THE PASCHAL TIME

New Zealand Tablet, 18 April 1912, Page 23

THE PASCHAL TIME

(Specially written for the N.Z. Tablet by ' Ghimel.')

;.._; The Church divides the year into certain periods Advent, Christmas, Lent, Easter, etc.commemorative of the principal events in Our Lord's life on earth. To each period there; correspond some aspects of our spiritual life, and it should be our aim to enter into the spirit-of the mysteries thus recalled to mind.

r -- The mystery of Paschal Time—the period between Easter Sunday and the Saturday following Pentecost Sunday—is the triumph of Our Lord. It marks the victory of truth over error, justice over wickedness, grace over sin, of the Man-God over the world and the devil. 'ln the Passion we contemplated pain, we con - templated also innocence oppressed. c Both spectacles are t common enough in this world. What we crave to ' see is goodness finally victorious, and that we do see in the Resurrection. The Resurrection, then, is the triumph of the good side of humanity, the assurance that evil shall permanently have the upper hand.' . (Rickaby: Waters that go Softly, p. 141). It is also a period of, joy for us, the members of Christ's Body, for Our. Saviour's Resurrection is the pledge of the Church's triumphs, the earnest of our own resurrection and glory. 'By a man came death, and by a Man the resurrection of the dead; and, as in Adam all, die, so. also in Christ all shall be made alive.' (I. Cor. xv., 21-22). The Paschal season is therefore' a season of joy r and thanksgiving. At the same time the follower of Christ can have no part in its special graces, except he lives a life in union with that of the risen Christ, fulfilling the special duties that are imposed on him during this period of the liturgical year. ; .-i (1) The follower of Christ must proclaim his faith in the Resurrection and in the Divinity of Jesus Christ. ' If Christ be not risen again,-then our preaching is vain and your faith also is vain.' If proof of r this statement were needed, it would be found' in; the organised attempt made by Rationalists of the present day to throw doubt on the reality of Our Lord's Resurrection. .;■: Theory follows theory in bewildering succession, while all the time a simple study of the his- ■ torical Gospels leaves no room for reasonable doubt. If at first sight there appear to be some divergencies' in matters of detail in the several accounts of the <: ?/event,. the intelligent v and sincere believer remembers ; r .that the writers-wrote ; from various points of view and for various purposes, while a closer study of the narratives solves the difficulties, and leaves the main fact unassailable. -.-" At the same time, the Resurrection of Our Lord is a mystery to be accepted by faith, and faith is a virtue which will not continue to dwell in the soul without the help-of grace granted in answer to prayer. Doubt and unbelief about the ; Resurrection v -.;.. of the Saviour readily: spring up in a soul that neglects -i to pray for light; certainty is a blessing that God refuses to none of His children, when they ask for it with humility arid confidence.' : V ''.

V=..V? (2) The Christian must recognise' in!?'tHe v Resurrection the type of ; his own supernatural regeneration.: Christ' coming out of the tomb assumed a new:life, the

spiritualised life : of His glorified Humanity j the' Christian receives in the sacraments a new. life, not ; the life of the senses and -of a reason, but the life of faith and 'of! grace. ' For we are buried with Him by Baptism unto death; that as Christ is risen ; from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we also ? may walk in newness of life.' (Rom. vi., 4). Paschal Time,"therefore; recalls to the mind of the Christian his new birth to the supernatural life." Having followed his Saviour to Calvary," His disciple must likewise come out of the tomb where he has buried his life of sin; and imperfection, and henceforth live "a Christ-like life. - ' Thereore* if you be risen with Christ, seek the-things that are above; mind the things that are above, not the things that are upon the earth.' (Colossians iii., 1-2). (3) The follower of Christ must expect the risen Christ to give him the grace to live a Christian life. Our Saviour is the source and sustainer of the supernatural life as well as its; model • His death on "the Cross • merited for us ' the - grace to be delivered' from our sins; His Resurrection merited for- us \ the ; grace to lead a more perfect life. 'Who was ; delivered' for our sins and rose again for our justification ? (Romans iv., 25). His followers, therefore, must -give up living for themselves and' live ' for Him. After all, that is only the fulfilment of the solemn contract entered into by the newly-baptised and renewed by him when -he receives forgiveness of • his sins in the : Sacrament of Penance. ----- ; : ;-v- :i snJ'- &>■; h-obf :■■..-:■ c~^U

(4) The disciple of Christ should renew his confidence and grow courageous at the thought of the happiness to come. If the joys of faith on earth are so great, what must be the joys of vision in heaven? 'What the ripeness of summer is after the bitter, piercing cold and : death of winter, such is the vision of God when the vision of faith shall melt into the glory of His kingdom. The same-truths, the same realities, the same persons, the same relations, which are here, will be there, and will be eternal' (Manning Sin and Its Consequences, p. 243). Whatever be the length of our life, ' the time is short; .it remaineth that . . ; • . they who weep, (be) as though they wept; not;, and they that rejoice, as if they : rejoiced not ; : and they that buy, as though they possessed not, and they that use this world, as if they used it not; for the fashion (that is, the outward show) of this world passeth away' (I. Cor. vii., 29-31). - ; , ; , :