Overview: Belief in the Resurrection (or lack thereof) has immediate ethical implications. It’s not that an unbeliever can’t be a good person, but what does “good” mean when it’s detached from any kind of grounding in Truth? By what standard is goodness to be judged? As persons “raised with Christ” in baptism (second reading) the standard against which our lives are judged is Christ – a very high standard indeed. The first reading is from Peter’s homily to a Roman centurion, Cornelius. In it we hear the central proclamation of the Gospel, or “kerygma”. Upon hearing Peter’s witness regarding the death and resurrection of Jesus, Cornelius, along with his whole family, was baptized, becoming the first Gentile convert to follow the “Way” (as Christianity was first called. See Acts 9:2). Mary Magdalene was one of the first witnesses of the resurrection (Gospel). Her testimony prompted Peter and John to hasten to the empty tomb, where they “saw and believed.”

 

Key verse: “If then you were raised with Christ, seek what is above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Think of what is above, not of what is on earth.” (Col. 3:1-2)

 

 

Pope Benedict XVI:  “Now he raises us from the waters of death to true life. He leads us through the often murky sea of history, where we are frequently in danger of sinking amid all the confusion and perils. In Baptism he takes us, as it were, by the hand, he leads us along the path that passes through the Red Sea of this life and introduces us to everlasting life, the true and upright life. Let us grasp his hand firmly!  Whatever may happen, whatever may befall us, let us not lose hold of his hand! Let us walk along the path that leads to life.” (Homily, 03/22/08)

 

Application: The word “witness” occurs no less than three times in the first reading, highlighting the importance witnessing to Christ by spreading and defending the faith in word and deed. In a recent interview, Archbishop Chaput said, “The political duty of Catholics is to be Catholic first – to know their faith and to think and act like faithful Catholics all the time.” In baptism we “died” to the values and ways of the world and were raised to the new life of grace. Having set our “minds on the things above” we are to look at things from God’s perspective and to ‘think and act like faithful Catholics all the time.’