Jesus Christ is not truly risen from the dead, then people are right to laugh at us and poke fun at our faith. If Jesus Christ is not truly risen from the dead then we have been duped, hoodwinked and been made into fools for believing such a ridiculous claim.

But St. Paul knew full well that our faith in the Risen Jesus is based on fact not fantasy.  So, he reminds the Corinthians that the reality of a Risen Lord who conquered death, is based on eye-witness testimony and not simply religious myth or story-telling. He tells then that he himself has seen the Risen Lord, and he goes on to list others who saw and heard and touched the Risen Jesus, naming them by name because the Corinthians knew them and could ask them. He even reminds them that 500 disciples experienced a visit from the Risen Lord as they were all gathered together, most likely for Mass.

We need to hear this as much as the first Christians did, because no matter when in history you live, it is a strange thing, indeed, to believe that a man who was tortured, killed and buried has risen up from the dead to a more awesome and glorious life.  And it is even more strange to be told that you, too, can have your life totally transformed in this world and share the very same resurrection-glory with Him in the next. This promise of a real and new eternal life seems too good to be true to many people, and so there are those who challenge our faith by objecting to what they call a fantasy Resurrection story.

And yet, as St. Paul declares, this the heart of our faith. The Resurrection confirms the very foundation of our belief that Jesus of Nazareth is indeed God-come-in-the-flesh to teach us the truth, to take away the penalty of our sins, and to lead us to Heaven.

And that’s why Peter could trust Jesus when He told Him to pull out into the deep for a miraculous catch of fish. That’s why Peter, along with his brother Andrew and the brothers James and John, could trust Jesus enough to pull their boats ashore and leave everything behind to follow Him in a new way of life.

And that’s why when we encounter something in our lives that seems difficult or even impossible, we can trust that Jesus will make things work out for us, even if it’s hard to see how that can be done, because Jesus is Master of the impossible.