I AM THE RESURRECTION

PRAYER MOMENT           An invitation to take a few minutes to ponder the excerpt below from the readings of today and listen to what the Spirit of Jesus is saying to me.                

Tuesday 29 July 2014,  St Martha

I AM THE RESURRECTION

Pause. Be still in the presence of God.

Reading: “I am the resurrection. If anyone believes in me, even though he dies he will live and whoever lives and believes in me will never die.” (John 11:19-27)

Reflection. Martha was a friend of Jesus and he used to call at her house. We have two memorable sayings from two visits that are recorded, this one and the one in Luke10 about choosing ‘the better part’. Paul, and later theologians, had much to say about the resurrection. But here we have Jesus simply saying ‘I am’ the resurrection. He does not go into an explanation about what happens. He himself, a person, the Word of God, is the resurrection. Attachment to him, a relationship to him, - in a word - belief in him, becomes a new life in us, a life that simply is. We have to use words like “lasts forever, eternal”, but the heart of the matter is simply a present moment that ‘is’ both here and after. We call them ‘the dead’ but they are more alive than we are. They now live a life that fulfils everything we ever longed for, I have always understood that Shona culture has a strong sense of the ’living dead.’ Well, here it is fulfilled in a joyful way that we cannot even begin to conceive.

Prayer. Lord Jesus, you are the resurrection. Help us to enter into this joyful realisation that you fulfil everything we long for at our deepest level. And may this faith reflect back into our lives so that we are witnesses of the resurrection. Amen..

David Harold-Barry SJ