The death and burial of Jesus is not the end of the gospel story. Neither is the event of the resurrection. The resurrection of Jesus is just the beginning. As a new day dawns the entire earth quakes and the tomb of Jesus, the tomb of the darkness of death, is thrown open and a new day of life begins. This is not the last day, it is the first day of the week, a day of new creation. The light of the risen Christ in his glory signals a new day and a new creation. Life is light, not darkness, and the resurrection of Jesus proclaims and celebrates in joy the victory of light over darkness. As John the evangelist says: “The light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it.” (Jn 1,5) Christ our light!
We have always been told by our material world that death is the end of our life. That it is the one certainty. However, in Christ, life does not end in darkness and death but breaks through the bondage of the tomb and shines out brilliantly in the glory of the dawning of a new day. The resurrection of Jesus signals a new day and a new creation. St. Paul tells the Corinthians: “So whoever is in Christ is a new creation, the old things have passed away; behold, new things have come.” (2Cor 5,17) The human person, disfigured by sin, is darkness and is destined for death. The light of the Risen Christ shines into the darkness of the soul held captive by slavery to sin and destroys the darkness of night. The Risen Christ inaugurates a new day, a new creation, a new hope and a new freedom as his light overcomes the darkness and lights the way to eternal life in the kingdom of heaven where there is no night. The book of Revelation speaks about the new heavens: “Night will be no more, nor will they need light from lamp or sun, for the Lord God shall give them light, and they shall reign forever and ever.” (Rev 22,5)
Christ our light. The day of salvation is the new day of the Risen Christ. To be saved we must be configured to Christ as the newness of life. We must become a new creation. Our old way of living selfishly, living in the darkness of sin, living in enmity with others and doing things “my way” must pass away and new ways of being must come. St. Paul tells the Ephesians: “For you were once darkness but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of the light for light produces every kind of goodness and righteousness and truth. Try to learn what is pleasing to the Lord. Take no part in the fruitless works of darkness; rather, expose them, for it is shameful even to mention the things done by them in secret; but everything exposed by the light becomes visible, for everything that becomes visible is light. Therefore, it says: “Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will give you light.” (Eph 5,8-14)
The remedy for the hopeless condition of our old life, disfigured and made slaves to sin, living in the darkness of night with no hope, is to be configured to Christ in newness of life. This life is Christ, the light of the world. John tells us in his gospel: “What came to be through him was life, and this life was the light of the human race; the light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it.” (Jn 1,3ff) Christ our Light.
This light of Christ is our hope for glory. The light of Christ shines into our darkened hearts and fills them with new light. To be configured to Christ the light means living in the newness of life. We must live a life of self-giving service, sacrificial love and as light in the world through our love for one another. We no longer are creatures of the night walking in the darkness of sin but we are children of light and children of the day for we are the children of God, who is light, and “who dwells in unapproachable light,” (1Tim 6,16) and there is no darkness in God. John tells us: “Now this is the message that we have heard from him and proclaim to you: God is light, and in him there is no darkness at all. If we say, “We have fellowship with him,” while we continue to walk in darkness, we lie and do not act in truth. But if we walk in the light as he is in the light, then we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of the Son Jesus cleanses us from all sin.” (1Jn 1,5-7)
The blood of Jesus cleanses us from sin and gives us new life, allowing us to walk in the light of Christ. The Holy Eucharist is a mystery of light and a sacrament of new life that configures us to Christ, the light of the world. Configured to Christ we walk in the light and we live in love of God and neighbor. We cannot say we love God if we don’t love our neighbor. To live in light is to live in humble love of others. John again tells us: “And yet I do write a new commandment to you, which holds true in him and among you, for the darkness is passing away, and the true light is already shining. Whoever says he is in the light, yet hates his brother, is still in darkness. Whoever loves his brother remains in the light, and there is nothing in him to cause a fall. Whoever hates his brother is in darkness; he walks in darkness and does not know where he is going because the darkness has blinded his eyes.” (1Jn 2,8-11)
Living in the light and living in the newness of life configured to Christ means that we are “all in” on our life of faith. We cannot be both light and darkness. We must become all light and all love. As St. Paul says, “What fellowship does light have with the darkness?” (2Cor 6,14) God is light and heaven is a place of light as John describes it in Revelations: “The city had no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gave it light, and its lamp was the Lamb…During the day its gates will never be shut and there will be no night there.” (Rev 21,23ff)
Baptism begins a new life of grace and glory within us. In baptism we are configured to Christ in newness of life. We become children of light, called to walk always in the light of love, the light of Christ, and to keep our lights burning brightly. Salvation is given as a sanctifying grace in baptism. How are you living out your baptism? What have you done with this gift of new life? Salvation is a grace but it is also dependent on our working at it and perfecting our human nature. St. Paul says to the Philippians: “Work out your salvation with fear and trembling. For God is the one who for his good purpose, works in you both to desire and to work. Do everything without grumbling or questioning that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine like lights in the world, as you hold on to the word of life.” (Phil 2,12-16)
Christ our light!
Be configured to that light and be one of the shining ones in this world!
Christ is risen. A new day has dawned. We are a new creation in Christ. Live always in the newness of life holding on always to his word of life.