If Christ is preached as raised from the dead, how can some among you say there is no resurrection of the dead?
If there is no resurrection of the dead, then neither has Christ been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, then empty too is our preaching; empty, too, your faith.
Until that great gittin-up morning arrives, Christians will always wonder about the promise of eternal life. How is it possible?
We have many fanciful ways to describe it but, as Hamlet said, from that undiscovered country no traveler returns. Are there streets of gold in heaven? Will our bodies be like these we’re familiar with? Will our disabilities be removed? Will we be free to move about as Jesus did when he appeared despite the locked doors? Will we have to study languages to talk with each other, or will we know them already? With piled up unanswerable questions mounting like that some people may dismiss the whole idea. It’s more than we can comprehend; and asking about it invites nonsense.
But we wonder anyway.
Contrary notions point to the cycles of life and the inevitability of death. Some spiritualities celebrate life and death as intrinsically good; they need neither judgement nor vindication from a Divine Authority. There is no Eternal Reward, they say, for a good life. Approaching death they might close with, “It was good while it lasted.”
As appealing as that argument might be, it fails to address the reality of evil and our rightful refusal to accept it. Even small children realize there should be justice; they don’t hesitate to complain, “That’s not fair!” Is there no final reckoning and atonement for evil? Are innocent victims of violence and poverty never compensated for their suffering? Do the wicked whose crimes were never punished, who lived la dolce vita until they died, finally escape retribution and justice?
Our Jewish tradition will never allow us to be silent in the face of that which is just wrong.
I have a kind of answer. It’s not completely satisfactory but it’s a reply. If material objects and organic systems – two different types of being – must suffer corruption we can still hope that the Lord will remember, restore, and save that third level of being, personal relationships. My automobile won’t last long; the tree I planted will fall to the ground and be reabsorbed under fungi and the voracious teeth of insects. But you and I hope and believe our love is forever.
Isn’t that what Tony sang about in West Side Story, an endless night:
Tonight, tonight, / Won't be just any night, / Tonight there will be no morning star. / Tonight, tonight, / I'll see my love tonight. / And for us, stars will stop where they are. / Today, The minutes seem like hours, / The hours go so slowly, / And still the sky is light. / Oh moon, grow bright, / And make this endless day endless night. Tonight!
Or as Michael Martin Murphy sang, “If love never last forever, what’s forever for?”
In the resurrection of Jesus, we find the promise of everlasting life. Saint Paul argued from that historical fact. Some may contest its facticity but Christians don’t. We have it on reliable testimony which the Holy Spirit has sustained through these twenty centuries.
It’s silly to ask what it might be like. Can anyone describe what the second Covid Christmas will be like? Or what must happen on November 3, 2020. We’ll wait and see. Hope and pray. And trust in God’s mercy for us and our loved ones.
No comments:
Post a Comment
I love to write. This blog helps me to meditate on the Word of God, and I hope to make some contribution to our contemplations of God's Mighty Works.
Ordinarily, I write these reflections two or three weeks in advance of their publication. I do not intend to comment on current events.
I understand many people prefer gender-neutral references to "God." I don't disagree with them but find that language impersonal, unappealing and tasteless. When I refer to "God" I think of the One whom Jesus called "Abba" and "Father", and I would not attempt to improve on Jesus' language.
You're welcome to add a thought or raise a question.