1 Corinthians 15:35-38: Our Mode of Resurrection
Saturday, April 12, 2025
Christ has asked us to rise and go; and this we do with fidelity. We have felt the wrath of anger and a desire for revenge; and we have found hope of the Spirit’s justification. But what will be the manner of our transition from this life to the next? Can we explain it? Can we believe it? Can we share it’s promise with others?
It is likely that we have all pondered the resurrection at one time or another. We know that we have been sent to this earth to present to and for the world a unique face of God. Our face of God is what we sow, and it is also what we will reap. The Gospel evangelists tell us, by repeating Jesus’ words so succinctly and well, that we all are on a pilgrimage to the next world. Like the ten bridesmaids in one of Jesus’ many parables, we can choose to be prepared for the arrival of the bridegroom, or we can choose to burn our oil foolishly so that when he arrives we will not be present. We gain admittance to the Resurrection wedding feast by becoming incorruptible, but what does this incorruptibility look like? We remain steadfast and firm, faithful to God’s promises, hopeful in the Spirit’s wisdom, living God’s word as Jesus did, and by putting away our envy and pride. Once at the great feast, we will look around to see that all are equal, and – most importantly – we will be content with that fact. A famous Renaissance poet Jorge Manrique has written beautiful lines about his thoughts upon the death of his father, “Coplas a la muerte de mi padre.” He expresses this idea, “All of our lives are rivers – and all of these rivers, big and small, run to the sea . . . where they disappear into one another.” This might be our image of heaven as evoked by Paul in his letter to the Corinthians. Only those who have put away envy and pride, only those who have truly humbled themselves to obey will even be able to imagine such a place where we are all special – and where no one is more special than anyone else.
When Jesus speaks of John the Baptist in the Gospel of Matthew, he says that John is the greatest prophet of all time – even greater than Elijah; and yet, the least in heaven is greater than this great prophet. The least will be great, and greater than anything we can imagine.
So can we explain our mode of resurrection? Can we believe in Christ’s fidelity? Can we rely on the hope of the Spirit? Can we share the joy of God’s promise of resurrection?
Adapted from a reflection written on February 7, 2007.
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