"If Christ has not been raised, your faith is vain... we are the most pitiable people of all." Saint Paul makes the boldest claim ...
"If Christ has not been raised, your faith is vain... we are the most pitiable people of all." Saint Paul makes the boldest claim in human history: our entire faith rests on one event, the Resurrection. We do not follow a dead philosopher; we follow a living God who conquered the grave. This truth is not just a hope for the future; it is a power that changes us right now.
Our Gospel today shows us exactly what this resurrected power looks like in action. Luke lists the women who followed Jesus: Mary Magdalene, Joanna, and Susanna. These women were not casual listeners; the text says they provided for Jesus and the Twelve "out of their resources." This demonstrates a radical Reliance on Christ. They liquidated their assets, left their homes, and staked their entire security on this ministry.
Why? Why such total reliance? The text tells us explicitly: because they had been "cured of evil spirits and infirmities." Mary Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out, was dead in her affliction, and Christ brought her back to life. These women are the first fruits of the Resurrection because they experienced a profound, personal Restoration. They knew Jesus had the power to save because He had already saved them. They had been dead, and He made them alive.
Discipleship means knowing what these women knew. We must be fueled by our own gratitude for the restoration Christ has worked in our lives, leading us to a total reliance on His power, which is rooted in the unshakable fact of His Resurrection.
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