During his daily morning Mass, Pope Francis talked about Resurrection. A topic, he described as something difficult to understand for non-believers and even for some Christians.
POPE FRANCIS
'When we speak of this, our manner of speaking tells us: â??I want to go to Heaven, I donâ??t want to go to hell.' But we stop there. None of us says: â??I will rise like Christ didâ??. No, even for us it's difficult to understand this.â?
The Pope went on to explain that it's normal to fear resurrection, since it means the whole transformation of the body. He added that prayer is the best way of overcoming this fear.
SUMMARY OF THE POPE'S HOMILY
(Source: Vatican Radio)
'[The Christian teaching on the bodily resurrection] is a scandal: they cannot understand it. This is why Paul offers the following line of reasoning, which is quite clear: â??if Christ is risen, how can they say that there is not among yourselves resurrection from the dead, as well? If Christ is risen, the dead, too, shall riseâ??. There is resistance to the transformation, resistance to the work of the Spirit we received at Baptism, which is to transform us utterly, unto the Resurrection. When we speak of this, our language tells us: â??I want to go to heaven, I donâ??t want to go to hellâ??, but we stop there. None of us says: â??I shall rise as Christ [did]â??. No, even for us it is difficult to understand this.â?
'This is the future that awaits us and this is the fact that brings us to pose so much resistance: resistance to the transformation of our bodies. Also â?? resistance to Christian identity. Iâ??ll say more: perhaps we are not so much afraid of the Apocalypse of the Evil One, of the Antichrist who must come first â?? perhaps we are not so afraid [of him]. Perhaps we are not so afraid of the voice of the Archangel or the sound of his trumpet â?? that shall sound the victory of the Lord. Fear of our resurrection, however, we have: we shall all be transformed. That transformation shall be the end of our Christian journey.â?
'That is the end, right there: [that point in which we are] satiated, by the image of the Lord. Christian identity is a way, a journey, on which we â??areâ?? with the Lord, as those two disciples who â??were with the Lordâ?? on that night. Our whole life is called to 'being with the Lord', in order â?? at the end â?? after the voice of the Archangel, after the sound of his trumpet, to remain with Him and abide with the Lord [forever].â?
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