By Fr. Roy Cimagala
WE are now on the first day after Christ’s resurrection, Monday of the Easter Octave. We are filled with overwhelming joy, knowing what Christ’s resurrection really means to all of us. Yes, in spite of whatever, we are assured that our salvation is at hand as long as we also do our part.
We can reflect that great joy that possessed those two brave Mary’s who dared to visit the tomb of Christ right after the sabbath. (cfr. Mt 28,8-15) Upon told by an angel that Christ has resurrected, they immediately ran to inform the other disciples. But Christ met them on their way. It must have been a heart-stopping moment for them to see the resurrected Christ.
But Christ gave them a task. “Do not be afraid,” he told them. “Go tell my brethren to go to Galilee, and there they will see me.” Christ definitely wanted also to be seen by his brethren who, in the end, are all of us who believe in him.
These words of Christ can mean that he also wants us to tell all the others in the world about Christ who just completed his redemptive mission. This is the Good News that everyone should know about and deeply appreciate.
It’s a task that we should carry out very seriously. Given the current conditions in the world, we really should try our best about what the resurrection of Christ means for all of us. We may have to go through a long process of catechesis, evangelization and apostolate, obviously requiring a lot of effort and sacrifices, but it would be all worth it!
We have to make everyone to realize that we all have the duty to sanctify the world, our work and everything related to the world. This is actually how we would also gain our own sanctification.
But the world should be understood as needing to be sanctified too, in the sense that we should bring it back to its original beauty and nature as God created it. It is supposed to be the Paradise before our sin damaged and defaced it.
Yes, it’s true that we need to be careful with the world, because of the many dangers it contains. And precisely because the world has strayed from God, God has to send his only Son to save it. St. John expressed this very well when he said: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” (3,16)
The point to make is that we ought to have the same attitude of God toward the world, as shown to us concretely by Christ. When we have Christ’s mind and heart, we will love the world and do everything to bring it back from its alienated state to him from whom it came and to whom it belongs.
We would not be afraid of the world that much, because with Christ we can conquer it insofar as it is opposed to God. Rather we have to love the world the way God loves it, without being worldly.
This means that if we truly love God, we should not run away from the world and the many challenges it poses on us. Rather we should love it, immerse ourselves in it, make use of what is true, good and beautiful in it and purify it of what is not.
Email: roycimagala@gmail.com
