On Living the Resurrected Life


As we continue to celebrate the Resurrection during these “Great Fifty Days” of Easter, we are mindful that the Resurrection is not just a one-time event, not just a past event, but most importantly, it is a present reality, a faith context, in which we are called to live, move, and have our being.

I share with you the words of Rev. Henri Nouwen, taken from his book, Sabbatical Journey:

…As we claim our faith in the resurrection of the body, we come to see that the resurrection is not simply an event after death but a reality of everyday life.

Our care for the body calls us to unity beyond organization, to intimacy beyond eroticism, and to integrity beyond psychological wholeness.

Unity, intimacy, and integrity are the three spiritual qualities of the resurrected life.

We are called to break through the boundaries of nationality, race, sexual orientation, age, and mental capacities and create a unity of love that allows the weakest among us to live well.

We are called to go far beyond the places of lust, sexual need, and desire for physical union to a spiritual intimacy that involves body, mind, and heart.

And we are called to let go of old ways of feeling good about ourselves and reach out to a new integration of the many facets of our humanity. These calls are calls to the resurrection.

Caring for the body is preparing the body for the final resurrection while anticipating it in our daily lives through spiritual unity, intimacy, and integrity.

May our participation in the celebration of these “Great Fifty Days” bring us all to greater unity, intimacy, and integrity!