A Summer Sunday Thought About The Resurrection

If we accept wisdom that Memorial Day marks the "unofficial" start of summer is to be believed, we're well on our way to Summer Sundays. Time-honored tradition may call for a general easing up on our typical exertions, whether both at work and at home.

While the season screams "vacation" to most of us - and rightfully so - we don't want to take a vacation from our spiritual life. Indeed, as opposed to matters material, especially those involving our brains and our brawn, we don't really want to "ease up" when it comes to matter of the soul.

So instead of slacking off, let's build on the strength we gained from our Lenten discipline, and the graces we received if we kept an attentive, holy Easter Season.

The Passion and Death of Our Lord calls us to a life of sacrifice, or penance and mortification. We see His selfless example and are drawn to following it - with His grace - in our own way. We eschew the lures of the world, the flesh, and the devil. Our Interior Life virtually resonates with our desire to remain within our spiritual "cell" as we go about our daily ora et labora (prayer and work).

All of this came to us as a result of keeping Lent well.

Then there's the Resurrection. It's the capstone of Our Lord's Passion and Death. Without it, all would be in vain. He rose from the dead to show us our destination, our eternal fate - which we want to be a happy one, of course.

We are lifted out of ourselves and directed to our real home - Heaven. Again, with His Grace, we can slowly but surely extricate ourselves from the grasp of all that surrounds us now, in this earthly life, and begin to dip our toe in the eternal life to come. Indeed, with persistence and sincere devotion, some of us may become saints here and now.

So on this summer Sunday here are some thoughts about the "Advantages of the Resurrection" we recently came across. It's packed with precious nuggets, so don't just skim it.

From the Resurrection of Christ, therefore, we should draw two lessons: the one, that after we have washed away the stains of sin, we should begin to lead a new life, distinguished by integrity, innocence, holiness, modesty, justice, beneficence and humility; the other, that we should so persevere in that newness of life as never more, with the divine assistance, to stray from the paths of virtue on which we have once entered.

Nor do the words of the Apostle prove only that the Resurrection of Christ is proposed as the model of our resurrection; they also declare that it gives us power to rise again, and imparts to us strength and courage to persevere in holiness and righteousness, and in the observance of the Commandments of God. For as His death not only furnishes us with an example, but also supplies us with strength to die to sin, so also His Resurrection invigorates us to attain righteousness, so that thenceforward serving God in piety and holiness, we may walk in the newness of life to which we have risen. By His Resurrection, our Lord accomplished this especially that we, who before died with Him to sin and to the world, should rise also with Him to a new order and manner of life. 

Most encouraging to us less-than-sainted sorts: The Resurrection not only provides a model to understand our own ultimate resurrection, it also invigorates us to attain righteousness. It's got it all. And it's the greatest gift we'll ever receive. 

Our Lord is so good to us, isn't He?

Happy Sunday!