Our Lord often used the miracle of his coming Resurrection to support the doctrines which he taught. He also decreed that all precautions taken by the Jews only served to prove even more the wonderful fact. The apostles, besides, always cited it as the basis of the faith they preached. “If Christ had not risen again, your faith is vain, for you are yet in your sins.” (1 Cor 15:17)
How happy am I to possess a faith so clearly divine; and all the graces belonging to my state in life! Do I show my gratitude by my works as well as my words?
My own resurrection to life and bliss eternal, if I only take care to secure it, is as certain as the resurrection of Jesus. In the words of the Holy Spirit, “For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. But each in his own turn: Christ as first fruits, then they who are Christ’s, who have believed, at his coming.” (1 Cor 15:22-3)
What consolation there is in the thought that this body, which I care for so much, will one day be given back to me endowed with new and wonderful powers! Immortal, with an immensely increased capacity for enjoyment. Death viewed in such a light is no loss, but rather a gain to the Christian, a source of the sweetest hope and inexpressible comfort.
A man sadly regards the crumbling of the house he lives in; but if he learns that it is to be rebuilt more beautifully than before, his sorrow turns into joy. Our body, the dwelling-place of the soul, is not a very stable one. Despite all our care, sooner or later it deteriorates. It is a saddening thought.
However, we know God has promised to raise it up infinitely more beautiful; never again to be destroyed. “If our earthly house of this habitation be dissolved, we have a building of God, a house not made with hands, eternal in heaven.” (2 Cor 5:1) Should we fall and die, still in the prime of life, we may say with St Paul, ‘to die is gain’.
Ref: cf “Practical Meditations” by a Father of the Society of Jesus, 1964, pp192-4
The value of pain suffered for Christ
Physical sufferings: pain, illness, tiredness -- if borne for Christ become true treasures for us. This is the great revolution brought about by Christ. It can be understood only through prayer and with the light that faith gives. Therefore, pain be it physical or moral can truly be a treasure which unites us with Christ.
Do we know how to immediately and calmly offer to God those small mortifications which are foreseen and those which arise during the day? The contemplation of God will satisfy our longing for happiness. This consummation will take place when we wake up to reality. As St Paul comments, our life is like a dream (cf 1 Thess 4:14).
“My kingdom is not of this world”, the Lord had said. Thus, when He declared “I have come that you may have life: life in all its fulness” (Jn 10:10), he was not referring to an earthly life without difficulties; but to eternal life, which begins in the one we are now living. He came to free us from what prevents our reaching definitive happiness; from sin, the only absolute evil.
“If the Son sets you free then you will be truly free” (Jn 8:36), the Lord tells us. He also made it possible for us to overcome the effects of sin -- oppression, injustice, excessive economic differences, envy, hatred. Or to suffer them cheerfully when they are inevitable. Such is the value of the life that Christ has gained for us.
However, this does not mean that Christians should be passive amidst pain and injustice. On the contrary, out of charity and a desire for justice, we must remain committed to a more humane and just world, beginning in our homes and places of work; and always seeking above everything else the absolute good for man.
Christ paid for our freedom with his own life. Thus, he showed us the gravity of sin, the worth of our eternal salvation and the means to achieve it. “You have been bought at a great price, ... glorify God and carry him in your body.” (1 Cor 6:20) The Lord went that far precisely to show us his love, because no greater love has any man than that he “gives his life for his friends” (Jn 15:13).
How much do I value the life of grace Christ obtained for me on Calvary? Do I strive to increase this life of grace by frequenting the sacraments, through prayer, and good works? Do I avoid occasions of sin, resolutely struggling against sensuality, pride, laziness? “I tell you that whoever commits sin is a slave of sin.” (Jn 8:34)
Ref: cf F Fernandez, “In Conversation with God”, 2:223-6
The Gospel of Suffering
The Redeemer himself wrote this Gospel, above all by his own suffering accepted in love, so that man should not perish but have eternal life (cf Jn 3:16). This suffering together with the living word of his teaching, became a rich source for all those who shared in Jesus’ sufferings among the first generation of his disciples and confessors, and among those who have come after them down the centuries.
It is especially consoling to note that at the side of Christ, in the first and most exalted place, there is always his Mother through the exemplary testimony that she bears by her whole life to this particular Gospel of suffering. In her, the many and intense sufferings were amassed in such an interconnected way that they were not only a proof of her unshakeable faith but also a contribution to the redemption of all.
It was on Calvary that Mary’s suffering, beside the suffering Jesus, reached an intensity which can hardly be imagined from a human point of view; but which was mysterious and supernaturally fruitful for the redemption of the world.
Her ascent of Calvary and her standing at the foot of the Cross together with the Beloved Disciple were a special sort of sharing in the redeeming death of her Son. And the words which she heard from his lips were a kind of solemn handing-over of this Gospel of suffering so that it could be proclaimed to the whole community of believers.
Ref: cf Pope John Paul II, Apostolic Letter, “Salvifici Doloris”, p52-3
Our Lady of Laval, in Viverais. This church is much visited for obtaining rain to preserve the fruits of the earth. — Triple Couronne, n. 41. (“Catholic Gems or Treasures of the Church” Historical Calendar; http://www.bethlehemobserver.com); (maryfest.htm / www.starharbor.com/santiago/m_feasts.html)
'Notre Dame de Laval' / Our Lady of Laval. Viverais, France. 1646. (www.marylinks.org/Mary-Calendar.htm); (www.iskandar.com/ourlady/ourladyfeasts.html)
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