Dear friends,

Happy Resurrection Day!

If Christ has conquered death, then what does it mean for us?

First, the resurrection of Jesus means that we too can rise above the death-like situations that surround us.

Paul affirms that we share in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ as illustrated in our baptism. If this is so, then we are empowered by God to see life, and make life-affirming decisions in seemingly hopeless situations.

Second, the resurrection of Jesus means that the Gospel that we preach is true.

In the book of Acts, the word “resurrection” was repeated many times. The disciples were full of courage in preaching the good news about Jesus because of the resurrection. The disciples who were previously scattered and dejected during the arrest and crucifixion of Jesus, were transformed and became bold enough to stand in front of many people declaring that they are followers of Jesus. This was because of one thing alone — the resurrection of Jesus. This means that we too should not be ashamed in sharing the Gospel because our God is not dead.

Third, the resurrection of Jesus means that we are now bringers of hope.

Hope is very powerful as a psychological motivation. How much more if our hope is based on the resurrected Jesus. Our expectation then is full of confidence because “he who began a good work in us will surely bring it on to completion…”  (Phil 1:6). Our hope is not just a mere psych ploy, but more importantly a spirituality that is anchored in a certainty. Let us share that hope to others.

May God bless us all!

Sincerely,

Rev. Francis Neil G. Jalando-on

Acting Director
Office of Communications
Central Philippine University