EASTER SUNDAY - 2013

Scripture:
He is not here; for He is risen, as He said. Matthew 28:6

Reflection:
The Resurrection of Jesus is God's stamp of approval that Christ's sacrifice was complete and fully accepted by God. It is the irrefutable proof that all his claims were true. It is the one thing that separates Christianity from all other religions in the world! Rejoice forevermore!

Prayer:
ALLELUIA! ALLELUIA! ALLELUIA!

FIFTH SUNDAY IN LENT - 2013

Scripture:

Martha answered, "I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day." Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?" John 11:24-26

Reflection:

Two weeks from today we celebrate the most amazing and unparalleled event in history: the resurrection of Jesus Christ! Today's scripture reading is taken from the story of the raising of Lazarus from the dead. Jesus' raising of Lazarus acted as a prophetic miracle that anticipated and pointed to his own resurrection.

Martha, the sister of Lazarus, meets Jesus along the way as he draws close to the burial place of Lazarus. They talk about her brother's death, which Martha believed could have been avoided if only Jesus had arrived sooner. The subject matter soon turns to the resurrection at the last day. That day was Martha's last hope for her brother. A day ... sometime in the future. But Jesus quickly shifts the focus away from the resurrection being a day, to the resurrection being a person: himself. He proclaims, "I am the resurrection and the life!" The hope of resurrection is not so much a day in the future, not so much an event that we all look forward to some day. The hope of the resurrection is Jesus himself!

When death stares us in the face, when death reminds of loved ones who have gone on before, when that glorious day of resurrection seems like a distant, uncertain illusion, remember that Jesus, the resurrected, exalted, ever reigning Jesus, is our sure hope. He is our resurrection!

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, you are our hope. You are our resurrection. You are our life. Though our days may uncertain, our futures unpredictable, our lives a mere breath away from eternity, you are sure, you are certain. You are our rock, our fortress, our strong tower. Our confidence is in you, in you alone. Help us to trust you more each day. Amen.