Christ has
Truly Risen and we are Witnesses to His Resurrection
By: Elias Bejjani
March 23/08
But what does it say? The word is with you, in your mouth, and in your
heart; that is, the word of faith, which we preach: that if you will confess
with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised
him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart, one believes unto
righteousness; and with the mouth, confession is made unto salvation. For the
Scripture says; whoever believes in him will not be disappointed. (Romans 10: 8
-11)
Oh how great is the need nowadays, to understand the meaning and message of the
resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ! The fast pace of life has turned us
merely into sad human shells of crippled beings, consumed by greed, selfishness
and the race for worldly pleasures. Our thoughts and actions are directed by
trifle material matters and concerns. In the midst of all this moral and ethical
havoc, we have forgotten that we are the sons and daughters of Almighty God and
that He has created us in His image and likeness and made our bodies a temple
for Him.
We often find ourselves intentionally forgetting the fact that our Heavenly
Father has shown us His great love and affection by sending us His only son;
born as human, He suffered humiliation and pain and was crucified so that we
could be relieved from the burden of our original sin. Through His crucifixion
and death, Jesus triumphed over death and resurrected from the dead, thereby
resurrecting us with Him, pure and forgiven of all sin and impurity. Oh how the
yoke of death and sin has been lifted from our shoulders and carried by our Lord
Jesus!
Worldly matters frequently make us easy prey to our sinful instincts and
wrongful human inclinations. How easy we are seduced by sin knowing that our
Father gave so much for our salvation. In such darkness, our faith, perseverance
and hope become weakened, as we drift away from the teachings of our Lord. Shame
is our neglect of our rightful obligations towards our heavenly Father and
towards those who need our love, compassion and friendship.
We need to realize wholly and become fully aware of the great blessing that
Jesus’ resurrection from death is indeed a new life for all mankind, free from
all sin. This fact alone is a comfort that must be remembered with every breath
and allowed to settle deep within our minds, hearts and souls. His resurrection
is an established truth in its essence, and this truth should penetrate into our
bones.
“He is not here, rather He has risen”. We as Christians truly believe that
Christ rose from the dead and is alive within all of us. His resurrection is the
essence of our faith, beginning with the holy Apostles and ending with us, the
Church. His resurrection is not solely a historical event, but rather it is our
source of faith which explodes forth like a powerful volcano in our conscience
and thoughts.
For the believers, this truth cultivates and purifies the faith, allowing them
to courageously walk the road of salvation with steadfastness, strength, and
veracity. The Father blesses His sons and daughters with the same compassion and
love that resurrected His beloved Jesus. Our heavenly Father, through the
sacrifice of His only Son, provided for us a lesson and an example of true love,
fatherly compassion and parental sacrifice. He proved to us, His flock and
children, that He is love and that His love for us has no limits and that His
forgiveness is unending. What peace and comfort is this for us!
The Resurrection of
Christ grants every one of us the right to call himself a child of God; it is the
return of Paradise lost, the threshold of the Holy of Holies of immortal life
and communion with God. St. Paul tells us that if there had been no Resurrection
then our Christian faith would have been deprived of any foundation or value:
"If
Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in
vain.... If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still
in your sins (1 Cor. 15:14, 17)."
Easter is a festival of hope for salvation and for a new life and a new
beginning. This Holy season calls on us to renew our faith in Jesus as our
Messiah and to consolidate our confidence in His Church and its teachings.
Easter calls on us all to love and forgive each other and as a family to unite
together in celebration of our risen Lord. It is also a time to repent for our
wrongful deeds and thoughts; to cleanse our hearts and walk forward with
steadfast the righteous path of salvation.
Let us never forget the humbling truth that all of us will one day stand before
our Almighty God to answer for our all our deeds, good and bad. It is in this
light we need to remember the teachings of the Apostles; That In the end times,
there will be hypocrites, walking before their own ungodly lusts and causing
divisions, lacking the Spirit. They taught us to strengthen ourselves and our
faith through prayer and the Holy Spirit and to nurture our love for our God,
while seeking the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Our resurrection through Jesus Christ occurs today and lives on in each day of
our life. Let us pray that the Holy Spirit enlighten and empower us on this Holy
day just as with the Apostles on the day of Pentecost. Let us all proudly
proclaim that Christ is living in us and with us, Christ has truly risen and we
are witnesses to His resurrection!
Happy Easter to all and especially to our family and friends in Diaspora and in
our Lebanon!
May God Bless You All!
*Elias Bejjani
Chairman for the Canadian Lebanese Coordinating Council (LCCC)
Human Rights activist, journalist & political commentator.
Spokesman for the Canadian Lebanese Human Rights Federation (CLHRF)
E.Mail
phoenicia@hotmail.com
LCCC Web Site
http://www.10452lccc.com
CLHRF Website http://www.clhrf.com