Praying the Gospel through the Rosary: The Resurrection
Submitted by Deacon Jim Krupka
Jesus did what he said he would do. He was victorious over the cross. We know it was not apparent to Jesus’ disciples that this would happen even though He told them. They heard the words, but it was a mystery. The first Glorious Mystery presents us with the same challenge. Through Jesus’ humanity, he experienced life and death. The combination is easy to comprehend. The intellectual walk into the mysterious comes with the Resurrection. Think about the emotions of those closest to Jesus as they experienced the risen Lord. Luke describes the experience. “But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they went to the tomb, taking the spices which they had prepared. And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they went in, they did not find the body. While they were perplexed about this, behold, two men stood by them in dazzling apparel; and as they were frightened and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, ‘Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen”‘ (Lk 24:1-5).
As we meditate on the Resurrection, part of the challenge is to make this incredible event real. I have a favorite rosary meditation path. It is outdoors and about a third of a mile long. On that path, the fifth Sorrowful mystery, the Crucifixion, is in shadows under a clump of trees. On the other side, the meditation spot for the Resurrection is in open sunshine. It takes effort to walk around the trees to find the Resurrection. The women who went to Jesus’ tomb had to go through something like this. They went to the tomb and found it empty. An angel gives them the good news. As they took in this news, they began to experience the reality of the Risen Lord. John Paul II wrote, “The contemplation of Christ’s face cannot stop at the image of the Crucified One. He is the Risen One.” (Novo Millennio Ineunte, #28).
As we meditate on this mystery, we make our faith genuine. St. Paul and our Catechism say, “‘If Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain’ (1 Cor 15:14). The Resurrection above all constitutes the confirmation of all Christ’s works and teachings” (CCC, 651). Moving from the Crucifixion to the Resurrection means believing in the bridge from this world to Heaven.