Word Word ofof

Life Life April 2010April 2010

"I am the resurrection and the life. “ (Jn 11,25)

Jesus uttered these words in reference to the passing of Lazarus of Bethany, whom he raised

from the dead on the fourth day.

Lazarus had two sisters, Martha and Mary. When

Martha heard that Jesus was coming to their

house, she immediately ran to meet him and

said, "Lord, if you had been

here, my brother would

never have died."

"Your brother will rise again," Jesus

answered. She replied, "I know that he will rise

again in the resurrection on the last day."

Then Jesus declared: "I am the resurrection

and the life: whoever believes in me, though he should die, will

come to life; and whoever is alive and believes in me will never

die."

"I am the resurrection and the life. “

Jesus wants to clarify who he is for us. He possesses the most precious thing that

anyone could desire: life; the life that will never die.

If you have read John's Gospel, you must have

noticed that Jesus also said:

"Just as the Father

possesses life in himself, so

has he granted it to the Son to

have life in himself.” And

since Jesus has life, he can give

it to others.

"I am the resurrection and the life. “

Martha too believed in the “resurrection on the last day.”

But with his wonderful

affirmation, “I am the resurrection

and the life,” Jesus explains

that she does not have to wait, hoping for the

future resurrection of

the dead.

Right now, in the present moment, for all those who believe in him, he is already life -the

divine, ineffable, eternal life that will never die.

If Jesus is in those

who believe, if he is

in you, you will not

die. This life in all

who believe is a

participation in the

life of the risen

Jesus, and is,

therefore, quite

different from our

ordinary human

condition.

This extraordinary life which you, too, already possess, will become fully manifest on the last

day. Then, with your whole being, you will take part in the resurrection that is to come.

"I am the resurrection and the life. “

But it will never again mean that existence is pointless, never will it be absurd anymore. It will no longer be the end of everything. For you, death will not mean that you have truly died.

With these words Jesus is certainly not denying that physical death exists, but he is telling us that physical death does not mean the loss of true life. For all of us, death will remain a unique, intense, perhaps even dreaded experience.

"I am the resurrection and the life. “

And when were you born into this

Life that will never die? At the moment of your baptism. Then

and there - even though, as a

human being you were destined to die - you received immortal life from

Christ. At baptism, in fact, you received the Holy Spirit, or he who raised Jesus from the dead.

The condition for receiving this sacrament was the faith which you professed, or which was professed

for you by your godparents. In fact, on the occasion of Lazarus' resurrection, Jesus said it clearly to Martha: "Whoever believes in me,

though he should die, will come to life” ... "Do you believe this?"

In this context "believing" is

something very serious and important. It

does not mean simply accepting the truths Jesus has proclaimed;

it also means adhering to

them with our whole being.

In order to have this life, therefore, we must say our "yes" to Christ. This means adhering to his words, to his commands: living according to them. For Jesus promised, "If anyone keeps my

word, he will never see death". And the teachings of Christ are summed up in love. You

cannot be anything but happy then. You possess life!

"I am the resurrection and the life. “

During this period in which we are preparing for our Easter celebration, let us help each other to renew our decision and constant effort to die to ourselves so that Christ, the risen Lord, may live

in us even now.

Text by: Chiara Lubich

"I am the resurrection

and the life. “(Jn 11,25)