The Mysteries of Resurrection and Life
The Mysteries of Resurrection and Life
What does resurrection from the dead signify?
What is the power of the resurrection in our lives?
Human life does not end with death; rather, it continues. How shall we rise again? Will it be with the same body?
On the occasion of the Feast of the Resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ, we would like to contemplate the meaning and impact of the Resurrection—how it opened the gates of eternity before humanity, how it transformed human nature and behavior, and how it gave life its true meaning. But before that, what is resurrection—and even before that—what is the mystery of life and death?
When God created man, He created him for life. He breathed into him the breath of life, and man became a living soul. Immortality was part of human nature. Death was foreign to it.
It was the result of sin, not part of the nature God created in His image and likeness.
Therefore, when death ruled over the world, it was something strange and sorrowful.
And when God willed to restore man to his original rank, He had to restore to him the gift of life, to return him to immortality, and to save him from death so that it might no longer have dominion over his nature.
In the Resurrection of Christ, human nature triumphed over death, and through the Resurrection, man entered into immortality.
The Lord Jesus Christ—as the Son of Man—was like humanity in everything. In His death, He died on our behalf, paying the wages of sin, which is death. And in His Resurrection, through Him, our nature triumphed over death.
We rejoice in the Resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ because it is the resurrection of us all.
Through it, we realize that there is no death anymore, no extinction—no continuation of death.
Our life has taken on the character of eternity. Adam became again a living soul, as he once was.
The Resurrection is the dream awaited by the patriarchs, for which they rested in hope.
How great are the joys the Resurrection has brought to humankind!
It gives hope of another life after death and shows that man’s life continues in the world beyond—endlessly—into eternity.
And this continuation is into a life far better than our present one.
We shall rise with bodies of light and spirit.
We shall rise with the same bodies, but in glory, in a state of transfiguration, as our nature was seen on Mount Tabor.
We shall rise with incorruptible, spiritual bodies—bodies that do not tire, suffer, hunger, thirst, or submit to material desires; bodies that will not decay or die again.
We shall rise in freedom from the control of matter, in the likeness of Christ’s glorious body in His Resurrection.
Indeed, how beautiful is the Scripture’s description of our resurrection: “We shall be like the angels of God in heaven.”
Thus, the Resurrection has exalted the value and dignity of man.
By the Resurrection, man is distinguished from all other living creatures, which, once they die, never rise again.
Life on earth is very short compared to endless eternity. If our life were confined to this brief period on earth, how short and meaningless it would be!
But through the Resurrection, our earthly life has gained spiritual goals.
Its spiritual purpose is to prepare ourselves for eternal happiness—by purifying heart, mind, spirit, and body—so that through faith, we may be worthy to live there in fellowship with God, His angels, and His saints, for there is no fellowship between light and darkness.
If life were confined to earth, the materialism of the Epicureans would prevail—those who said, “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.”
Then lusts and false pleasures would dominate, as people sought to enjoy whatever they could during their short lives.
But the Resurrection has made us strive for eternal life. Thus our life gained meaning and purpose.
Through the Resurrection, fear of death vanished from the human heart.
If death ended human existence, people might indeed fear it.
But since it is only a golden bridge leading to eternal bliss—not an end but a transition to something better—people no longer fear it.
Saint Paul even challenges death, saying, “O death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory?” (1 Cor. 15:55).
Thus, the martyrs went to death with courage and joy.
The saints of every generation even longed for death as they longed for life.
Saint Paul said clearly: “I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better.”
And Simeon the Elder prayed, saying: “Lord, now You are letting Your servant depart in peace, for my eyes have seen Your salvation.”
Whenever we bid farewell to a loved one who has departed to heaven, we remember the passages of Scripture about the Resurrection.
That is what the Church does on the third day—it visits the house of the departed and recalls Christ’s Resurrection on the third day, the first fruits of every resurrection afterward. It reads passages about resurrection, giving hope to the family that their loved one will rise, that death has not conquered him, nor ended his life. Thus the Church comforts their sorrow with the hope of resurrection so that they do not grieve like those who have no hope.
The Resurrection is therefore a spiritual consolation for the family of every departed person, and its comfort extends further still.
It consoles them with the assurance that they will see and live with their loved one again. As Christ said to His disciples, “A little while, and you will see Me… I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and your joy no one will take from you.” And indeed, the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord.
There is also another consolation in the Resurrection:
It comforts those who found no good on earth, like poor Lazarus, who will find in eternity comfort in place of his earthly suffering.
And it comforts those who found no justice on earth, assuring them that their rights are preserved in the world to come by the righteous Judge who defends the oppressed.
Thus, the Resurrection restores balance to every human life. The sum of what man receives on earth and what he receives in heaven completes the picture of divine justice.
The Resurrection reveals the power of God, who will raise these bodies—He who created man from nothing can raise him from death and restore his body even after it has turned to dust.
He is Almighty; nothing is impossible for Him.
And not only will He raise the bodies, but He will glorify them—making them radiant, spiritual, and full of light.
The joy of the Resurrection encouraged the rise of mission bearers—those who labored tirelessly to spread goodness on earth, never seeking rest for themselves.
They did so not for temporary earthly reward but out of faith in eternity, for which all hearts are purified.
If bodies did not rise, there would be no strong motive to do good.
The Resurrection also carries the meaning of responsibility,
for all shall rise to stand before the righteous judgment seat of God and give an account of what they have done in the body, whether good or evil.
Thus, they shall receive their recompense on the great Day of Judgment: “Those who have done good will rise to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of condemnation” (John 5:29).
This responsibility after resurrection taught people to be cautious and led them toward goodness.
Those who did not love goodness for its own sake began, out of fear of judgment, to do good—and by practicing it continually, they found delight in it and came to love it for itself.
Resurrection is joy for the righteous, for it is above all a meeting with God.
The greatest happiness in eternity is the joy of communion with God Himself—His love and fellowship.
Every joy apart from God, or not from Him, is not true joy.
Eternal joy is what the Apostle described: “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined—what God has prepared for those who love His holy Name.” What greater joy could there be than this?
And perhaps one of the delights of the Resurrection is the final disappearance of evil.
In eternal bliss, there is no sin, no fall, no evil—man returns to his first righteousness, to the simplicity and purity of his heart.
He forgets all former knowledge of sin and of the struggle between good and evil that once wearied him.
And now, can we truly express everything about the Resurrection in this brief reflection?
May God make it a blessed feast for all of us, for our country, and for our Church.
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Article by His Holiness Pope Shenouda III, published in Watani Newspaper, April 26, 1981.
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