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The LampLight
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 RISE UP WITH JESUS
- By Fr. Agustinus Tupen
Belo, PR
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Beloved
Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Curses to your God, curses to His Son Jesus Christ, curses to your
Holy Father, curses also to your Bishop, priest, religious sister and
religious brother. Curses… Once again I say curses to Jesus Christ and
curses to all of you and your leaders. Such is the voice of Satan who was
upset because his power was repressed and thwarted by God. It is the
devil’s complaint when the Great Savior’s glorious resurrection defeated
the power of sin and death. It is Satan angered because his hope for the
people to be in darkn ess
was wiped out.
We grieved because
our God, Jesus Christ, breathed His last on the Cross after the hard way
from Gabbatha to Golgotha. Satan rejoiced because the road to Heaven was
closed. But now, the world is full of joy because He who was crucified
and killed in the hands of sinful men is alive again. The tears
of mourning changed to tears of happiness. Passion is changed to joy.
Now, the way to Heaven is open wide to whoever believes in Him.
Jesus Christ, Son of
God and Son of Man, has resurrected to be the great winner, proven by His
power over sin and death. His assurance that He has to suffer and die then
rise again becomes a reality. He who has risen from the dead will never
die again; death has no power over Him again.
Is it true that
Jesus rose? If it is, where is the proof? There are no eyewitnesses to
the resurrection of Jesus Christ. His disciples or people close to Him do
not know. What we have are signs confirming that Jesus has risen, like
the stone rolled away from the tomb and the Body of Jesus, which was
nowhere to be found. From the available signs, it was concluded that
Jesus rose from the dead. Only after Jesus showed Himself repeatedly to
His disciples did it become clear that He has truly risen from the dead.
No eyewitness does not mean His rising is questioned or doubted. Because
Saint Paul said it is more important to believe rather than to see.
Although none of us
witnessed the resurrection or the appearance of Jesus, it does not lessen
the meaning or importance of our faith and our belief. Those who
witnessed the appearance of Jesus after His rising are our
representatives. What they saw and experienced were written as the truth
of our faith. Christ’s resurrection is a truth that cannot be refuted by
anybody. In our faith, we believe this truth. We believe that Jesus
Christ is the first one to rise from the dead; who enters into the darkest
of dark but goes to the brightest of bright. Jesus’ rising is the
breakthrough to a new life. Why not! Because through Jesus’
resurrection, the dividing wall was destroyed, the gap was bridged, the
chain of sin was broken and the power of darkness was conquered. For us,
Jesus Christ regained Heaven, which was stolen by Satan.
We have ended the
season of Lent. All our preparations to celebrate His resurrection have
culminated. Easter is a holy day, the day of mercy, the day of salvation
for us -- His chosen people. This is the day to give thanks because God
is faithful to His promise and to His work of salvation. Together with
the psalmist we praise Him: “Great and glorious are His works, His love
is everlasting.”
Satan surrendered as
the loser, but it does not mean he will be quiet forever. He is quiet
while plotting new strategies to close the road to salvation. He is quiet
while doing all he can to close again the hearts of men with stones bigger
than the stone that sealed Jesus’ tomb. He is quiet while trying to
persuade man to focus his attention to the riches of this world. He is
quiet while trying to recruit today’s man to be his loyal follower.
Whoever gives him a chance brings joy to Satan.
The important
question for our reflection is: “What does Easter mean to us this year?”
Easter means to rise
and live a new life. Let us roll away the stone, which bears down on our
hearts and minds, blocking our growth to become good disciples of Christ.
To rise and live life anew means to let go of our old self and live as the
Holy Spirit wants us. Can these materialize as truth? The answer will be
“can” and “can not.” “Can” for those who have the will and “can not” for
those who do not have any interest. Because if there is a will, there is
a way; if there is no interest, the way will be closed.
Come brothers and
sisters, rise up … rise up with Jesus. Rise up from sin and wickedness,
from laziness and complacency. Rise up and live a new life because
Christus regnat, Christus vincit, Christus imperat (Christ rose,
Christ won, Christ rules). Happy Easter… Alleluia!
- TELL US LIKE IT IS!
- Has something
wonderful and unique happened in your life lately? Did God answer your
prayer in a very unexpected way? Did you, like Isaiah, meet God’s
whisper?
- Have you felt His
powerful hand working in your life recently?
- Everyday, people are
experiencing God’s mighty Word in their lives and it is a pity that very
few know about it. Do you have a story to tell? Some Good News to
share?
- E-mail us (genesis@catholic.org) or fax us
(021-6627384), and tell us about it. That’s right! You don’t have to be
a great writer to do this. We can help you write it – just tell us like
it is!
- Don’t forget to write
the subject: “Let Me Tell You A
Story”
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