Loading...
Loading...
Click here if you don’t see subscription options
James Martin, S.J.April 08, 2023
Jesus depicted in stained glassPhoto by Paul Zoetemejier, from Unsplash.

A Reflection for the Resurrection of the Lord

Christ is risen!

What more can be said about Easter, other than those remarkable three words? Maybe it would help to, as spiritual directors like to say, “unpack” each word.

To talk about “Christ” means of course to talk about Jesus of Nazareth. The term Christos is the Greek word used in the New Testament for “Anointed One,” which refers to the long-awaited Messiah. These days “Christ” functions almost as a kind of “last name” for Jesus, but in fact it’s more of a theological title.

But it’s important to understand that the one who rose from the grave is the same person who was buried there: Jesus of Nazareth. Sometimes theologians separate the two terms, which can give people the impression that the “Jesus of History,” that is, the flesh-and-blood man who walked the dusty ground of Galilee and Judea in the first century, is somehow different than the “Christ of Faith,” the one who has risen from the dead, is alive to us in the Spirit and who now leads the church. The Risen Christ, however, was recognizably and identifiably the man called Jesus of Nazareth. He was the same person the disciples had followed during his public ministry, had seen die a horrible death on the Cross and then was sealed away in his tomb. As Stanley Marrow, S.J., a New Testament scholar, wrote in his commentary on the Gospel of John, “For him to have risen as anyone other than the Jesus of Nazareth they knew would void the Resurrection of all its meaning.” This is one reason why Jesus shows his wounds to his disciples in some of the post-Resurrection appearances. The same one who died on the Cross rose from the dead. The marks of his suffering are, as Father Marrow says in a memorable phrase, his “credentials.”

Notice that this glorious Easter acclamation is the present tense. We don’t say “Christ rose!” Or “Christ did rise!” We say, more triumphantly, “Christ is risen!”

And Jesus Christ did not simply rise from the dead on Easter Sunday, upending all of human history—he is risen. Notice that this glorious Easter acclamation is the present tense. We don’t say “Christ rose!” Or “Christ did rise!” We say, more triumphantly, “Christ is risen!” He has destroyed death forever, and is alive, present through the Holy Spirit. He is risen, from now until the end of time. What happened in the past–his Resurrection–is also a present-day and future event. Finally, let’s consider that beautiful word “risen.” In English, the word conjures up images of spring flowers rising from the cold, hard, dead winter soil. A perfect image for faith during difficult times.

Imagine the disciples cowering behind closed doors on Good Friday and Holy Saturday, after the Crucifixion. They were convinced that everything was over. They were sure that the great ministry, the great project, of Jesus had ended. They were certain that all was lost. They were, in a word, stuck in despair.

But they had forgotten that with Jesus, suffering never has the last word. The disciples failed to remember the message of the Angel to Mary at the Annunciation, which is the message of Easter: Nothing is impossible with God! That is true in the past, present and future.

Christ is risen! That means everything has changed, now and forever. Happy Easter!

More: Scripture

The latest from america

Pope Leo XIV has appointed the French archbishop of Chambéry, Thibault Verny, as the new president of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors. He succeeds Cardinal Seán O’Malley, 81, the emeritus archbishop of Boston.
Gerard O’ConnellJuly 05, 2025
U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., speaks with other members of the House July 3, 2025, on Capitol Hill in Washington after final passage of U.S. President Donald Trump's sweeping spending and tax bill. (OSV News photo/Jonathan Ernst, Reuters)
“Deep cuts” to SNAP and Medicaid will “inflict real suffering on these families…. SNAP and Medicaid are not luxuries, they are lifelines for millions of children across our country.”
Kevin ClarkeJuly 03, 2025
It was one of the first times Leo has spoken unscripted at length in public, responding to questions posed to him by the children.
The Vatican has named the judges that will preside over the trial of disgraced Father Marko Rupnik.