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Mystic Mantra: More than just faith

Easter is the celebration of the living presence of Jesus Christ in the life of the Church and of individuals.

This week in the Christian calendar is honoured as the Easter week, celebrating the resurrection of Jesus. Last week was observed as the Holy Week when Christians commemorated his crucifixion and death. Easter is the greatest Christian feast, for, without Jesus rising from the dead, there would have been no Christianity.

While faith is an essential ingredient of any religion, Easter for Christians is not just a matter of faith in an extraordinary event. Easter is the celebration of the living presence of Jesus Christ in the life of the Church and of individuals.
In his lifetime, Jesus worked many miracles, including raising dead people to life. But many magicians of the time or in later ages too have performed magical tricks and even miracles. Even currently the Church requires two scientifically proven miracles attributed to an extraordinary holy person before it can officially declare her/him saint, as in the case of Mother Teresa.

It is Jesus’ resurrection that to confirm as true all the claims made by him about who he was, from where he came and from where he now reigns. Philosophers, theologians, scientists, historians, sociologists, artists, believers, non-believers and simple people like you and me through the centuries have been asking and searching for answers to the basic question of our existence and the meaning of life and death. What happens to us after we die? Is there life after death?

Jesus’ resurrection put all those questions to rest. By rising from the dead, he overcame death. A conversation recorded in the Bible between Jesus and Martha, whose brother had died and whom Jesus brought back to life, helps us understand this truth: “…Martha said to Him, ‘I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.” Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?’”

Jesus was obviously not speaking about the physical death or living eternally in bodily form but about life after our earthly existence. And his promise would have forever remained hollow if the tomb in which he was laid on that Friday evening would not have opened to bring us new life and hope.

Easter, two days after the death of Jesus on Good Friday, above all, celebrates hope in the midst of darkness. It tells us that evil cannot and does not have the last word and that death has no control over those who believe and follow the path of God.

( Source : Columnist )
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