"In the world ye shall have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world."

There is a reason for rejoicing at Easter. Jesus Christ has risen from the dead. This historical reality has significant implications for our lives as Christians.

The quote above is taken from our final gospel lesson in the Easter season (Easter 5). In a succinct manner, it sums up the Scripture lessons which run through Easter. Jesus Christ has overcome the world. What does this mean?

The world, here, is referring to sin. It is referring to the way of disordered love which characterizes our world and our lives. In the death and resurrection of Christ this disordered love has been overcome. How? It has been overcome on two levels. First, it has been overcome in an ultimate sense. On the cross, Jesus has paid for sin. He has taken our sin upon himself and died in our place. Second, disordered love has been overcome in our lives. To be a Christian is to have the resurrected Christ living within you. After Christ rises from the dead, he returns to his Father in heaven, and the Holy Spirit of Christ is sent to indwell our lives. Because the Spirit of Christ is within us, the Scriptures promise that we will be daily transformed to be more and more like Christ. Not only will we experience transformation on this earth, but we, too, will be resurrected, and will dwell with Christ eternally in heaven.

To be a Christian is to take this journey seriously. To be a Christian involves many stages. It is to be baptized. It is to learn the basics of Christian faith, and to personally commit oneself to Christ. It is to choose, daily, to die to sin and to rise to that self-sacrificial love of Christ. It is to hope for more of Christ in ones’ life in the future. It is to long for a final union with Christ in heaven.

There is a very significant implication to all of this. The circumstances in our daily lives are not the end all and be all. They are an opportunity for us to grow more into that self-sacrificial love of Christ. Do we see our circumstances in this way? We need to. In almost any set of circumstances, we are given an opportunity to be transformed more into the self-sacrificial love of Christ. What matters in life is not ultimately what we "get done." What matters is that we commit our hearts to Christ, and choose daily to grow more and more into the beauty of his self-sacrificial love.

The resurrection of Jesus is cause for rejoicing.

"In the world ye shall have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world."