Happy Easter

The story of the resurrection is there in each of the four Gospels. 

At the conclusion of his ministry Jesus travels from Galilee to Jerusalem.  The Gospels tell of Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem flanked by the cheering crowds as he rides past on a donkey.  Jesus spends his final week in and around the temple, teaching and preparing his disciples for the mission they will need to undertake. 

After plotting against Jesus, the Sanhedrin and the Priests of the Temple have Jesus arrested.  Jesus is taken before the Romans and charged as an insurrectionist.

To keep the peace, Pilate agrees to have Jesus crucified.  Jesus dies on the cross.  Because the Sabbath evening is drawing near, the broken body is placed in a nearby tomb.  The tomb is sealed.

On the morning after the Sabbath, and the third day after Jesus’ death the women coming to prepare the body for burial, find the tomb empty.  Fleeing the tomb they meet the risen Jesus. 

The risen Jesus is the culmination of all the teaching of both the Old and New Testament scriptures.   God has made everything right with his creation. 

Through Jesus’ death our sins have been washed away and we are able to have a direct relationship with our God.  With Jesus’ resurrection we have been granted the gift of eternal life.

This day, Easter, is the most important day of the Christian year.  It is the day the Church came into being to carry on the mission that Jesus passed to his disciples.  The Church in all of its renditions from Catholic to Greek Orthodox to Presbyterian to Holy Roller is what keeps the teachings and blessings of God before the hearts and minds of the people of the world. 

It is these teachings, which show us how to find the peace of God in our lives, giving us hope, which keeps us looking forward to tomorrow.

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In Raphaels’ Disputation of the Holy Sacrament, located in the room Stanza Della Segnatura of Vatican City we see Jesus in the scene depicting both the heavens and earth.  Jesus, bathed in light is located just below the Father God and above the burning light of the Holy Spirit.  Forty days after his resurrection, according to the Gospel of Luke, Jesus ascends into heaven where he takes his place beside the Father God as the advocate for all of mankind.