On the third day Jesus Christ rose for our salvation
read carefully. You have the text of the Scriptures in front of you, proclaiming the resurrection of Christ :
"I remind you, brethren, The Gospel, which I preached to you, which you have accepted and in which you also abide. You will also be saved through it, if you keep her yes, as I ordered you… Unless you believe in vain. I gave this to you at the beginning, what I took over ; that Christ died - according to the Scriptures - for our sins, that he was buried, that he was resurrected on the third day according to the Scriptures : and that he appeared to Cephas, and then the twelve, later he appeared to more than five hundred brothers simultaneously ; most of them are still alive, some have died. Then he appeared to Jakub, later to all the Apostles. Eventually, after all, it also appeared to me. […] So is it me, or others, so we teach, and so you believed. […]
Christ is the first of these to be resurrected, what have died. Because death came through man, through man there will also be a resurrection. And as in Adam, everyone dies, so also in Christ will all be made alive, but each in their own order. Christ first, then you, what belong to Christ, at his coming " (1 Disease 15, 1-8.11. 20-23).
Jesus Christ is truly risen
St.. In his letter to the Corinthians, Paul proclaims the most joyful truth of our faith. It testifies to the event, which is the center of Christianity. It offers the truth that is the foundation of our faith, that Christ is truly risen.
His testimony can be trusted and trusted. After all, the apostle Paul is a man, who has personally met the risen Christ. He is an authentic witness of Christ's resurrection. That's what he preaches : “That Christ died according to the Scriptures - for our sins, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures - that is, with that, what the prophets preached and foretold the events of the Old Covenant.
It must be noted, that St.. Paul to the Corinthians is the oldest scripture in the New Testament, which clearly speaks of the resurrection. This letter was written a year ago 60 after the birth of Christ, so earlier than the Gospels. That is why we value this document so much. St.. Paul does not stop at his own testimony. It is, after all, the most important event in the world. There is no more important fact in human history than the resurrection of Christ. Therefore, the author of the Letter to the Corinthians gives us exactly, who has met the risen Christ. We have a right to find out, how many and what witnesses we have. After all, these are unique events. So Paul mentions : Peter, Twelve Apostles, who stayed and talked with the risen Christ several times, then James the Apostle and five hundred brothers, who met Christ at the same time. For Paul, the encounter with the risen Christ was also the beginning of his conversion. From a persecutor of Christ and his Church, he unexpectedly became an Apostle of the risen Christ. From then on, he devoted his life to proclaiming Christ's resurrection to the entire civilized world.
Through his resurrection, God the Father gave his Son an answer to his love and obedience. He exalted Jesus and showed them to everyone, that is, who was tortured and innocently condemned to death on the cross, he is the Messiah and the Son of God. Jesus' resurrection is His greatest victory, and at the same time the crowning achievement of the work of salvation.
Christ's resurrection is a saving event
Not only the death of Christ, but his resurrection is also the cause of our salvation. Hence St.. Paul preaches, that "Christ is risen… and as in Adam they all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive ". However, in another Letter he says : "Christ was handed over for our sins and raised from the dead for our justification" (Rz 4, 25).
So the risen Christ has become the Head of the new, saved humanity - the new People of God, that is, the Church. We praise him in the Easter preface, when we speak : ,,He destroyed our death by dying and, rising from the dead, he restored our life ".
The risen Savior gives us new life now, in baptism. Every baptized person rises from the death of sin to a life of grace :
“By being baptized into death, we were buried with him for this, that we too may enter a new life - as Christ rose from the dead thanks to the glory of the Father " (Rz 6, 4).
On the Easter Vigil, the whole People of God lives Christ's resurrection and our passage (Passover) from sin to a life of grace, which is done in baptism. Pas-chał - the Easter candle - is a symbol, that is, the sign of the risen Christ, who has overcome the darkness of sin, defeated Satan, He reconciled us with the Father and bestowed God's forgiveness and love. At the time of blessing the baptismal water (when administering baptism) and at the time of the renewal of promises made in baptism, especially during the solemn Mass. Easter Vigil, we glorify the risen Christ and unite with him. We ask Him, to lead us to a glorious resurrection.
Christ's victory, which he experienced in his resurrection, we are especially solemnly celebrating in Poland in the Resurrection procession.
The Feast of the Lord's Resurrection is the greatest feast of the Church of Christ. Every Sunday is also a memory of the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, with whom we meet and unite in the Eucharist.
"In Christ all will be made alive"
Christ - we read in the Letter of St.. Paul - "is the first of these to be resurrected, what have died…” (1 Disease 15, 20). Christ's resurrection gives us certainty, that we too will be resurrected. Therefore, in the Second Letter to the Corinthians, St.. Paweł teaches : „Ten, who raised Jesus, with Jesus he will also bring us back to life " (2 Disease 4, 14).
In Christ's resurrection, God has conquered evil. This victory will be fully manifested on the Last Day. On that day they will all be resurrected, who have ever died.
How will I answer God ?
Every Sunday is a memorial of Christ's resurrection. In the Eucharistic Assembly, that is, in the Mass., I meet the risen Jesus. He baptized me into his death and resurrection. He united me with himself and gave birth to a new life. From then on, I stepped on the road, the end of which is my resurrection with Christ. I should thank God the Father and His Son for this, that I can participate in Christ's resurrection.
When in 5 i 6 Sunday in ordinary time (year C) in the church I will hear the Letter of St.. Paul to the Corinthians, I will reflect on my life. I will think, do I die with Christ to sin, that I may rise with Him to eternal life with God. Together with the whole Church, On the Feast of the Resurrection, I will express my joy and thanksgiving in the words of a song :
“Today is our happy day,
Which of us each demanded.
On that day, Christ is risen - Hallelujah, Alleluia !
The king of heaven k'nam has arrived,
It bloomed as a lovely flower,
After his death, he showed himself to us -
Alleluia, Alleluia !”
■ Think :
1. What is the oldest text of Holy Scripture?. proclaiming the resurrection of Christ ?
2. What witnesses of the resurrection do St.. Paul in 1 Corinthians ?
3. How God the Father responded to the love and obedience of the Son of God ?
4. Why is the resurrection an event of salvation ?
5. What Christ won for us through his death and resurrection ?
6. By which we participate in the resurrection of Christ ?
7. What we experience on the Easter Vigil ?
■ Remember:
42. What is the resurrection of Jesus Christ ?
The resurrection of Jesus Christ is:
a) an event of salvation and the crowning achievement of the work of salvation,
b) Christ's victory over sin, death and satan,
c) the foundation and guarantee of our resurrection,
d) the most important event in human history.