The Christophers: The Hope of the Resurrection

Fr. Ed Dougherty, M.M.

The Christophers’ Board of Directors

As we move through this Easter season towards Pentecost, when we celebrate the gift of the Holy Spirit, it’s important to remain on fire with the hope of the Resurrection. This was the experience of those first followers of Christ, whose inspired reaction to Jesus’ return prepared them for the Holy Spirit to descend upon them and kindle fire in their hearts.

It’s no wonder that one of The Christophers’ most in-demand News Notes is Finding Hope in Christ’s Resurrection, which earned First Place in its category in the Catholic Press Association Awards. It’s not always easy to know what to focus on in the complex story of Christ’s passion, death, and Resurrection. But the key takeaway should be joy, and that’s what the Apostles knew as they moved towards that first Pentecost.

Catholic priest and theologian Henri Nouwen said, “The Resurrection is God’s way of revealing to us that nothing that belongs to God will ever go to waste. What belongs to God will never get lost – not even our mortal bodies.” The Resurrection fulfills Christ’s promise, when He said, “Behold, I make all things new.” He won this renewal for us through suffering and calls us to partake of the victory by following in His footsteps. Nouwen writes, “As Christ bears the marks of His suffering in His risen body, our bodies in the Resurrection will bear the marks of our suffering. Our wounds will become signs of glory in the Resurrection.”

Our News Note on the Resurrection details the story of Laura Sobiech and her son Zach, who was diagnosed with cancer at age 14 and died four years later. Leaning on their faith as Catholics throughout Zach’s battle, their family began to see the triumph of grace amid suffering. Laura later observed, “There is no joy like that which is experienced in the midst of intense suffering…. Reflecting back on it, joy isn’t so much about the laughter that happens.…It’s about having those intense moments of contentment and gratitude in the midst of suffering, which [reminds us that] even in this darkness, God is here.”

In her memoir about their struggle, titled Clouds, and named after a song Zach wrote and performed that gained national attention before he died, Laura recalls her son being drawn into the sacraments as a profound way to meet Christ here in this world. She said, “We would have our parish priest over for the anointing, and especially at the end, when Zach couldn’t even sit up on the couch, he would just lay there with his eyes closed and raise his hands for the anointing. He understood the power of those sacraments.”

The sacraments are the gift that provide a window into the eternity we will spend with God after our own Resurrection. It’s a future that can be so overwhelming to contemplate that we need the sacraments to immerse ourselves in God’s love in ways that can be incorporated into our daily lives.

The sacraments draw us into the complex path that will lead us to partake of the glory of the Resurrection, and the sacraments help us to see those things that are the foretaste of eternal life: forgiveness, healing, and undying love. This Easter season is a great time to focus on walking this path with joy and inspiring others to do the same, so we can keep our hearts trained on those things that will last for all eternity.

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For free copies of the Christopher News Note FINDING HOPE IN CHRIST’S RESURRECTION, write: The Christophers, 264 West 40th Street, Room 603, New York, NY 10018; or e-mail: mail@christophers.org