The Resurrection of Jesus

In the First Glorious Mystery, we contemplate the Resurrection of Jesus.

From the Gospel of John (20:1, 11-16)
Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and saw the stone had been removed from the tomb. (…) But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb. (…) she turned round and saw Jesus standing there, by she did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, ‘Woman, why are you weeping? For whom are you looking?’ Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, ‘Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.’ Jesus said to her, ‘Mary!’ She turned and said to him in Hebrew, ‘Rabbouni!’ (which means Teacher). 

Commentary by St. Ephrem
Glory be to You, Jesus Christ, who made Your cross a bridge over death through which souls can pass from death to life.

Meditation 1
Jesus’ Resurrection proves that evil does not have the last word. Death is no longer the end of life but a passage to eternal life. It is the Resurrection that gives meaning to all existence; if our end were the same as that of all living beings, human life would have no meaning—it would be a pointless toil.

If Christ had not risen, our existence would be in vain: joys would not be true joys, and sorrows would be even sadder and devoid of hope. We would be the most miserable of all men, as St. Paul said, but more than that, we would be the most wretched of all living beings.

Unlike other living beings, humans are aware of living and are free to direct their own lives. Without the Resurrection, this self-awareness of our condition and end would be a constant torture.

In the metamorphoses of some animals, like the butterfly, or in the three states of water, where it becomes invisible without ceasing to be water, nature offers examples that help us believe that, like Jesus, our material body will be transformed into a spiritual and glorious body similar to His.

Meditation 2
The Resurrection of Jesus Christ is important for many reasons. First, it testifies to the immense power of God Himself. To believe in the Resurrection is to believe in God. If God exists and if He created the universe and has power over it, then He also has the power to raise the dead. If He did not have such power, He would not be a God worthy of our faith and worship. Only He who created life can resurrect after death. By raising Jesus from the grave, God reminds us of His absolute sovereignty over life and death.

The Resurrection of Jesus Christ validates who Jesus claimed to be, namely the Son of God and the Messiah. The Resurrection of Jesus was the "sign from heaven" that authenticated His ministry (Matthew 16:1-4). The Resurrection of Jesus Christ, attested to by hundreds of eyewitnesses (1 Corinthians 15:3-8), provides irrefutable proof that He, and He alone, is the Savior of the world.

The Resurrection of Jesus Christ proves His sinless character and divine nature. The Scriptures said that God's "Holy One" would never see decay (Psalm 16:10), and Jesus did not experience decay even after His death (Acts 13:32-37). It was on the basis of Christ's Resurrection that Paul preached, "Through this man the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you... by this Jesus everyone who believes is set free from all those sins from which you could no t be freed by the law of Moses" (Acts 13:38-39).

Prayer
Lord Jesus Christ,
we contemplate Your glorious Resurrection with gratitude and reverence.
You, who conquered death, bring us the hope of eternal life and renew our faith.
It was You who, with infinite love, made the cross a bridge over the abyss of death
so that all of us may pass from the darkness of sin into the light of life.

Lord, help us to live in the light of Your Resurrection.
May the power of Your victory over evil transform our lives,
giving us strength to face difficulties
with the certainty that death and suffering do not have the final word.
Just as Mary Magdalene recognized Your voice in the garden,
may we too hear Your call
each day and respond with love and fidelity.

Lord, grant us the grace to live with hearts full of Your peace and joy,
knowing that through Your Resurrection, our life has an eternal purpose.
Help us to be living witnesses of Your presence,
bringing hope to those who suffer and light to those who live in darkness.

May our body one day, like Yours, be transformed into a glorious body,
and that, through Your mercy, we may be with You in the fullness of eternal life.
We praise and thank You, Lord, for being our Redeemer,
who is risen and lives forever. Amen.

Fr. Jorge Amaro, IMC

Crucifixion and Death

In the Fifth Sorrowful Mystery, we contemplate the crucifixion and death of Jesus.

From the Gospel of John (19: 25-30)
Meanwhile, standing near the cross of Jesus were his mother, and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing beside her, he said to his mother, ‘Woman, here is your son.’ Then he said to the disciple, ‘Here is your mother.’ And from that hour the disciple took her into his own home.

After this, when Jesus knew that all was now finished, he said (in order to fulfil the scripture), ‘I am thirsty.’ A jar full of sour wine was standing there. So, they put a sponge full of the wine on a branch of hyssop and held it to his mouth. When Jesus had received the wine, he said, ‘It is finished.’ Then he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

Commentary by Saint Bernard
He alone had the power to give up His life; no one could take it from Him. And after receiving the vinegar, Jesus said, "It is finished!", meaning that there was nothing left to do, nothing more to expect. And bowing His head, the One who was obedient unto death expired. Dying in this way reveals a great virtue. Likewise, we too should die saying, "It is finished," meaning that after repentance and confession, we say, "Jesus, Joseph, and Mary, I entrust my soul to you."

Meditation 1
Abandoned by His people, His friends, disciples, and apostles, crucified between two criminals, Jesus felt at the end that even God had abandoned Him, perhaps because of the weight of humanity’s sins that fell upon Him. Yet, He kept His hope in God and did not despair. It was to the same God, who seemed to have turned His back on Him, that Jesus gave up His spirit.

In the Shroud of Turin, we can see the final result of all this. The face of Jesus, imprinted there, reveals a man who suffered with resignation, patience, and fortitude, accepting both the Father’s plan and humanity’s condemnation.

We observe the face of someone accustomed to suffering, but who, even when all reasons for hope seemed exhausted, did not despair. It was at that moment, when Jesus felt abandoned even by God, that He experienced the most terrible loneliness any human being could ever experience.

The apparent abandonment by the Father was experienced by Jesus as a foretaste of hell, to which we, sinners, were destined. He lived through this experience so that we would not have to go through it ourselves.

Contemplating this face on the Shroud of Turin, Pope Paul VI exclaimed: "My heart tells me that it is He, that it is the Lord!"

Meditation 2
Jesus cried out in a loud voice: "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" (Mark 15:34). Christianity made it possible to affirm that God is love and that He loves us. "Whoever compels himself to love, compels himself to suffer”.

From the time we were teenagers, when for the first time we had our heart broken by someone who did not reciprocate our love, we understood that love is like a coin: on one side, joy; on the other, suffering. If God loves us, He could only prove this love by suffering and dying for us. And so it was: Jesus declared that "no one has greater love than this, to lay down one's life for one’s friends”.

Jesus said, "If they persecuted me, they will persecute you" (John 15:20) – Therefore, if you have never suffered for the Gospel, you are not an authentic Christian. There would be no reason to suffer for the Gospel if the world were just, true, peaceful, and fraternal. But the world is not like that; it does not live by Gospel values. And those who do live by them will sooner or later face the world and pay the price for living out their faith, just as Jesus did.

Prayer
Lord Jesus,
as we contemplate Your cross,
we feel the weight of Your love for us,
a love that gave itself unreservedly, to the last breath.
You were abandoned by Your own,
You endured pain and loneliness,
But You never stopped trusting in the Father.
Teach us, Lord, to trust in You in our darkest hours,
when the weight of life seems unbearable, 
and despair draws near.

Help us to accept our crosses
with the same serenity and surrender that You accepted Yours.
May we recognize, even in the midst of pain,
that Your love never abandons us,
and that, as You did, 
we can entrust everything into the Father's hands.

Grant us the courage to live according to the Gospel,
even if it means facing misunderstanding 
and rejection of the world.
And when we feel that we are alone,
remind us that Your cross is always present,
a sign of hope and salvation.

Lord, may Your death on the cross 
be for us the certainty of eternal life
and of Your infinite mercy. Amen.

Fr. Jorge Amaro, IMC