He is Risen!

Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures: And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve: After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep. After that, he was seen of James; then of all the apostles. And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time.( 1 Corinthians 15:1-8)

Christ is Risen! The empty tomb is the world’s most serious opening. The stone was not rolled away to let Jesus out, but to let us in to see that the “Prince of Life” has conquered all, even death. Hallelujah!

Christ died according to the scriptures... All was foretold, the Hebrew prophets revealed tat the Messiah must suffer and die, but not for himself but for the people.

How do we know that He died? The apostles saw him pried off of the cross, hurriedly embalmed and buried. A Roman executioner certified His death to the Governor. The several ton stone was rolled over the mouth of the tomb, and the seal and guard of Rome was attached to it.

He Rose on the third day…also according to the scriptures… The resurrection also was predicted by the prophets of old as well as by Jesus himself. How do we know Jesus was raised from the dead? We take the words of the apostles, who saw Him, ate with him(and you couldn’t see the fish pass through his esophagus, for JEsus is not merely a Spirit, he was raised in the flesh), Jesus is alive!

Why should we believe the Apostles? Because eleven out of twelve of them died horrible violent deaths, rather than recant what they had seen and heard. Jesus is risen indeed. Why look for the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen!

What would it take to transform a frightened Peter into a bold apostle, charging the very mob he once cowered at with the murder of the PRince of Life? Nothing less tan a resurrection!

What would it take to get you to confess like James and Jude, that your half-brother, is “the only wise God and our saviour”, and “The Lord of Glory”? This is the man you were raised with, as pious and monotheistic Jews! Nothing less than a resurrection!

What would it take to transform a bitter archenemy and a persecutor into a chief proponent and martyr? Paul saw and surrendered to the risen Saviour! Jesus is alive!

Because He lives, we can know that He died for our sins, not his own. We can know by the empty Tomb, that God has accepted JEsus’ sacrifice for us, and that all who come in faith through Him, can have forgiveness of sins and eternal life! Happy first-fruits everyone, Jesus is LORD!!!

Some additional scripture:

The Resurrection of the Lord
The Mass of Easter Sunday

Reading 1 Acts 10:34a, 37-43

Peter proceeded to speak and said:
"You know what has happened all over Judea,
beginning in Galilee after the baptism
that John preached,
how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth
with the Holy Spirit and power.
He went about doing good
and healing all those oppressed by the devil,
for God was with him.
We are witnesses of all that he did
both in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem.
They put him to death by hanging him on a tree.
This man God raised on the third day and granted that he be visible,
not to all the people, but to us,
the witnesses chosen by God in advance,
who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead.
He commissioned us to preach to the people
and testify that he is the one appointed by God
as judge of the living and the dead.
To him all the prophets bear witness,
that everyone who believes in him
will receive forgiveness of sins through his name."

Responsorial Psalm Ps 118:1-2, 16-17, 22-23.

R. (24) This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good,
for his mercy endures forever.
Let the house of Israel say,
"His mercy endures forever."
R. This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad.
or:
R. Alleluia.
"The right hand of the LORD has struck with power;
the right hand of the LORD is exalted.
I shall not die, but live,
and declare the works of the LORD."
R. This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad.
or:
R. Alleluia.
The stone which the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone.
By the LORD has this been done;
it is wonderful in our eyes.
R. This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad.
or:
R. Alleluia.

Reading 2 Col 3:1-4

Brothers and sisters:
If then you were raised with Christ, seek what is above,
where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.
Think of what is above, not of what is on earth.
For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.
When Christ your life appears,
then you too will appear with him in glory.

Or 1 Cor 5:6b-8

Brothers and sisters:
Do you not know that a little yeast leavens all the dough?
Clear out the old yeast,
so that you may become a fresh batch of dough,
inasmuch as you are unleavened.
For our paschal lamb, Christ, has been sacrificed.
Therefore, let us celebrate the feast,
not with the old yeast, the yeast of malice and wickedness,
but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

Gospel Jn 20:1-9

On the first day of the week,
Mary of Magdala came to the tomb early in the morning,
while it was still dark,
and saw the stone removed from the tomb.
So she ran and went to Simon Peter
and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and told them,
"They have taken the Lord from the tomb,
and we don't know where they put him."
So Peter and the other disciple went out and came to the tomb.
They both ran, but the other disciple ran faster than Peter
and arrived at the tomb first;
he bent down and saw the burial cloths there, but did not go in.
When Simon Peter arrived after him,
he went into the tomb and saw the burial cloths there,
and the cloth that had covered his head,
not with the burial cloths but rolled up in a separate place.
Then the other disciple also went in,
the one who had arrived at the tomb first,
and he saw and believed.
For they did not yet understand the Scripture
that he had to rise from the dead.

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.