“If Jesus had not risen from the dead our faith would be in vain.” (St.Paul)
The Church, for over two thousand years, has celebrated and proclaimed the resurrection of Christ from the dead. I am convinced of the truth of that message, but I cannot prove it. To my knowledge, no such proof is available. But this should neither surprise us nor disturb us.
Nowhere in scripture is there a description of the actual moment of the resurrection of Jesus. What we have are some texts about the discovery of the empty tomb and also some accounts of of various appearances of the risen Lord. The apparition stories inspire reflection on the continuing presence of the Lord in the lives of his followers.
Slowly they came to to believe and their belief opened their eyes to the new order of creation, a new way of understanding life. Later events would clarify that the new creation means the presence of the Lord in the community of believers through their sharing in the power of the Spirit. For us, as Catholics, our belief in the Real Presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist is a belief in His continuing presence in our community.
The resurrection of Christ is one of those things that lies beyond the realm of truth. Each person, each community, must discover the truth of it for themselves. If the resurrection of Christ is true, you need to know it, you and I need to experience his presence and his power in our lives. It must also impel us to share that experience in order to perpetuate the example of sacrificial love that Jesus modeled for us throughout his life and death.