Alleluia! He is Risen!

Once again, we are celebrating the Resurrection of Jesus from the dead. We celebrate the momentous event which is the basis of our faith; this, more than anything, conclusively proves that Jesus is, as He claimed to be, God and, therefore, Conqueror of Death. Jesus took on our Human Nature, living (though without sin) and dying as will we all. Because He then, through His Godly, Power, took up again the life He had laid down on Calvary, He opened the way for every one of us (should we so choose) to follow Him into Eternal Happiness; the broken route to our created destiny was restored. We are offered the chance to, one day, pass beyond this limited earthly life to join Him eternally in our True Home, Heaven!

Through the Pope, Bishops, Priests, Mass and Sacraments, Christ is, as He promised, with us,"...until the end of time". Every Communion, received in the State of Grace, strengthens the Grace first received in Baptism. Should we lose this Life through Mortal Sin we are assured, should we repent, of its restoration to our Soul through the Sacrament of Reconciliation; an interrupted journey resumed. We must never fall prey to the myth that Confession is only for Grave Sins. Neither, however ‘minor’ are our faults, should we be content with doing the ‘bare minimum’ going, maybe, once a year. Just as every ‘little’ sin weakens our Spiritual health, so every Confession, however ‘trivial’ we may consider our sins, makes us Spiritually more ‘robust’. The Catechism of the Catholic Church (1458) explains very clearly the immense benefits of regularly confessing what are called venial sins.

The Resurrection - Pieter Lastman 1612

In our age of widespread education for all, ignorance is, generally, no excuse for departing from the ‘straight and narrow way’. Through the teachings of the Church, challenging as we may well find them, we can be sure of knowing what we must do (or not do) in order, one day, to share in Christ’s Risen Life in Heaven.
 
Satan, of course, is only too aware of the immense Power opposing him, a Power which will, eventually, totally vanquish him. He does not cease to try and spread confusion and dissent, sadly, sometimes among Catholics too; one may find oneself unpopular for upholding the Truth. The mass media can, as we are aware, be a tool for good or evil.
 
Alarmingly, there can sometimes be presented to us a somewhat one-sided view of Divine Love. God loves us. Of that there is no doubt; He created us to, ultimately, enjoy Eternal Happiness - again true! We do well to remember, though, that if we are to get there, we too, have a part to play. We, as Human Beings, are endowed with Intelligence and Free Will. As St. Augustine noted, "God, who created you without your consent, will not (it could read cannot) save you without your co-operation.". In other words, if we are to attain Heaven we must work at it, to the best of our ability, obeying God's Laws - challenging as they may be - or, to put things another way, to reach our journey's hoped-for end we must follow the route map!
 
If we misuse a domestic appliance and it goes wrong, it is no use claiming under the guarantee! Likewise with our God-given life; It must be lived in accordance with the Maker's Instructions in order to lead us to Heaven.