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PAGE 5-March 27,1975
Resurrection Makes
‘The’ Difference
BY BRO. MICHAEL WARREN, C.F.X.
Since Jesus’ death and resurrection,
Christians continually try to express verbally
and ritualistically the significance the
death-resurrection has in relation to their lives.
The New Testament marked the first written
record and has continued through 2,000 years
to be the most important document in
existence for the Christian world. In its
entirety, it can be taken as a kind of symphony
with the resurrection as its theme. The early
Church examined all of life from this vantage
point. For them, Jesus’ resurrection made more
than a difference; it made THE difference.
Since apostolic times, many changes have
occurred in the Church. But the centrality of
the resurrection remains the same. It continues
to make THE difference. Today a new
symphony could be composed on the
resurrection theme with words by Jesus’
modem followers. In fact, this writer feels that
the mystery of Easter has been meaningfully
expressed by some contemporary, deeply
religious men and women. We shall select only a
few as a focus. While the following statements
do not mention the resurrection in a direct
manner, they all flow from the perspective of
the resurrection. They are by Martin Luther
King, Daniel Berrigen, Flannery O’Connor, and
one of my friends.
Martin Luther King’s understanding of life
was dominated by the possibility of the
resurrection of man, a possibility manifested
most clearly in Jesus. When he accepted the
1964 Nobel Peace Prize, he said:
“I refuse to accept the idea that man is mere
flotsam and jetsam in the river of life which
surrounds him. I refuse to accept the view that
mankind is so tragically bound to starless
midnight of racism and war that the bright
daylight of peace and brotherhood can never
become a reality ...
“I have the audacity to believe that peoples
everywhere can have three meals a day for their
bodies, education and culture for their minds,
and dignity, equality and freedom for their
spirits. I believe that what self-centered men
have tom down, men other-centered can build
up. I still believe that one day mankind will
bow before the altar of God and be crowned
triumphant over war and bloodshed, and
non-violent redemptive good-will will proclaim
the rule of the land. ‘And the lion and the lamb
shall lie down together and every man shall sit
under his own vine and fig tree and none shall
be afraid.’ I still believe we shall overcome. This
faith gives us courage to face the uncertainties
of the future.”
One of the future uncertainties that King
faced was his own death, the violent taking of
the life he had lived in serving the Gospel.
Another Christian, Father Daniel Berrigen,
S.J., often has spoken out of a resurrection
mentality. During a 1970 interview, he stated
that rebellion against death is one way of
putting the Christian possibility. When asked if
he was talking about his own death, Berrigan
said:
“No, no. That doesn’t terribly interest me. I
think I experience death in ways that make my
own death, as a physical fact, not very exciting.
I mean, I don’t have any fear of dying; but I
have fear of NOT dying. I have fear of my own
cowardice in not accepting the kinds of death
one has to accept in order to live. It’s a
day-to-day thing: the putting aside of
childishness and anger and laziness and lust and
the appetites and neglect of my people, in order
to continue to die, in order to continue to live.
That’s the kind of fight I think Paul speaks of
when he says a man must die every day. But
that remote thing off there somewhere, or that
proximate thing out there somewhere - I don’t
care, let it happen.”
In Berrigan’s words there is conviction that
one must go through death to life the way Jesus
did. Berrigan reminds us that for the Christian,
dying is a daily event, as is the resurrection.
And although he does not mention Jesus’ name,
Berrigan’s statement is clearly rooted in Him
and His resurrection.
Flannery O’Connor was a sensitive young
woman from Georgia who suffered a crippling
nervous disorder throughout most of her life.
Her masterful short stories are filled with
humans who are crippled in one way or
another. Yet all those stories are filled with
great hope springing from a deep belief in Jesus’
resurrection. In talking about the characters in
her stories, she once wrote:
“When I look at stories I have written I find
that they are, for the most part, about people
who are poor, who are afflicted in both mind
and body, who have little -- or at best a
distorted -- sense of spiritual purpose, and
whose actions do not apparently give the reader
a great assurance of the joy of life.
“Yet how is this? For I am no disbeliever in
spiritual purpose and no vague believer. I see
from the standpoint of Christian orthodoxy.
This means that for me the meaning of life is
centered in our Redemption by Christ, and
what I see in the world I see in its relation to
that. I don’t think that this is a position that
can be taken halfway or one that is particularly
easy in these times to make transparent fiction.
“My own feeling is that writers who see by
the light of their Christian faith will have, in
these times, the sharpest eyes for the grotesque,
for the perverse, and for the unacceptable . . .
Redemption is meaningless unless there is a
cause for it in the actual life we live, and for the
last few centuries there has been operating in
our culture and secular belief that there is no
such cause.”
Those who knew Ms. O’Connor report that
she was filled with a gentle joy. Her belief in
Jesus’ resurrection was no theoretical one; it
flowered in her daily life, in her personality.
Recently, a friend recently wrote of a
difficult period in his life. Quite naturally, he
spoke out of the same sort of consciousness of
Jesus death-resurrection one finds in the New
Testament. He said:
“I am eager to read Johannes Metz’ ‘Poverty
of Spirit.’ I think it will help me. I trust that
everything will become clearer in time. After
today’s liturgy on suffering, I opened Romans
and read: ‘These sufferings.. . bring hope and
this hope is not deceptive because love, the love
of God, has been poured into our hearts by the
Holy Spirit which has been given us.’ It was
comforting because it helped me understand a
little better this difficult period I am going
through.”
Such a statement is testimony to the
practical consequences of the resurrection in
the everyday lives of ordinary people.
Once more, this Easter, Christians
everywhere rejoice in the risen life of Jesus. We
celebrate a present reality rather than a
long-ago event. We affirm: “The Lord is risen;
we have seen Him ourselves. He has walked
with us and brings hope and joy into our lives.”
It matters not whether we are famous or
ordinary, Jesus risen makes THE difference in
the world. Allelulia!
The Book Store
BY REV. JOSEPH M. CHAMPLIN
Over the past few months I have come in
contact with several publications which merit
the attention of parish leaders and worship
teams.
“Catholic Fireside Family Bible” (Fireside
Bible Publishers, Box 118, Wichita, Kans.
67201).
A pastor in Maine told me he had displayed
in his parish several of these large, handsome,
illustrated editions of the New American Bible
translation. The texts are remarkably
inexpensive (e.g., $12.00 for one, with a sliding
scale downward to $8.95 per copy after
accumulated orders total 100) and his people
quickly purchased the available texts. He found
it necessary to reorder many times.
Encouraged by that experience and
impressed with the book’s content and bargain
price, we tried a similar approach. Within two
month’s time our sales had climbed over the
100 mark. The venture’s success is all the more
significant in view of our present economic
situation.
How many families will actually read their
new Bible is, of course, a different question.
But we felt this represented a real service to
parishioners and a way of spreading the good
news.
“Saint of the Day — A Life and Lesson for
each of the 173 Saints of the New Missal” (St.
Anthony Messenger Press, 1615 Republic
Street, Cincinnati, Ohio 45210).
That great liturgical pioneer, Msgr. Martin
Hellriegel of St. Louis, years ago urged
Catholics to “prepare the Mass texts” for a
following day’s celebration. This was long
before the revised liturgy offered such a variety
of options and demanded advance preparation
for most effective use of those choices.
Msgr. Hellriegel’s suggestion simply entailed a
few minutes reading through the “proper” texts
- the readings and other variable prayers prior
to a forthcoming Mass. As one who has
followed his recommendation for over two
decades, I can attest personally to the spiritual
value of such a practice.
The process will be easier now that small,
hand missals for Sundays and weekdays are
appearing on the market. These publications,
designed for study and preparation purposes,
should become a standard item next to the
reading chair of concerned believers.
“Saint of the Day,” a two-volume paperback
($1.95 each), complements those study missals.
Edited by Franciscan Father Leonard Foley, it
contains a brief biographical sketch of saints as
they occur in the reformed Roman calendar. In
addition, the book adds a pertinent quote and
comment about each individual.
“Selected Documentation from the New
Sacramentary” (United States Catholic
Conference Publications Office, 1312
Massachusetts Ave., N.W., Washington, D.C.
20005).
The 341 paragraph General Instruction of
the Roman Missal together with an appendix
adapting it to the United States contains the
general principles and specific directives behind
our revised Order of Mass.
Those deeply interested and involved in the
planning and execution of liturgies should
study these documents and frequently refer to
them. This booklet makes them available in an
inexpensive format (discount for quantity
purchases).
“Liturgy” (Journal of the Liturgical
Conference, 1330 Massachusetts Ave., N.W.,
Washington, D.C. 20005).
This monthly publication has, in my opinion,
during the past years had a very uneven quality
about it. Some ideas and issues were superior
and valuable; others seemed esoteric and of
dubious worth.
The December 1974 copy, however, centered
on “Infant Baptism: A New Ministry” and
included a series of quite good, practical
articles. Perhaps this represents a shift in
approach and holds promise for the future.
In any event, parish worship teams would do
well to subscribe and keep the magazine in their
liturgy library.
“IN THE RESURRECTION, Jesus, in his human nature, response to his human act of obedience and love, he also
breaks free of man’s enslavement to sin and death and returns glorified him making him Lord.” Christ rises gloriously from the
to the Father . . . The Father not only raised Christ to life in dead in this tapestry from the Vatican’s collection. (NC Photo)
r \
Know Your Faith
(All Articles On This Page Copyrighted 1974 by N.C. News Service)
S. >
The Mystery of Redemption
BY STEVE LANDREGAN
Any consideration of the reconciliation of
man with the Father through the Redemption
must recognize the reality of man’s inability to
bring about this reconciliation himself.
It must also admit to the fact that man,
through the free act of his will, brought about
his estrangement from the Father and that a
similarly free act of his will is essential to
restore the original relationship.
Thus reconciliation begins with Divine
initiative to which there is a human response
that brings about Divine forgiveness.
St. Paul describes this in his Second Letter to
the Corinthians (5:18) “It is all God’s work. It
was God who reconciled us to Himself through
Christ.”
The Trinitarian aspect of the Redemption,
the involvement of the Father, the Son and the
Holy Spirit, is easily lost sight of if we think of
Redemption as being brought about by the
Resurrection or the Crucifixion and fail to
recognize that the mystery of man’s
Redemption, his Reconciliation with the
Father, is much more than any single event. . .
even the Resurrection.
Father E. Schillebeeckx, the Dominican
theologian, identifies four phases in the
Redemption in his book, “Christ the Sacrament
of the Encounter With God.”
First: “The initiative of the Father through
the Son in the Holy Spirit.”
The Father, seeking to reconcile man to
himself, reaches out through the Son who
becomes man, as the writer of Hebrews puts it,
to “offer Himself as the perfect sacrifice to God
through the Eternal Spirit.” (9:14)
Second: “The human response of Christ’s life
t to the Father’s initiative in sending Him.”
Jesus as man, provides the human response
to the Divine initiative of the Father. His
response is totally unselfish as He seeks only to
conform Himself to the will of the Father
“even to accepting death, death on a cross.”
(Phil. 2:8)
Third: “The divine response to Jesus’
obedience in the humiliation of his life.”
The Resurrection is the Father’s response to
the human act of Jesus. It is acceptance of
man’s perfect response, through Christ, to the
Divine initiative.
In the Resurrection, Jesus, in His human
nature, breaks free of man’s enslavement to sin
and death and returns to the Father as the
“first-born of many brothers.” (Rom. 8:29)
Because of Jesus’ “passover” from sin and
death to life with the Father, He becomes “the
Way,” heals the breech, builds the bridge that
symbolizes man’s reconciliation to the Father
but also provides a path by which man can
return.
The Father not only raised Christ to life in
response to His human act of obedience and
love, He also glorified Him making Him Lord.
“But God raised Him high and gave Him the
name which is above all other names so that all
beings in the heavens, on earth and in the
underworld, should bend the knee at the name
of Jesus and that every tongue should acclaim
Jesus Christ as Lord, to the glory of God the
Father.” (Phil. 2:9-11)
Fourth: “The sending of the Holy Spirit
upon the world of men by the glorified Lord
Jesus.”
Jesus promised that “when I am lifted up
from the earth I shall draw all men to myself,”
(John 12:32). He accomplishes this through the
sending of the Holy Spirit to perfect in man
that which He achieved for all men once and
for all.
v
The sending of the Holy Spirit upon men at
Pentacost enables them to claim their
redemption to bring about their reconciliation
to the Father by a free act of their will.
The presence in Jesus of the Spirit is amply
attested to in the Gospels. He was conceived
through the Spirit, the Spirit descended upon
Him at Baptism, the Spirit drove Him into the
desert for His struggle with Satan. The Spirit is
the moving power behind every activity of
Jesus.
The same is true in the life of the Christian.
The Spirit gives life (Rom. 8:10), brings about
freedom from sin and death (Rom. 8:10),
brings holiness (2 Thess. 2:13), helps the
Christian in his weakness (Rom. 8:26), endows
the Christian with special gifts for building up
the body of Christ, the Church (1 Cor. 12:7),
and if the Christian is guided by the Spirit he is
in no danger of yielding to his human nature
(Gal. 5:16 ff).
It is the Spirit then, the same Spirit that
motivated Christ that motivates the Christian
and continues to perfect the Reconciliation and
Redemption that was initiated by the Father
and completed in Christ.
BY GERARD A. POTTEBAUM
If you enjoy fantasizing, you might enjoy
trying this:
Consider the possibility of a life which would
allow you at the end of each day this choice: If
the day turned out worthwhile, you could
proceed to the next day of your life. If you
didn’t like the way your day turned out, you
could eliminate it, leaving no trace of it in your
life. Such an arrangement would generate a
significant shuffle in the way we relate to each
other and to our experience given the way
things are now.
Take the case of a married couple. The
husband’s day is grand; the wife’s day is a
shambles. He opts to move ahead; she chooses
to try again. If the same decision becomes
habitual, eventually one partner will grow older
sooner than the other. If the couple values
growing old together, even miserable days may
be more acceptable than broadening the gulf
between their respective ages. So they’ll have to
decide which is more important. Of course,
they could both decide to repeat days, even
when one party finds his or her day acceptable.
One can imagine couples holding grudges,
causing one party to move ahead from day to
day, whether good or bad, and the other party
deciding to wipe days out repeatedly. On the
other hand, the day on which the grudge broke
could be repeated. They could avoid that whole
difficulty by eliminating that day. But then, at
the end of such a day, who knows what each
will decide, given their dispositions toward each
other when decision-time comes.
Calendars would be unheard of. . . at least
we wouldn’t have the kind of calendars we use
now. You may be living yesterday over, while
your partner or associate is living his tomorrow
Words like tomorrow, today, yesterday would
not have the same meaning as we give them
today. What was your “tomorrow” may be my
“today,” if you decide to repeat yesterday and
I decided to move ahead to tomorrow. So dates
would have to go, as would months, and years.
Communications about one’s day, and where
one is in his personal history would become
most important. If one person decided to move
ahead while another person who experienced
the same things with that person decided to
repeat the day, then the person who moved
ahead would have memories of experiences
with another person who does not have the
same memories because he wiped that day out
of his life and out of his memory. This could
lead to some interesting complications.
If you and someone went on a trip, and at
the end of the first day one of you decided to
repeat the day while the other decided to move
ahead, the repeater would end up back home
while the other person would find himself alone
in the motel come morning. Somehow you’d
have to work out a way of getting to where
you’re going at the same time. For instance,
one of you could swim in the motel pool while
the other person caught up to you again after
doing the day over.
Another notion to play with under this kind
of life is what you do with the day you die. Say
you were killed in an automobile accident.
What would your standards be for deciding to
repeat or not to repeat that day?
Or consider the day you visit the doctor and
he tells you that you have a terminal illness.
You may repeat that day, but if the terminal
illness began before that day, you’d wipe out
the knowledge of impending death, and you
may die unexpectedly of the illness one day. Of
course, you could repeat the day, but if the
illness has to have its way, you’d only be going
through death again, and again, and again. But
then, you wouldn’t have any memory from one
death to the next, so it’s not as bad as all that.
So far as your memory is concerned, you’d be
dying only once. And if there’s anything on the
other side of death that’s worth sustaining, then
chances are we’d move on to tomorrow.
But as things are, we have no choice.
Tomorrow is coming whether we like it or not.
Today is going to be. Yesterday is over. We live
in the hope that resurrection is for real. It’s all
we have to sustain us as we run out of
tomorrows. And when that happens, we’ll no
longer have time as a measure of how we relate
to each other and to our experience. And that
brings us back to where we started, to the kind
of life which rises above time . . . risen life, an
everlasting NOW.
Hang loose.
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