In St. John’s First Letter, we see something come up that we often say, but might easily miss the importance of – that Christ is. There are many times that we say Jesus Christ is our Lord and Savior, or that He is risen, or that He is the Lamb of God. St. John puts it this way today:
He is expiation for our sins, and not for our sins only but for those of the whole world.
When we think about who Jesus is to us, we think about all that He means to our lives now. When we think about why or how, it is important that we don’t fall into the trap of saying that it is because of something He merely did a long time ago. The events of His earthly life were a long time ago, and yet they are still present in our lives today. Because, of course, God did this, not us.
If Jesus Christ were simply a human being who did all the good He did, it would still be remarkable. However, because He is God, these things are actually eternal. When He raised Lazarus from death, it was a miracle of the greatest sort, but Christ merely restored Lazarus’ life. This was a sign of the true purpose of His Incarnation. When He died for all our sins, He conquered death. When He rose from the dead, He restored life to all who place their trust in Him.
In this Easter season above all, but also throughout our lives, we must remember that Christ is risen. When we keep this alive in our hearts, we proceed in Joy, and bring Christ to others’ lives. May Christ’s Victory over sin and death, eternal and always present in our lives, send you into the world to bring others home to the Lord.
St. Anthony Catholic Church 