Salutations to you! How are you doing today? We are currently within the Octave of the Easter Season on the Octave or Eighth Day of April. Within Sacred Scripture eight has been understood to be a number signifying a “new creation” (biblestudy.org). The Resurrection of Jesus is rightly understood as a “new creation.” While he and his glorified body retained the wounds of the crucifixion (Luke 24:40 and John 20:20) he was also able to do things that ordinary people could not do, like pass through closed doors to comfort his friends the disciples (John 20:19ff).
We are invited to participate in the Lord's Resurrection to become a “new creation” in our journey of faith. In honor of this Eighth Day of the Easter Season here are eight positive consequences (drawn from Sacred Scripture and the Catechism of the Catholic Church) of experiencing the Resurrection in our lives:
1. “If Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain” (1 Corinthians 15:14). Because of the Resurrection the preaching of St. Paul was not in vain and our faith is not in vain but completely justified.
2. “Christ's Resurrection is the fulfillment of the promises both of the Old Testament and of Jesus himself during his earthly life” (CCC, 652). We were made for eternal life and not merely an earthly existence.
3. The truth of Jesus' divinity is confirmed by his Resurrection. He had said: "When you have lifted up the Son of man, then you will know that I am he." (CCC, 653 and John 8:28).
4. “The Paschal mystery has two aspects: by his death, Christ liberates us from sin; by his Resurrection, he opens for us the way to a new life” (CCC, 653). Less sin and more virtue within us.
5. “We are brethren not by nature, but by the gift of grace, because that adoptive filiation gains us a real share in the life of the only Son, which was fully revealed in his Resurrection” (Ibid).
6. “I came so that they may have life more abundantly” (John 10:10). Abundant life is good.
7. “I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and your joy may be complete” (John 15:11)
8. “We know that Christ, raised from the dead, dies no more; death no longer has power over him...Consequently, you too must think of yourselves as [being] dead to sin and living for God in Christ Jesus” (Romans 6:9,11). Freed and forgiven and living for the Glory of the Lord.
