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Saturday, September 23, 2006 Meditation 1 Corinthians 15:35-37, 42-49 On top of all the other problems that were besetting the church in Corinth, some of the believers there were beginning to dispute the resurrection. No one could describe just how it came about, they reasoned, or what a resurrected body looked like. Lacking such proof, they challenged the very concept of resurrection and tried to discredit Paul’s claim that Jesus was raised from the dead. But, Paul reminded them, the gospel is not simply doctrine; it is power, “the power of God for . . . everyone who has faith” (Romans 1:16). We don’t have to rely on visual evidence for the resurrection, or even on indisputable arguments. Each of us can know personally that it is real, and that our bodies will one day be transformed to mirror Jesus’ glorified body. We can know it as we see the Holy Spirit at work in us: cleansing our conscience after Confession, giving us peace as we receive the Eucharist, and giving us a sense of closeness with our Father in our prayer lives. We should never doubt that God is doing something wonderful in each of us! He is always at work, changing us more and more into his likeness. What might some of these changes look like? People may notice a difference in our attitudes, as we become more joyful, peaceful, humble, wise, and gentle. Sometimes we notice changes in ourselves, as we grow less fearful, more compassionate and understanding, or more generous with our time. And sometimes physical changes occur: Our worry lines relax, we stand taller and begin to look others in the eye, or we smile more often. These changes are only a foretaste, however, of the eternal life we will experience with the Father. But we can be confident that he already sees in us the emergence of the marvelous person he has created each of us to be. Daily, he who raised Jesus from the dead is giving us new life through his Holy Spirit. Resurrection? Absolutely! The small evidences we see of it now encourage us that, one day, we will be raised by the glory of the Father as surely as Jesus was! “Father, thank you that I am becoming the person you made me to be! Continue to renew me in your Spirit, so that my life may reveal the reality of your resurrection.” Psalm 56:10-14; Luke 8:4-15 |