Jesus and the Exaltation of Life
The message of Holy Week is not one of ruin, but of victory: Victory over death!
Huberto Rohden
In the book O Drama Milenar do Cristo e do Anti-Cristo [The Millennial Drama of Christ and the Antichrist], Huberto Rohden (1893-1981) wrote: “(...) Christ always resurrects, rising even from closed tombs, sealed and guarded by His enemies. It is prohibited to resurrect, but He always does so... His true friends always find Him glorious everywhere and all the time.”
Indeed, against all prospects, overcoming dramas, struggles and wars, the Celestial Thaumaturge rises in the hearts of Goodwill at every moment. It is the triumph of Love, which manifests itself in the most surprising ways, giving continuity to existence. The Passion of Christ does not sing of death, but exalts life, the Eternal Life.
That is it. Where there is life there is Hope, people say.
Get up and walk, Mankind!
In the Gospel of Christ, chapter 9, verses 1 to 8, Matthew reports the following passage:
“Jesus stepped into a boat, passed over the lake and entered His own town.
“Some people brought to Him a paralyzed man, lying on a mat. And Jesus, seeing their faith, said to the man: ‘Son, be of good cheer; your sins are forgiven.’
“Some of the scribes said to themselves: ‘This man is blaspheming.’
“But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said: ‘Why do you entertain evil thoughts in your hearts?
“‘Which is easier to say: Your sins are forgiven or Get up and walk?’
“But so you may know that the Son of God has authority on Earth to forgive sins—then He told the paralyzed man: ‘Get up, take your mat and go home.’
“And the man got up and went home.
“When the crowds saw this, they were filled with awe and gave glory to God, who had given such authority to men.”
May every creature have the faith of those who took the paralyzed man to Jesus, to the point of moving the Divine Master, who then ordered him: “Surge et ambula!” — “Get up and walk,” Mankind!
This world is a curious place!... Multitudes consider themselves to be Christians. But when people talk about the Gospel there are those who surprisingly exclaim: “Huh?!” The impression one gets is that many have never even opened the New Testament.
Such is the case with Holy Week. As generations and generations have never studied the Holy Book as they should have done, when peoples reach periods of transition similar to the one we are experiencing now, we see less care being taken in part of the media with the fact that has marked the affirmation of Christianity since its first steps: the Resurrection of Jesus Christ!
Furthermore, many people are accustomed to keeping the image of the Crucifixion (death) of Jesus from Holy Week, even though its great message is to be found stamped in the Resurrection, which is Life, everlasting Life.
The Gospel is not an idle book. Its message permeates Heaven and Earth. Even in territories in which it has set down roots, the divine preaching of Jesus needs to carry out urgently its extraordinary mission to civilize human civilization with the experience of the New Commandment of Christ: “Love one another as I have loved you. Only by this shall all of you be recognized as my disciples” (The Gospel according to John 13:34 and 35). It is a work of patience.
The philosopher has already said that the most difficult barrier to be overcome is that of the human brain, even in Christian nations. But our determination and will to advance comes from Christ himself, who stated: “I have conquered the world!” (The Gospel according to John 16:33).
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