Resurrection
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Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give you light.
Ancient Baptismal acclamation

Opening Prayer

WYD 2008 Archdiocese of Toronto Prayer

God our Father,
You sent your Son to reveal your kingdom
giving us a share in it as your children.
We ask that you send your Spirit upon us
so that we may become your witnesses to the ends of the earth.
Spirit of Truth, guide us with your Word that is
a lamp for our feet and a light for our path.
Spirit of Love, teach us to love one another
as Jesus loves us.
Spirit of Fortitude and Witness, give us the courage
to live according to the Gospel and to proclaim it boldly,
fulfilling our call to be salt of the earth and light for the world.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ
Who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
God for ever and ever.
Amen.

Introduction

This is the day the Lord has made;
let us rejoice and be glad.
Psalm 118:24

The death of Jesus makes no sense without the Resurrection. It is for this reason that the Triduum is seen as one continuous movement of death being transformed into abundant life.

The Father brought Jesus to new life. We are not talking about reanimating a corpse, nor is the Resurrection like the raising of Lazarus from the dead. Lazarus eventually died again, but we know that Christ will never die again (Romans 6:9). He did not return to the earthly form of human life that he had previously. He has been transfigured. In some ways he is the same Jesus as before. He eats with his disciples, and he shows them his physical wounds. And yet, he is very different. Close friends do not recognize him right away, he appears and disappears and even walks through doors. Time and space hold no barriers for him.

The image of the seed dying and being transformed into new life (1 Cor 15:35-38) may be a helpful one in understanding this change into a new way of being. The promise of the new life already exists in the seed, but it needs to break open and be nourished in order to grow into the plant it is meant to be.

Jesus Christ is the first fruit of the resurrection (1 Cor 15:20), however, we too can experience the Resurrection today. The Easter Vigil rings out that Jesus Christ breaks the chains of death and Christians grow together in holiness today – “This is the night.” But do we recognize Resurrection moments in our lives? Do we recognize the presence of Jesus Christ with us? Do we allow ourselves to be transformed?

Questions

What do you think went through the disciples’ minds when they first heard about the Resurrection? How did they feel?
How do you feel about this? How do you understand Resurrection?

The point to bring out in the above discussion is that the Resurrection was real. It may be something that is hard to wrap our minds around but it is crucial when it comes to our faith.

We are told that, “Those who try to make their life secure will lose it, but those who lose their life will keep it” (Luke 17:33). What does this mean in light of the Resurrection?

The point to bring out is that suffering can be transformed into peace and joy. We need to ‘lose’ our life in order to have eternal life. Losing one’s life for Christ rarely involves martyrdom in the classical sense for us, but it does involve us giving up ‘idols’ that we may hold on to. We may need to be counter-cultural to be disciples. What are the things you are holding on to that may be preventing your growth in closeness to God?

We don’t have to wait until we die to encounter Jesus Christ and experience new life. What are ways that we recognize Jesus today in light of Scriptural resurrection accounts?

Here are some of the ways we are able to encounter Jesus Christ in our daily lives reflecting the Scriptural resurrection accounts:

• Called by name – like Mary Magdalene – personal relationships
• Road to Emmaus – Jesus Christ walks among us unrecognized – if we can recognize him in Scripture and Eucharist maybe recognize him in our lives as well
• Thomas – need to be able to believe without seeing
• Sharing a meal and special celebrations – recognize when at table, especially at the table of the Eucharist
• Reaffirm baptismal promises at Easter – even when we fail to live out our vocations as disciples (as we are bound to do) we reaffirm our dedication to accept responsibility to minister to others
  

Understanding

The life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ is the climax of the history of salvation, they are the continuation of the story of creation. The readings from the Easter Vigil make this clear.

Divide the participants into 9 groups. Assign each group a reading from the Easter Vigil. Ask them to create a poster depicting their story. Present the posters in order and then discuss how they are all part of one narrative.

Genesis 1:1-22
Genesis 22:1-18
Exodus 14:15 – 15:21
Isaiah 54:5-14
Isaiah 55:1-11
Baruch 3:9-15, 32 – 4:4
Ezekiel 36: 16-17a, 18-28
Romans 6:3-11
One of the following: Year A  Matthew 28:1-18
                                    Year B  Mark 16:1-8
                                    Year C  Luke 24:1-12
                                    John 20:1-18 (from Easter Sunday)

Reflection

The following is a list of some of the resurrection appearances as recorded in the New Testament. Read 4 of these stories. In your journal, summarize what took place. Then, imagine you are one of the people Jesus appeared to. Ask yourself (and write down your answers):

• How do you feel about your Lord now being alive?
• What does he look like to you?
• What does he say to you?
• Have you ever experienced a moment in your life that you believe was an encounter with the risen Jesus?
• How are you called to reflect now Jesus’ light to the world?

Mary Magdalene (John 20:11-18)
Women at the tomb (Matthew 28:8-10)
Jesus appears to his disciples (Luke 24:36-49, Matthew 28:16-20, John 20:19-23, Acts 1:6-9)
Thomas (John 20: 24-29)
Road to Emmaus (Luke 24: 13-35)
Jesus appears to the Seven (John 21:1-14)
Jesus and Peter (John 21: 15-19)
Paul (Acts 9:3-8)

Closing Prayer

Consider a service with a renewal of baptismal promises including sprinkling with water. Otherwise:

Prayer of the Eucharistic Charter

Jesus, in Cana,
You changed the water into wine,
so that we may continue to celebrate the covenant.
May your Eucharist,
In which the bead and wine are you body and blood given,
strengthen our faith and lead us to follow in your word.

Jesus, in the desert,
You spoke of the Kingdom,
you healed the sick and multiplied the loaves
to nourish the bodies and spirits of the multitude,
May your Eucharist, Word and Bread of Life,
restore meaning to our lives and bring hope back into our hearts.

Jesus, at the Last Supper,
in washing the feet of Your disciples, you showed them
there is no greater love than to give one’s life for one’s friends.
May your Eucharist restore warmth to our hearts grown cold
and lead us to serve with all joy and simplicity
the persons we meet on our way,
especially the poorest of all.

Jesus, at Emmaus,
You explained the Scriptures to those who thought they were lost,
and you revealed yourself at the breaking of the Bread.
May your Eucharist lead us to a better understanding of the Scriptures,
may it open our eyes to your presence
and kindle in us the ardent desire to announce your resurrection.

Fulfilled by so much love and grace,
And led by your Spirit,
we are here to respond even more to this love
that you share with us through the Eucharist.

Amen.

Faith on Film: 
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (2005)

Use the Faith on Film resource to help you with this alternative to the above catechesis.

Group questions:

• How does the movie reflect the Triduum?
• What is the significance of the eternal winter in the movie?
• How is the land transformed after Aslan returns?
• Is it significant that the youngest, Lucy, is the first to find Narnia?

Personal reflection:

• How can you be more like a child in order to recognize God’s presence in your life better?
• The four children in the movie need to defeat the witch to fulfill their destinies as the kings and queens of the land. What is your destiny? What do you need to defeat in order to fulfill it?
• Is there a part of your life that has turned to stone? Ask Christ for help in transforming it.

Final thoughts from the movie:

“If the Witch understood the true meaning of sacrifice, she would have interpreted the deep magic differently. That when a willing victim who has committed no wrong, offers himself in a traitor's stead, the stone table will crack, and death itself will go backwards.”