Jesus and the Exaltation of Life

The message of Holy Week is not one of ruin, but of victory: Victory over death!

Arquivo BV

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.”

Tela: James Tissot (1836-1902)

    

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).

José de Paiva Netto is a writer, journalist, radio broadcaster, composer, and poet. He is the President of the Legion of Good Will (LGW), effective member of the Brazilian Press Association (ABI) and of the Brazilian International Press Association (ABI-Inter). Affiliated to the National Federation of Journalists (FENAJ), the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), the Union of Professional Journalists of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the Union of Writers of Rio de Janeiro, the Union of Radio Broadcasters of Rio de Janeiro, and the Brazilian Union of Composers (UBC). He is also a member of the Academy of Letters of Central Brazil. He is an author of international reference in the concept and defense of the cause of Ecumenical Citizenship and Spirituality which, according to him, constitute “the cradle of the most generous values that are born of the Soul, the dwelling of the emotions and of the reasoning enlightened by intuition, the atmosphere that embraces everything that transcends the ordinary field of matter and comes from the elevated human sensitivity, such as Truth, Justice, Mercy, Ethics, Honesty, Generosity, and Fraternal Love.”