If you were raised with Christ, seek what is above,
where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.
Think of what is above, not of what is on earth.
For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.
When Christ your life appears,
then you too will appear with him in glory. (Col 3:1-4)
When I was ordained a priest, I had to lie down on the floor of the cathedral while the Litany of the Saints was being sung. This was highly symbolic. It was a reminder to me that I was dying to my old self as I was preparing to rise to a new life in Christ as one of His ordained ministers.
St. Paul speaks about this death to self in the Letter to the Colossians.
By virtue of our baptism, we have all died to sin and are invited to rise to new life in Christ Jesus.
The hope to which we cling is so aptly expressed by St. Paul: “When Christ your life appears, they you too will appear with him in glory.”
Imagine that day!
The day when we get to shed these mortal bodies, when we get to leave this realm of sickness and death, this world steeped in sin. It is a wondrous thought. I know, for myself, it keeps me going in days that might otherwise be too dark to carry on.
Sin taints our world and makes it such a miserable place. People often act in a most un-Christian manner. It is often hard to hang on when so many pull us down.
That is where the hope brought to us in Christ Jesus is most realized.
Jesus has given us a great hope: resurrection.
Cling to that hope and all the darkness of the world cannot extinguish your longing!
FAITH ACTION: Do you know someone who may have given up hope? Share your belief in the Lord with them. That might restore their hope. If you do not know anyone who has given up hope, take a few minutes to pray for those people who do live without hope, that God may touch their lives.