Highlights from notes taken at a conference given at the cathedral of Rimouski (Canada) by Monseigneur Yvon Joseph Moreau, Bishop of Sainte-Anne de Pocatière.

These few notes remind me of the essential of our life as baptized persons and also gives us testimony of the love of the living God. The essential is that Jesus Christ died and rose for us. Our whole life is impregnated with this mystery of love which calls us forth, prepares us for and leads us to an intimate life with God. Sr. Jeannine D’Amours, D.J.

The resurrection is at the heart of our faith. During our lifetime we have encountered people who are witnesses to the resurrection. This has helped us to go through our own deaths to become more fully alive.

In his letter ‘The Joy of the Gospel’ Pope Francis tells us: “Resurrection is power of life.”IMG_0337

  • A power which penetrates the world.
  • A power which is at work in our own lives. (This is what Saint Paul refers to in Cor. 15)


A decisive moment in our faith

A fundamental affirmation: in faith, Christ and I are inseparable. This is a mystery, a rich truth. We will never be finished letting ourselves be transformed by it.

In his encyclical on faith in numbers 15, 16, 17 Benedict XVI says:

  • Death and resurrection reveal the fidelity of God. It is the fullness of his love. His death culminates on the cross. Faith is reinforced through his love for us. Only love is worthy of faith.
  • The resurrection is the total reliability of the love of the Father able to bring light to the darkness of death.
  • A divine action: Death is the ultimate signature of the life of Jesus. The resurrection is his divinity. Many people witnessed his death. GOD alone witnessed his resurrection.

A progressive approach to the resurrection allows us to enter into God’s own space. This goes beyond human science. It cannot be verified.

 

The resurrection gradually transforms the disciples. It has left an exceptional mark. (At his death Saint Stephen talks about the power of life in God which resurrects his Son…)

The resurrected body is snatched from our mortal world to enter into God’s world.

Apparitions to humans anywhere and at any time in our contemporary world are signs of it. In Cor. 15 Saint Paul says “How are dead people raised? (15:35) … when it is raised it embodies the spirit.” (15:44)

There is continuity and discontinuity. Although we are unable to say anything about this it is not impossible. What God will do is greater and more beautiful.

Our Hope : the foundation of our faith in the resurrection.

The power of life is already at work in our personal life. How do we recognize this? It is by living through daily deaths and letting them be transformed into life. Ever since our baptism the sacraments prepare this transformation. Sunday is the day where we celebrate our own resurrection.

We need to prepare for our resurrection:Croix dans le soleil couchant

  • By receiving this gift, the power of life, in our daily commitments undertaken with Christ.
  • By dying to sin, to our selfishness in order to live for others.
  • By being future oriented (cf. no. 4 in the encyclical of Benedict XVI), by living both in the and in the future. A sign of this is the love that animates our life. Through love which is a powerful life-force we find the meaning of fraternal charity.
  • By not fearing death. Instead of saying we must prepare our death we should be saying that we need to prepare for life. Let us not flee the resurrection of Christ but learn to welcome it with open arms. Still better, is to recognize it at work in our world. Let us recognize the mysterious action of God in us. It brings about beauty; the gift of ourselves brings forth fruit.

FAITH IS POWER OF LIFE,
LET US LEARN TO DEVELOP A COMTEMPLATIVE GAZE
ON OUR LIFE AND ON THE WORLD.

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