By Engr. Carlos V. Cornejo
Christ’s Resurrection is the biggest feast in the Church. It is bigger than Christmas because Christmas or Christ’s birth was meant for the Resurrection. Christ was born to die on the Cross and rise again on the third day. Had Christ just died without rising, Christianity would not have existed and man would have been left without hope. It would be a dark and miserable world because evil would totally rule. It would literally be hell on earth because it would be a world without God. Hell is defined as a place where God is not there or those who are there don’t want to be with God. God in his love, let them have what they wanted, by being alone in their cold, selfish, narcissistic self.
The Resurrection is the biggest celebration in the Catholic Church because it is the victory over the two greatest fears or the two greatest enemies of man in this world: death and suffering. Death which takes away everything we have in this world, both loved ones and properties, and suffering in the form of sickness, failures, accidents, disappointments, wars, catastrophes, etc. These two evils need not be meaningless painful evils anymore but can be converted into meaningful sacrifice. We can turn these two bad things into good in the same way that Christ converted His sufferings and death as a means of salvation for mankind and justice (making up) for all the sins committed against God by men (all the sins of men since the beginning of the world until the end of time). An infinite God requires an infinite reparation or payment for the offenses made, that’s why Christ had to be both God and man to do it. As God He could offer infinite satisfaction or penance for sins, and as man He represents all mankind. It’s the reason why the animal sacrifices in the Old Testament were never enough to satisfy God because they were finite or limited in value.
With Christ’s Resurrection we don’t have to fear death and suffering anymore because they don’t have the final say in our lives. If we are faithful to Christ, we will conquer death and suffering with Him through our own resurrection at the end of the world. Although both wicked and holy people will resurrect, which basically means our bodies will be reunited with our souls again, at the end of world or at the second coming of Christ, the just ones will rise to a glorious resurrection whereas the unrighteous to a contemptible resurrection fit for Hell. Those in Hell will suffer as a complete man with body and soul while the righteous will enjoy perfect happiness in the new Earth and the new heaven (constellation) in their glorious resurrected bodies. (Revelation 21:1)
We know that the world will end because God has revealed it to us in the last book of Scripture. We don’t exactly know the details of how it will end because the book of Revelation is not easy to interpret, but we know who will come out victorious. God in His mercy is telling us in advance of how the world will end so that we may join the victorious team, warn the evildoers and give hope to the righteous people. The evils we have now in this world is temporary and will totally be eradicated at the end of time and Earth will be overhauled much like a battlefield is cleaned up after a war. A new Earth is necessary to make up for the failed Earth, this time no more sorrows but only perfect joy in the company of God, with all the angels and saints. “He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” (Revelation 21:4)
