They put Jesus to death by hanging him on a tree…but God raised him on the third day and granted that those who believe in his name should receive forgiveness of their sins. Jesus’ rising from the dead 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 purpose and meaning (without the resurrection, the death of Jesus remains a death like any other, that is, a death with no gain). Jesus’ resurrection transforms his passion and death into life-giving events (salvific events). It is because of the resurrection that we are able to utter the following words with confidence: 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 had been given a mandate by God the Father to be a preacher of the Good News (cf. John 2:19). The resurrection also gives a new meaning/context for all the good that God worked through Jesus: it was as a foretaste of the resurrection that Jesus fed the hungry, healed the sick, consoled with the mourning, and raised the dead.
Whereas the resurrection is an event that has consequence for the entire created universe, for us who are known by the name of Christ (Christians), it becomes our primary point of reference. The resurrection defines our lives as Christians, for as St. Augustine had put it, “We are a people of the resurrection and alleluia is our song.” The rising of Jesus from the dead is not only a central event in our lives as members of the Body of Christ. The resurrection is our very life. It affords us our identity as members of a Christ-centered family. The resurrection of Jesus from the dead is the lens through which our words and actions are perceived and judged. As a people of the resurrection, the rising of Christ from the dead is the basis upon which our hope for our own resurrection at the end of time lies.
St. Paul does well to remind us that the rising of Jesus from the dead is the basis upon which our Christian life is built. Without the resurrection, our faith, words, and actions lose their meaning (they become vain [cf. I Corinthians 15:14]). As today’s First Reading from the Acts of the Apostles clearly puts it, It is the resurrection that gives us courage to boldly live out our Christian calling. Peter, who along with the rest of the apostles had been initially skeptical about the women’s proclamation of Jesus’ resurrection (cf. Luke 24:9-11), was now boldly giving speeches in assemblies about the resurrection (the speech which constitutes today’s reading is the fifth of six speeches that the apostle Peter gave). Peter, who had sworn not to have met Jesus or even heard about him (cf. Luke 22:54-62), was now courageously proclaiming Jesus’ resurrection in the house of a Roman official. But that was not all that he did. 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 God’s 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 like it happened to Peter, the resurrection of Jesus must have a transformational effect upon us who are living in its light. 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 Jesus. This is a “privilege” that must be seen in a Christian’s 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. The “things of the earth” are attitudes and behaviors that are not compatible with a Christian’s new identity as one sharing in the resurrected life of Jesus Christ. The “things of the earth” are incompatible with a resurrected life since they occasion the death of the spirit of God that reside inside of a Christian. The “things of the earth” are those attitudes and behaviors that prevent a Christian 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. By our actions and words, may we be a people of the resurrection, and may alleluia be our song. Amen.