Friday of Week 24 in Ordinary Time
1 Cor 15:12-20
Lk 8:1-3
“…and if Christ has not been raised then our preaching is useless and your believing it is useless… And what is more serious, all who have died in Christ have perished.”
St Paul continues, almost provocatively, by saying: “If our hope in Christ has been for this life only, we are the most unfortunate of all people.”
The readings from yesterday and today bring us back to the heart of the Good News — the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. And at the very heart of that Good News is the Resurrection.
Have we ever stopped to ask ourselves: What is the point of my faith? Why do I believe in God?
For some, faith brings peace. For others, it gives them hope of heaven. For some, it provides strength when life becomes difficult. There may be many reasons in between. But perhaps we should ask ourselves this question every now and then: How much do I really believe in the Good News?
In yesterday’s reflection, I shared about what the Gospel is — the Good News of Jesus Christ, His life, death and resurrection. Today, I am invited to go one step further and ask — What does the Resurrection of Jesus actually mean to me?
If Christ was not raised from the dead, then this would mean …
Christianity would just be a name.
Christian faith would be empty.
The apostles were liars.
The Bible would be merely another history book.
Sin would still have the final word.
Those who died trusting in Christ would be gone forever.
Christians would be clinging to a beautiful illusion.
Believers would not have the assurance of going back to our eternal home.
That is why the resurrection matters so much.
Jesus’ resurrection gives us the confidence that death is not the end — because Christ has risen, we too are promised resurrection and eternal life. This is not merely something we say at Mass because it is part of the Creed and we profess it as our hope, “I look forward to the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come.”
Perhaps this is what St Paul means when he says that if our hope in Christ is only for this life, we are the most unfortunate of all people. If this life is all there is, then ultimately everything we do ends with death. There would be no certainty of what lies beyond it. But as Christians, we believe there is more. We are not living simply to make the most of this life before it ends. Our ultimate purpose is to know God, to love Him, to grow in relationship with Him, and to journey towards our eternal home with Him. But there is a difference between knowing about this and truly believing it in our hearts.
I think about my own faith journey.
After my baptism, I knew very little about Catholicism or the Bible. I was simply happy to be baptised. I thought that being a good Catholic meant going to Mass every Sunday, going for confession regularly and praying often. I did all these things, but somehow, God still felt very far away. He seemed to be somewhere ‘up there’, distant and unreachable. I wondered why my prayers were not being answered.
Something began to change when I started to seek Jesus more intentionally. I began praying with communities, attending Bible classes and retreats, and most importantly, building a relationship with Him. Slowly, Jesus became less of an idea I believed in and more of a person I was coming to know.
And perhaps this is something we all need to ask ourselves — Do I know Jesus? Or do I simply know about Jesus?If we do not know Jesus in the way we come to know our family and friends, how can our relationship with Him grow? And if our relationship with Him does not grow, how deeply can our faith take root?
Perhaps the first step is surprisingly simple. We must be prepared to give some of our free or ‘me’ time to Jesus. Not necessarily hours and hours. Not necessarily by doing something extraordinary. It could be spending a little more time in prayer, commit to reading Scripture, attending a Bible study course, joining a faith community, going for a retreat, or simply sitting quietly and speaking honestly to Jesus. Whatever we choose to do, the point is not to tick another religious box, but to take the next step towards knowing Him. Because the more we come to know Jesus, the more we begin to understand what His life, death and resurrection mean for us. And perhaps then, the words we recite every Sunday will become more than words. “I look forward to the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come.”
May we not merely recite these words. May we truly believe them. And may that belief change the way we live this life, because we know that this life is not the end.
(Today’s OXYGEN by Cynthia Chew)
Prayer: Dear Jesus, you are our Lord and Saviour. You did not hesitate to give up your life for us. Help us to see you more in our lives. We want to grow closer to you. We do not want to live a life that’s just for this world. Lead us to where you want us to be. In your most precious name, we pray. Amen
Thanksgiving: Thank you, Jesus, for laying your life down for all of us so that we can be redeemed and have a place in your heavenly kingdom. Amen.
OXYGEN 
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