Questions on the Resurrection
On this occasion of the Glorious Resurrection of the
Lord, we shall answer some of the questions addressed by
many people.
The Resurrection & Related Incidents
Death caused His spirit to separate from His body, but
His divinity never separated from His spirit or from His
body. His spirit, united with His divinity, accomplished
wonderful salvation for those lying in hope.
The Lord of the Living, not of the Dead – An Easter
Meditation
Why do we remember the departed in our prayers?
Since we do believe in God
and follow his commandments and his will, we are alive
and we will never die. Our forefathers lived in God so
they are not dead; they are in eternal rest in the bosom
of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
Making
Sense of the Resurrection Accounts – Are there Discrepancies?
When we read the various accounts of the Resurrection in the four Gospels, Acts
and Pauline Epistles we can easily be puzzled by some apparent discrepancies in
the details.
A Chronological Sequence of the Resurrection Events
Here is a possible and likely chronological sequence of
the resurrection appearances. It is a kind of synthesis
that attempts to collect all the data and present it in
a logical order.
Did the Resurrection
Really Happen?
The defining issue of Christianity is the question, 'Did Jesus Christ rise from
the grave?' In essence, was the Resurrection of Jesus an actual bodily
resurrection or merely a spiritual manifestation of some sort? Since
the day Jesus rose from the dead, detractors have tried to deny the
reality of His Resurrection because a genuine resurrection proves
His deity.
On
the Resurrection
As we celebrate the commemoration of the glorious feast of our Lord’s
Resurrection on Sunday, we must never lose sight of the fact that as victorious
as this resurrection is, it would never have come about without the apparent
defeat of the cross.
The
Easter Message of H.H. Pope Shenouda III
The resurrection of the Lord Christ was distinguished
with an amazing power. He is the only One who was
victorious over death by Himself. In His resurrection,
He crushed death, and arose with the power of His
Divinity.
Armenian Primate's Easter Message
Let us renew our lives with the Glorious and Victorious
Resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. This
is the challenging message of the Feast of the Holy
Resurrection. The Blessed Resurrection calls on us all
to renounce our old-self and instill within us a new
beginning: to live a Christ-like life.
Paschal
Encyclical of HE Metropolitan Nektarios
Christian Pascha, the Resurrection of Christ, has a particular importance for
all people, and this is why it is the central message of the church and a cause
for joy and celebration.
The Easter Message of the Heads of Churches of Jerusalem
Christians find their joy is secure in the hope of the
promise of eternal life which our Lord has won for all
who believe. However, when we in Jerusalem, the city of
redemption, see the suffering of our Christian brothers
and sisters in Egypt, Iraq and elsewhere in our region
our joy becomes more solemn.
Patriarch Bartholomew: 2011 Patriarchal Proclamation for
Pascha
The Resurrection of Christ is indeed real and grants to
faithful Christians the certainty - and to all humanity
the possibility - of transcending the adverse
consequences of natural calamity and spiritual
perversity.
Easter
Thoughts
Is it any small wonder that it was the women, rather
than the apostles, who first witnessed the empty tomb
and the
resurrected Lord? As a woman (Eve) was first to taste
death, so a woman (Mary Magdalene) was first to taste
life.
The Meaning
of Holy Week
Holy Week is most definitely a very sacred time of the
year, for it is now that we will commemorate and
remember the last week of Jesus' life on this earth.
These are the days leading up to the great Easter Feast.
Meditations for Holy Week
As you prepare for Holy Week we offer the following reflections for you to use
or to share.
Holy
Week in the Maronite Church
The Holy Week is the memorial of those great days of our
salvation when Jesus Christ died on the Cross to redeem
and save our human race and give us the opportunity to
share in His Divine Life.
Holy
Week in the Catholic Church (Latin Rite)
At the heart of our faith is the Paschal Mystery: the Passion, Death,
Resurrection, and Ascension of Jesus Christ. All of salvation history leads up
to and goes forth from these saving events. We call this “Holy Week” for Jesus’ public ministry
culminates with his suffering, death and resurrection.
Our Lord's
Passion
Jesus Christ's suffering, or passion, was immense and truly indescribable, but
we can say that He endured three types of suffering: emotional, physical, and
most importantly, spiritual. Because He was truly man, along with being truly
God, He genuinely experienced that suffering.
A Thought for the
Passion Week!
When we attend the Passion week services, it gives us
opportunity to remember and meditate on the love of
Christ, His sufferings and His crucifixion more than
other days.
Holy
Week (Poem) by Dr Zhivago
Blood
and Water From His Side by St. John Chrysostom
If we wish to understand the power of Christ’s blood, we should go back to
the ancient account of its prefiguration in Egypt.
Friday of
Holy Pascha Week
On Friday of Holy Pascha Week, our Lord Jesus Christ endured trials and crucifixion.
Meditation on the Day of the Cross
During this Holy Great Lent, we need to humble ourselves
prayerfully to learn at the feet of the two crucified
criminals of Calvary, who are often scornfully dismissed
as being among the lowest of the low.
Good Friday
Message
The Great Lent is almost coming to a close. Let us ask
four questions to ourselves.
The
Cross of Christ - 2
If we leave the cross out of life of Christ, we have
nothing left, and certainly not Christianity. Cross is
related to our sin.
When a
Curse Becomes a Blessing – Only God Can Do That
Here in Holy Week we ponder the events that led to
Jesus’ death and resurrection. Among the things to
ponder is a dramatic moment in the trial before Pilate
when the people who were present utter a curse upon
themselves.
Good
Friday is a Prep -Witness Day
Many opportunities come our way in life, how we respond shows what we truly love
and look for in life.
Crucifixion
Jesus was on the cross, dying as a sacrifice for our sin
- for all time. During the last three hours that He was
on the cross, the world became dark.
Sequence of the
Last Supper Events
On Holy Thursday, let’s examine the sequence of the Last
Supper which pretty well illustrates why the Lord had to
die for us. We will see how earnest the Lord is about
this Last Supper, how he enters it with an intense love
for his disciples and a desire that they (we) carefully
heed what he is trying to teach them.
Thursday of
Holy Pascha Week
On Thursday of Holy Pascha Week, our Lord Jesus Christ washed the feet of His
Disciple’s; celebrated the Last Supper and instituted the Mystery of the Holy
Eucharist. We also remember his agony in the Garden of Gethsemane and the
betrayal by Judas.
Last
Supper (Pesaha) Scripture Readings
The Symbolic Meaning of the Communion Elements
The cups of the Passover have specific meaning.
The Last Supper was actually the Last “passover “ and the 1st Lords Supper.
Last Supper celebrated a day late, physicist claims in
book
The Last Supper is commemorated a day late, a Cambridge University physicist
claims in his new book, according to reports in the Sydney Morning Herald and
the Belfast Telegraph.
Wednesday of
Holy Pascha Week
On Wednesday of Holy Pascha Week, our Lord Jesus Christ spent the day in Bethany
at the residence of Simon the leper. There, a woman, anointed our Lord’s
blessed body with fragrance.
Wednesday
in Holy Week
The figurative lamb is now to make way for the true one;
the Pasch of this year will substitute the reality for
the type; and Jesus' Blood, shed by the hands of wicked
priests, is soon to flow simultaneously with that of
victims which have been hitherto acceptable to God only
because they prefigured the Sacrifice of Calvary.
Tuesday of Holy Pascha Week
On Tuesday of Holy Pascha Week, our Lord Jesus Christ spent the day with the
disciples in the temple, teaching them by parables, telling them about the
Second Coming.
Tuesday in
Holy Week
Today, again, our Savior sets out in the morning for
Jerusalem. His intention is to repair to the temple, and
continue His yesterday's teachings. It is evident that
His mission on earth is fast drawing to its close.
Monday of
Holy Pascha Week
The fig tree is a symbol of the Jewish nation, which had
the outward appearance of fruits, because they had
followed the letter of the law. But they lacked fruit in
that they did not abide by the Spirit of the law and
"neglected the weightier things of the law."
Monday in Holy Week
This morning, also, Jesus goes with His disciples to Jerusalem. He is fasting,
for the Gospel, tells us that He was hungry. He approaches a fig-tree, which is
by the way-side; but finds nothing on it, save leaves
only.
Passover/
Pesaha/ Holy Last Supper
The following are the four cups of wine served at the
Passover with a meal that symbolizes the tears and
suffering of the Hebrew slaves in Egypt.
Jesus, the
Passover Lamb
Some say Jesus selecting Palm Sunday, his triumphal
entry to Jerusalem to present himself as the Passover
lamb and He needed them to inspect so that they could
see Him spotless and perfect. He is also the judge, the
King and the Messiah, who died, resurrected and
ascended.
Palm Sunday
Holy Week, the most solemn
and intense period of worship in the Christian faith,
begins with Passion Sunday, the Sunday before Easter. In
spite of the spiritual gravity of Holy Week, it begins
with joy.
Palm Sunday in Syriac Orthodox Church
Palm Sunday commemorates Christ's entrance to Jerusalem
riding a colt (Mark 11). The service commences with a
procession in the church with the clergy, dressed in
their vestments, carrying olive and palm branches.
Hosanna in the Highest - Are you ready to be a donkey?
Son of God could have ride on a chariot or a horse. But
He selected a donkey. Do this selection of donkey have
any relevance in today's life?
Palm Sunday - Passion
Sunday
The Sunday before Easter is observed by virtually all
Christians -- Protestant, Roman Catholic, and Eastern
Orthodox -- as Palm Sunday. For all Church traditions
the feast has a bittersweet taste.
Palm Sunday
Meditation
The holy fathers have explained to us the mystery of
these two animals. The ass represents the Jewish people,
which had been long under the yoke of the Law; the colt,
upon which, as the evangelist says, no man yet hath sat,
is a figure of the Gentile world, which no one had ever
yet brought into subjection.
See What
the End Shall Be – A Meditation on the Gospel of Passion
Sunday
As these behaviors are noted, we must understand that WE do these things. For
the Passion accounts are not merely portraits of people long gone, they are
portraits of you and me. We do these things.
Did Jesus rise from
the dead?
Is Jesus' resurrection a fantastic fact or a vicious myth? To find out, we need to look at the evidence
of history and draw our own conclusions. Let's see what skeptics who investigated the resurrection
discovered for themselves. A must read.
Did the Resurrection Really Happen?
The defining issue of Christianity is the question, 'Did Jesus Christ rise from
the grave?' In essence, was the Resurrection of Jesus an actual bodily
resurrection or merely a spiritual manifestation of some
sort? Since the day Jesus rose from the dead, detractors
have tried to deny the reality of His Resurrection
because a genuine resurrection proves His deity.
Making Sense of the Unlikely Easter Story
When you know the context of the New Testament texts—the world and cultures in
and to which these stories were written—you quickly realize that sometimes the
incongruities and unusual aspects in the story testify to their historical
veracity and authenticity.
What Day did Christ
Die?
In Daniel 9:25-26 it is said that there would be 69 prophetic weeks till the
Messiah
would appear, and would be cut off (Crucified) in the midst of the week.
This equals 483 years.
Jesus, according to Daniel's prophecy, was anointed the Messiah in
26 AD.,
which was 483 years after the Decree of Artaxerxes to restore Jerusalem. |