April 14, 2021
A Chaplain’s Thoughts: Resurrection
By Rev. James F. Quigley, O.P. ’60, Associate Chaplain,
National Alumni Association
We are told today that many people have given up on the Catholic Church. They may think of themselves as “spiritual” but want no part of organized religion. Others hold on for a variety of reasons that may not be theological. The pandemic we are still living through has affected religious practice and to some degree, belief. Will those who watch Eucharist live streams return to live community?
The Catholic Church is and has been in crisis mode. The believing community, which is the Church, faces a number of issues. Of course that can be disheartening, unsettling. So why stay? The fundamental reason has to be Jesus Christ. At Easter, Jesus rose from the dead. That had never happened before. He walked away from the tomb. What happened in that graveyard in Jerusalem so long ago was the first moment in a cosmic process that involves all of us.
The resurrection of Jesus Christ is an object of faith, and a test of faith. It is a promise that we, too, will rise from the dead. Death is no longer irreversible but rather, reversible. The still-living Lord Jesus Christ is present to us, to all, even to those who feel they have to walk away.
St. Augustine said that the virtue of hope had two daughters: courage and anger. Those who hold on to their baptismal faith need courage to stay in a living relationship with Jesus Christ. They may need that especially when family or friends simply dismiss them. And it means listening to those who are angry with the Church with respect and, when necessary, to ask pardon for the failures of the Church.
Pope Francis tells us: “What was humanly unthinkable happened. Christ, my hope, is risen! And in Him, we too are resurrected, passing from death to life, from the slavery of sin to the freedom of love … the risen Jesus walks with us. He manifests himself to those who invoke and love Him.” God loves us in a way that can take our breath away. Resurrection shows that love. Jesus Christ rose from the dead and lives. That’s a good reason to stay if you are looking for one.
