Dear Fathers , Friends in Christ,
1 Corinthians 15:12-20
Psalm 17:1bcd, 6-7, 8b and 15
Luke 8:1-3
But now Christ has been raised from the dead,
the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.
(1 Corinthians 15: 20)
Every Sunday at Mass, every time we recite the rosary and every time we pray the Creed, we state our belief in the resurrection of the body (of the dead).
Our bodily resurrection from the dead is directly dependent on our Savior's resurrection, which defeated death and made eternal life possible for all who believe in Him.
At times, the thought of death, the end of our earthly existence, might cause fear and dread. It is not in our originally-created nature to experience death, which came about through sin. Yet, we know by faith that, as faithful members of the Body of Christ, we shall live and not die.
Tertullian, a writer and theologian of the ancient Church, offered some analogies to aid our reason in support of our faith. For example, just as night passes into day, our earthly death brings us into new life. Just as nature is ever-renewed over time, our souls will never die.
"Whatever you may chance upon, has already existed; whatever you have lost, returns again without fail. All things return to their former state, after having gone out of sight; all things begin after they have ended; they come to an end for the very purpose of coming into existence again. Nothing perishes but with a view to salvation. The whole, therefore, of this revolving order of things, bears witness to the resurrection of the dead."
(Tertullian, On the Resurrection of the Flesh, Ch.12)
Father Ed Bakker
Anglican Catholic Church / Original Province
Mission of Saint Aidan of Lindisfarne
Bendigo Australia
