Expert: Griff Ruby - 1/17/2005

Question
I am going through RCIA right now, and am tryig to learn... can you explain the symbolism behind the resurrection of Jesus Christ, what it teaches us, and how it applies to our lives?

Answer
For starters, the resurrection is far more than a mere symbol, it is Jesus Christ, crucified, and yet living again, such that the disciples could see Him, eat with Him, and even feel the nailholes in His hands and feet and spearhole in His side.  The last chapter (or two in the case of John) of each Gospel recounts of His resurrection, as seen and recorded infallibly by the Church in Scripture.
As to what this means for our lives, first and foremost is that it means Jesus is truly God, worthy of our deepest and profounded obedience and adoration.  All of Christianity stands or falls with the question of whether He actually rose from the dead (as it states in every Creed) or not.
His resurrection does of course have many echoes in our own lives, in promises fulfilled after all hope is lost, in forgiveness for our own sins, and even in our rising from the waters of Baptism into the new life He gives us.
For me also there is what I call the "Resurrection of the Catholic Church" in which the Church as the mystical Body of Christ has been subjected to the worst sort of corruption and dissolution, and yet still lives on with a life that cannot be killed.  Men defect, sometimes "en masse" as has happened in my lifetime, and yet the Church rolls on indefectible.
I hope this helps, God bless!