More Evidence for the Resurrection - 2nd Sunday of Easter - April 28th, 2019
Click here to download the homily
Close up of Easter Candle with the Crucifix and Tabernacle in the Background
(The Easter Candle is a symbol of the Risen Lord and the Tabernacle
has the Eucharistic Presence of the Risen Lord with it)
Related posts:
Below are some related bulletin articles continuing from the last post on my blog...
Evidence for the Resurrection Part 3 of 4
(Continued
from the previous bulletin.)
Brant Pitre, in his book The Case for Jesus, addressed the issue of the spread of
Christianity. Some people would say that
the people of Jesus’ time were more gullible than we are. That they would simply accept such claims
without evidence. However, the Gospels
themselves disprove this theory. The
Apostles and other disciples doubt or question the Resurrection of Jesus Christ
on multiple occasions. Even when their
close friends tell them that they saw Jesus, they are dismissive. For example, think of St. Thomas who told the
Apostles that he didn’t believe them that Jesus appeared to them. Only when he saw Jesus himself, did he
believe. Likewise, the disciples on the
Road to Emmaus dismissed the claims of the other disciples as idle talk, that
is until they realized they were talking to the Risen Lord. If there weren’t good reasons to believe, then
Christianity would not have spread like it did.
Another reason for the spread of Christianity is
that not only Jesus, but also the Apostles in Jesus’ name performed miracles. We heard about these miracles in the Acts of
the Apostles and other New Testament books.
Seeing these miracles, many people came to believe.
While there is even more evidence in favor of the
Resurrection, I’ll stop here for now. The
evidence of this historical event includes, but is not limited to: the empty tomb, the encounters with the Risen
Lord, and the wide spread of Christianity.
Why do we believe in the Resurrection of Jesus Christ? Because that’s where the evidence leads
us.
If you struggle believing in the Resurrection then
please consider reading the books I mentioned:
Trent Horn’s Why We’re Catholic,
and Brant Pitre’s The Case for Jesus. I would also be happy to discuss not only the
Resurrection, but any aspect of the faith with those who want to know more or
have their doubts or questions.
(To
be continued…)
Evidence for the Resurrection Part 4 of 4
(Continued
from the previous bulletin.)
I covered three pieces of evidence for the
resurrection: the empty tomb, the
encounters with the Risen Lord, and the widespread of Christianity despite
persecution. Now, I would like to tell you about an atheist journalist, named
Lee Strobel. He knew the importance of
the resurrection, and he decided to investigate it, intending to disprove Christianity. In fact, in his book, The Case for Christ, which walks through his investigation, he
dedicates about one third to the Resurrection of Jesus Christ (almost 100
pages). After spending almost two years
in the 1980’s investigating Jesus, he came to the following conclusion:
“My mind could not conjure up a single explanation
that fit the evidence of history nearly as well as the conclusion that Jesus
was who he claimed to be: the one and
only Son of God. The atheism I had
embraced for so long buckled under the weight of historical truth.” (Strobel,
Lee. The
Case for Christ. Zondervan, 1998,
Grand Rapids, MI. Pg 266)
The evidence of this historical event covered in
this four-part bulletin series includes the empty tomb, the encounters with the
Risen Lord, and the wide spread of Christianity despite persecution. Why do we believe in the Resurrection of
Jesus Christ? Because that’s where the
evidence leads us.
If you struggle believing in the Resurrection, then
please consider reading the book I mentioned in this fourth part: Lee Strobel’s The Case for Christ. It
follows his personal journey from trying to disprove Christianity to becoming a
Christian based on the evidence he found in his investigation. I would also be happy to discuss not only the
Resurrection, but any aspect of the faith with those who want to know more or
have their doubts or questions.
For now, let us rejoice in the Resurrection of the
Lord as we continue to celebrate the Easter Season!
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