They put Jesus to death by hanging him on a tree…but God raised him on the third day. Jesus’ resurrection is the climax of the paschal festivities that the Church has been celebrating since Holy Thursday. For it is in the resurrection of Jesus Christ that his passion and death find their true meaning (without the resurrection, the death of Jesus remains just that: a death like any other). Jesus’ resurrection transforms his passion and death into life-giving (salvific) events: “Lord, by your cross and resurrection you have set us free. You are the Savior of the world.” Moreover, the resurrection vindicates Jesus as one who was indwelt by God. All the good that God worked through him are also given a new meaning for they are now seen to have been pointing to this greatest event in the history of the universe. God performed such mighty signs through him as a prelude to the greatest sign that was to come: the resurrection.
The resurrection of Jesus from the dead is such a central event in our lives as members of the Christian family. The resurrection affords us our identity as a community of faith living in the here and now even as we look forward to the life that is to come (Cf. I Corinthians 15:14: if Christ has not been raised, then our faith, words, actions are all in vain). As a people of the resurrection, the rising of Christ from the dead is the basis upon which the hope for our own resurrection lies. Our own resurrection will be the culmination of the transformation of our bodies which began when God assumed our human nature. The process of regaining our likeness to God that has begun in the Incarnation becomes complete in our own resurrection.
As a people whose identity is tied to the events of that first Easter Sunday, we find our inspiration in the mystery that we are celebrating today. The resurrection of Christ fills us with courage even as it gives us a reason to continue living our identity with conviction. This is what we see in our first reading today from the Acts of the Apostles. Peter, who along with the other ten was initially skeptical about the women’s proclamation of the resurrection (cf. Luke 24:9-11), is now giving speeches in assemblies about the resurrection (the speech we read about today is the fifth of six speeches Peter gives). Peter, who had sworn to not having met Jesus or even heard about him (cf. Luke 22:54-62) is now boldly proclaiming Christ’s resurrection in the house of a Roman official. But that was not all. We also see Peter talking about the practical implications of Jesus’ resurrection. He was not afraid to “test the waters” by joining in fellowship an individual hitherto considered unworthy of salvation.  Peter’s courage was a result of him glowing not only in the resurrection of Christ but also in his own resurrection. He had become a new Peter.
Just as in Peter’s case, the resurrection of Jesus must have a transformational effect upon us. Our identity as a people of the resurrection must be objectively witnessed. This is what we hear Paul reminding the Colossian Church in today’s second reading. According to Paul, a Christian has been raised to new heights in the death and resurrection of Christ. This is a “privilege” that must be seen in the disdain for the things of the “earth.” While in today’s passage Paul doesn’t go into details about what constitutes the things of the “earth,” we know from his other writings what he is referring to. These are attitudes and behaviors that are not compatible with a Christian’s new identity as those sharing in the resurrected life of Christ since they lead to the death of the spirit of God that reside inside of us. The things of the earth are those attitudes and behaviors that prevent us from sharing in the divine life that has been made available to us because of the resurrection.
The resurrection must mean something to me who is celebrating it in the here and now. It must become a life-changing event in my life as it was for Peter and the others. Most importantly, the resurrection must enable me to become Christ-like in how I live my life on a daily basis.