Jesus’ crucifixion ends the story his disciples thought they were living by following him. They believed Jesus was Israel’s long-awaited messiah, but his death seemed to disprove that.
His resurrection begins a new story. It is a new day of creation, an eighth day. Small wonder that fear, amazement, doubt, questioning, confusion mix together in Luke 24, the chapter on Jesus’ resurrection appearances.
Luke writes about A.D. 85. The Church has been telling Jesus’ new story and handing it on orally for more than 50 years. Luke explains in his opening verses that many have written orderly accounts of the events that have been fulfilled among us, that were handed down by eyewitnesses and servants of the word. He has investigated everything carefully from the very first and writes so friends of God can know the truth. For Luke, Jesus’ story is one of fulfillment.
Our time also calls for some recalibrating of who God is. Some people cling to past certainties. Many disaffiliate from institutional religions. Church scandals have sent many Catholics into the ranks of the non-affiliated. Others retreat from doctrines built on worldviews people today no longer hold.
Some of us stay and seek fresh insights in dialogue with science, technology, and other religions. For example, we recognize that evolution doesn’t conflict with faith, that God is more than we previously imagined, not static and fixed.
God’s creative love unfolds in the cosmos dynamically from inanimate to living and conscious creatures. It’s a wow and a wonder. God addresses us as much from the future as from the past, luring us toward all we can become.
My own faith in resurrection rests not only on the gospel testimony of the first witnesses but my experience of being with my mother in her last days. Her spirit became increasingly transparent in her body. This and creation itself keep me open to the impossible coming to be.
- How do you express your faith in the resurrection, that something new is possible?