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From: Romans 6:3-11

Baptism (Continuation)

[3] Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ
Jesus were baptized into His death? [4] We were buried therefore with
Him by baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead
by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.

[5] For if we have been united with Him in a death like His, we shall
certainly be united with Him in a resurrection like His. [6] We know
that our old self was crucified with Him so that the sinful body might
be destroyed, and we might no longer be enslaved to sin. [7] For He
who has died is freed from sin. [8] But if we have died with Christ,
we believe that we shall also live with Him. [9] For we know that
Christ being raised from the dead will never die again; death no longer
has dominion over him. [10] The death He died He died to sin once for
all, but the life He lives He lives to God. [11] So you also must
consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.

Commentary:

1-11. The universal dominion of sin, which began with the sin of Adam,
is not the only event to be reckoned with. When sin reached its full
extent, the grace brought by Jesus Christ came in superabundance.
Through Baptism this grace reaches each of us and frees us from the
control of sin. When we receive this Sacrament we die: that is to say,
our blameworthiness is destroyed, we renounce sin once and for all, and
are born again into a new life.

"The Lord", St. Ambrose tells the newly baptized, "who wanted His
benefactions to endure, the serpent's plans to be turned to naught, and
the harm done to be put right, delivered a sentence to mankind: 'You
are dust, and to dust you shall return' (Genesis 3:19), and made man
subject to death [...]. The remedy was given him: man would die and
rise again [...]. You ask me how? [...] Pay attention. So that in
this world too the devil's snare would be broken, a rite was instituted
whereby man would die, being alive, and rise again, being alive [...].
Through immersion in water the sentence is blotted out: 'You are dust,
and to dust you shall return'" ("De Sacramentis", II, 6).

This passage of the epistle, which reveals the key truths concerning
Baptism, also reminds us of the profound meaning of this rite which
Christ established, its spiritual effects in Christians and its
far-reaching effects with respect to the Christian life. Thus, we can
apply to Baptism what St. Thomas Aquinas says about all the sacraments:
"Three aspects of sanctification may be considered--its very cause,
which is Christ's Passion; its form, which is grace and the virtues;
and its ultimate end, which is eternal life. And all these are
signified by the sacraments. Consequently, a sacrament is a sign which
is both a reminder of the past, that is, of the Passion of Christ, and
an indication of what is effected in us by Christ's Passion, and a
foretelling and pledge of future glory" ("Summa Theologiae", III, q.
60, a. 3).

In the specific case of Baptism, the various things which the Sacrament
implies carry a special nuance--a new birth which presupposes a
symbolic death. It reproduces in us not only the Passion, Death and
burial of Christ, symbolized by immersion in water (verses 3-4, 6), but
also new life, the life of grace which pours into the soul, enabling
the person to share in the Resurrection of Christ (verses 4-5). This
sharing in Christ's Resurrection to immortal life is a kind of seed
which will ultimately produce the glorious resurrection of our bodies.

The baptized person is, therefore, someone newly created, someone born
into a new life, someone who has moved out of darkness into light. The
white garment used at Baptism symbolizes innocence and grace; the
burning candle, the light of Christ--two symbols the Church uses in the
baptismal liturgy to signify what is happening.

Thus, in Baptism, God "removes every trace of sin, whether original or
personal" ("The Rite of Baptism", Introduction, 5) and also remits the
penalties that these sins incur. On being baptized in the name of the
Three Divine Persons, the Christian is shown God the Father's love for
him (a love he has not merited), is given a share in the Paschal
Mystery of the Son, and to him is communicated new life in the Spirit
(cf. "Instruction on Infant Baptism", 20 October 1980, 9). Baptism,
which is also described as "the door of the spiritual life", unites a
person to Christ and to the Church by means of grace, which makes us
children of God and heirs to Heaven. Finally, in addition to the
infused virtues and supernatural gifts, the person is given "the graces
necessary to live in a Christian way, and on his soul is impressed the
sacramental character which makes him a Christian for evermore"
("St. Pius X Catechism", 250).

Baptism, which confers a "character", that is, a kind of seal
confirming our Christian calling, gives us a share in Christ's
priesthood and makes us capable of receiving the other sacraments.

4. It is easier to grasp the symbolism of burial and resurrection if
one remembers that in earlier times, and particularly in the apostolic
period, Baptism was usually administered by immersion in water--in some
cases by total immersion, up to three times, with one Person of the
Blessed Trinity being invoked each time. "They asked you, 'Do you
believe in God the Father almighty?' You said, 'I believe', and you
were immersed, that is, you were buried. Again they asked you, 'Do you
believe in our Lord Jesus Christ and in His Cross?' You said,
'I believe', and you were again immersed. This time you have been
buried with Christ, and he who is buried with Christ rises with Christ.
For a third time you were asked, 'Do you believe in the Holy Spirit?'
You said, 'I believe', and for a third time you were immersed, so
that by this three-fold confession you might be loosed of your many
attachments to your past life" (St. Ambrose, "De Sacramentis", II, 7).

Today Baptism is normally administered by pouring water over the head--
a method also used in apostolic times and which gradually came into
general use because it was found more convenient.

5. Just as the ingraft and the plant form a single thing and make a
single principle of life, Christians by being grafted onto or
incorporated into Christ through Baptism form one single thing with Him
and begin to draw on His divine life. We are also "united with Him in
a death like His": Christ suffered physical death; we, in Baptism, die
spiritually to the life of sin. St. John Chrysostom explains this as
follows: "Baptism is for us what the Cross and burial were for Christ;
but with this difference: the Savior died physically, He was physically
buried, whereas we ought to die spiritually. That is why the Apostle
does not say we are 'united with Him with His death', but 'in a death
LIKE HIS'" ("Hom. on Rom.", 10).

9-10. Jesus Christ chose to bear all the consequences of sin, even
though He was sinless. His voluntary death on the Cross and His
glorious Resurrection broke the bonds of death, for Himself and for all
His own. Death no longer shall have dominion: "[Christ died] that
through death He might destroy him who has the power of death, that is,
the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject
to lifelong bondage" (Hebrews 2:14-15). And as a consequence He won,
for His own human nature and for us, a new life.

In all those who have been baptized these same events in Christ's life
are in some way reproduced. "Our past sins have been wiped out by the
action of grace. Now, so as to stay dead to sin after Baptism,
personal effort is called for, although God's grace continues to be with
us, providing us with great help" (Chrysostom, "Hom. on Rom.", 11).
This personal effort might be encapsulated in a resolution: "May we
never die through sin; may our spiritual resurrection be eternal"
([St] J. Escriva, "Holy Rosary", 1st Glorious Mystery).

Source: "The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries". Biblical text
taken from the Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries
made by members of the Faculty of Theology of the University of
Navarre, Spain. Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock,
Co. Dublin, Ireland.

From: Matthew 28:1-10

Jesus Appears To The Women

[1] Now after the sabbath, toward the dawn of the first day of the
week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the sepulchre.
[2] And behold, there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord
descended from Heaven and came and rolled back the stone, and sat upon
it. [3] His appearance was like lightning, and his raiment white as
snow. [4] And for fear of him the guards trembled and became like dead
men. [5] But the angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid; for I
know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. [6] He is not here; for He
has risen, as He said. Come, see the place where He lay. [7] Then go
quickly and tell His disciples that He has risen from the dead, and
behold, He is going before you to Galilee; there you will see Him. Lo,
I have told you." [8] So they departed quickly from the tomb with fear
and great joy, and ran to tell His disciples. [9] And behold, Jesus met
them and said, "Hail!" And they came up and took hold of His feet and
worshipped Him. [10] Then Jesus said to them, "Do not be afraid; go and
tell My brethren to go to Galilee; and there they will see Me."

Commentary:

1-15. The resurrection of Jesus, which happened in the early hours of
the Sunday morning, is a fact which all the evangelist state clearly
and unequivocally. Some holy women discover to their surprise that the
tomb is open. On entering the hall (cf. Mark 16:5-6), they see an
angel who says to them, "He is not here; for He has risen, as He
said." The guards who were on duty when the angel rolled back the
stone go to the city and report what has happened to the chief
priests. These, because of the urgency of the matter, decide to bribe
the guards; they give them a considerable sum of money on condition
that they spread the word that His disciples came at night and stole
the body of Jesus when they were asleep. "Wretched craftiness," says
St. Augustine, "do you give us witnesses who were asleep? It is you
who are really asleep if this is the only kind of explanation you have
to offer!" ("Ennarationes in Psalmos", 63, 15). The Apostles, who a
couple of days before fled in fear, will, now that they have seen Him
and have eaten and drunk with Him, become tireless preachers of this
great event: "This Jesus, they will say, "God raised up, and of that we
are all witnesses" (Acts 2:32).

Just as He foretold He would go up to Jerusalem and be delivered to the
leaders of the Jews and put to death, He also prophesied that He would
rise from the dead (Matthew 20:17-19; Mark 10:32-34; Luke 18:31-34).
By His resurrection He completes the sign He promised to give
unbelievers to show His divinity (Matthew 12:40).

The resurrection of Christ is one of the basic dogmas of the Catholic
faith. In fact, St. Paul says, "If Christ has not been raised, then
our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain" (1 Corinthians
15:14); and, to prove his assertion that Christ rose, he tells us "that
He appeared to Cephas, then to the Twelve. Then He appeared to more
than five hundred brethren at one time, most of whom are still alive,
though some have fallen asleep. Then He appeared to James, then to all
the apostles. Last of all, as to one untimely born, He appeared also
to me" (1 Corinthians 15:5-8). The creed states that Jesus rose from
the dead on the third day ("Nicene Creed"), by His own power (Ninth
Council of Toledo, "De Redemptione Creed"), by a true resurrection of
the flesh ("Creed" of St. Leo IX), reuniting His soul with His body
(Innocent III, "Eius Exemplo"), and that this fact of the resurrection
is historically proven and provable ("Lamentabili", 36).

"By the word `resurrection' we are not merely to understand that Christ
was raised from the dead...but that He rose by His own power and
virtue, a singular prerogative peculiar to Him alone. Our Lord
confirmed this by the divine testimony of His own mouth when He said:
`I lay down My life, that I may take it again....I have power to lay it
down: and I have power to take it up again' (John 10:17-18). To the
Jews He also said, in corroboration of His doctrine" `Destroy this
temple, and in three days I will raise it up' (John 2:19-20) [...]. We
sometimes, it is true, read in Scripture that He was raised by the
Father (cf. Acts 2:24; Romans 8:11); but this refers to Him as man,
just as those passages on the other hand, which say that He rose by His
own power, related to Him as God" ("St. Pius V Catechism", I, 6, 8).

Christ's resurrection was not a return to His previous earthly
existence; it was a "glorious" resurrection, that is to say, attaining
the full development of human life--immortal, freed from all
limitations of space and time. As a result of the resurrection,
Christ's body now shares in the glory which His soul had from the
beginning. Here lies the unique nature of the historical fact of the
resurrection. He could not be seen by anyone but only by those to whom
He granted that grace, to enable them to be witnesses of this
resurrection, and to enable others to believe in Him by accepting the
testimony of the seers.

Christ's resurrection was something necessary for the completion of the
work of our Redemption. For, Jesus Christ through His death freed us
from sins; but by His resurrection He restored us all that we had lost
through sin and, moreover, opened for us the gates of eternal life
(cf. Romans 4:25). Also, the fact that He rose from the dead by His
own power is a definitive proof that He is the Son of God, and
therefore His resurrection fully confirms our faith in His divinity.

The resurrection of Christ, as has been pointed out, is the most
sublime truth of our faith. That is why St. Augustine exclaims: "It is
no great thing to believe that Christ died; for this is something that
is also believed by pagans and Jews and by all the wicked: everyone
believes that He died. The Christians' faith is in Christ's
resurrection; that is what we hold to be a great thing--to believe that
He rose" ("Enarrationes in Psalmos", 120).

The mystery of the Redemption wrought by Christ, which embraces His
death and resurrection, is applied to every man and woman through
Baptism and the other sacraments, by means of which the believer is as
it were immersed in Christ and in His death, that is to say, in a
mystical way he becomes part of Christ, he dies and rises with Christ:
"We were buried therefore with Him by baptism unto death, so that as
Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too
might walk in newness of life" (Romans 6:4).

An ardent desire to seek the things of God and an interior taste for the
things that are above (cf. Colossians 3:1-3) are signs of our
resurrection with Christ.