Pastor's Page:
The Resurrection - An Event Outside Space And Time
April 11, 2010

No one saw the resurrection. The disciples did experience the risen Christ when the Lord
appeared to them gloriously and mysteriously transformed. But no one saw the resurrection itself.

The transformation of Christ from a crucified dead man buried in the tomb, to the triumphant
Jesus experienced in the resurrection narratives, does not belong to our "space-time" dimension It is an event unseen and trans-historical. As human beings we cannot understand it on the basis of the experiences which we already have.

An empty tomb does not tell us about the risen Christ, gloriously triumphant over death.
All that we can say is that something happened, a brilliant and dazzling illumination, an encounter and sacrament that so impacted the followers of Jesus that they moved rapidly from depression and grief at the place of crucifixion and entombment, to ecstatic joy.

The proof of the resurrection is in the dramatic change of the eyewitnesses. They were not expecting what occurred. Quite the opposite is true. The eyewitnesses claim that Jesus of Nazareth appeared to them on numerous occasions no longer contained by our space-time continuum. They came to understand that God had acted definitively in Jesus to make clear that God's love has burst forth in the universe, and death has no more power over us. We are destined for the same glory that the risen Christ revealed, a joy that no one can ever take from us.

"For I handed on to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures; that he was buried; that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures; that he appeared to Kephas (Peter), then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at once, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. After that he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Last of all, as to one born abnormally, he appeared to me." (1 Corinthians 15. 3-8)

Belief in the victory of Christ allows us to say in our creed: "We believe in the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting."
The risen Lord assures us that death is not the end but a bright new beginning that far exceeds anything we can ask or hope for.
One day we will disappear into God, and come to know as if for the first time, the inconceivable wonder of God's love.

Peace and love in Christ,
Father Bruce

Transition Website Established
There has been a great deal of discussion about the voluntary separation package and the other changes occurring in the Diocese of Rockville Centre. The Diocese has set up a special transition website that has the latest information. Please visit www.drvc.org and click on the Lighthouse icon.