The Lord wants us to rise from the dead. He will do this by His almighty power, but we must let it be done (see Lk 1:38). We let the Lord raise us from the dead by believing in Him. Jesus told Jairus at the news of his daughter's death: "Fear is useless, only believe" (Mk 5:36, our transl.). At the cemetery following Lazarus' death, Jesus likewise said: "I am the Resurrection and the Life: whoever believes in Me, though he should die, will come to life" (Jn 11:25-26).
We believe Jesus not only concerning the resurrection, but in everything. We believe Jesus' words that if we feed on His flesh and drink His blood, we have life eternal and will be raised from the dead (Jn 6:54). We believe that, if we die with Jesus through baptism and daily self-denial, we will live with Jesus forever (see 2 Tm 2:11). We believe that Jesus baptizes us in the Holy Spirit (Mk 1:8) and we even believe that the Spirit dwelling within us will raise us from the dead (Rm 8:11).
Our resurrection from the dead is part of our salvation in Jesus. Therefore, resurrection is a free gift to be claimed by faith. Let us believe in Jesus and look forward with joy to our deaths. In Jesus, our spirits will rise immediately at our death, and our bodies will rise on the last day when Jesus comes again (Catechism, 997).
| PRAYER: | Father, give me faith to move mountains (Mt 17:20), even the mountain of death. |
| PROMISE: | "Just as you are rich in every respect, in faith and discourse, in knowledge, in total concern, and in the love we bear you, so may you abound in this charity." –2 Cor 8:7 |
| PRAISE: | Praise the risen Jesus – "the First-Born of the dead" (Col 1:18). |
Reprinted with permission from Presentation Ministries, a lay association of the Catholic Church that focuses on evangelization and discipleship through Bible teaching, daily Mass, the charisms of the Holy Spirit, and Small Christian Community. Their ministries include:
· One Bread, One Body
· Daily Bread Radio Program
· Annual Bible Institute
· Discipleship Retreats
· Guadalupe Bible College