I greet the members of the Archdiocese of Port of Spain, the Christian Community of Trinidad and Tobago and the international readers of the Catholic News in the name of the Risen Lord. I pray that the peace and joy of Easter have touched the hearts of all.

Understanding the mystery

The word mystery, which is one of the favourite terms in Pope John Paul II's writings, means the transcendent reality of God, God's plan of salvation that is now revealed to us in Christ.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church has twenty paragraphs on the Resurrection along with marginal notes and footnotes. The footnotes are almost all from Scripture. I recommend a careful, periodic and reflective reading of those twenty paragraphs.

The Catechism makes the following points:

1) The Resurrection of Jesus is the crowning truth of our faith in Christ, a faith believed and lived as the central truth by the first Christian community; handed on as fundamental by Tradition; established by the documents of the New Testament and preached as an essential part of the Paschal mystery along with the cross.

2) The mystery of the Resurrection is a real event with manifestations that were historically verified as the New Testament bears witness.

3) The first element in the framework of Easter events is the empty tomb. While the Catechism admits this is a not a direct proof of the Resurrection, its discovery was the first step toward recognising the fact of the Resurrection.

4) The apostles did not believe the message of the women at the tomb. As a matter of fact, Jesus challenged them for their unbelief on Easter evening.

5) The post-Resurrection appearances built on the fact of the empty tomb. They strengthened the faith of the community. As witnesses of the Risen One, the apostles became the foundation stones of the Church. The faith of the first community is based on the witness of specific men known to the Christian community and still living among them.

6) The faith of the apostles and disciples in the Resurrection came from their direct experience of the reality of the Risen Jesus. By means of touch and the sharing of a meal, the risen Jesus established direct contact with his disciples. He invites them to recognise that he is not a ghost.

7) Christ's Resurrection was not a return to earthly life as was the case of Lazarus. The body of Jesus had the new properties of a glorified body not limited by space and time. He belongs now to the Father's divine realm. His body is filled with the power of the Holy Spirit.

8) There were no witnesses to the Resurrection. It is verified by the empty tomb and the post-Resurrection appearances. The Resurrection still remains at the heart of the mystery of faith as something that transcends and surpasses history. However, the witness of those who experienced the Risen Lord is historical.

9) The Catechism states that the Resurrection is a work of the Trinity. Each person of the Trinity acts as an individual person but the persons act together: The Father's power raised up Christ his Son and introduced his Son's humanity into the Trinity.

Jesus effects his own Resurrection by reason of his own divine power since he remained united to his soul and body even when they were separated by death. Jesus is revealed as the Son of God in power according to the Spirit.

The meaning of the Resurrection

The Catechism summarises the practical implications of the Resurrection for the life of the believer. It states:

1) The Resurrection is the confirmation of all Christ's works and teachings. It fulfills the promises of the Old Testament and of Jesus himself during his lifetime.

2) The Resurrection has given definitive proof of the divine authority of Jesus. It confirms that Jesus was the Son of God and God himself.

3) The Paschal Mystery has two aspects: By his passion and death, Christ has liberated us from sin. By his Resurrection, he opens for us the way to a new life. The new life is justification that reinstates us in God's grace. It brings about filial adoption that makes us brothers and sisters of Christ and children of God.

4) The Resurrection of Christ is the source of our future resurrection.

Resurrection spirituality

The spiritual goal of the baptised is to accept the call to share in the life of the Resurrection on a practical level in our day-to-day lives. Before and after his Resurrection, Jesus showed a profound trust in the Father and dedication to the Father.

We as baptised people are called to the same trust and dedication. As baptised persons, we are enabled to imitate Jesus from the strength of Christ that is mediated to us in the Spirit through the Church especially in its ministry of the sacraments.

It is the hope of all the baptised that, after a life of trust and dedication, they will share in the fullness of the transformed existence of the resurrected Lord.

To live in relationship with the Risen Lord, to witness to that relationship in a visible way and to be involved in ministry as a result of that relationship is a sign that the Resurrection of the Lord brings forth life for everyone who will accept it.

Conclusion

My prayer for the Catholic and Christian communities is that we will explicitly accept the Resurrection and renew our Baptismal promises on Easter from our hearts not just our lips. My prayer for the newly baptised and those who have entered into full communion with the Catholic Church is that you will continue the journey you have begun until you reach joyful maturity in the Risen Lord.