Friday 18th September
“If Christ has not been raised, your belief is useless“
1 Corinthians 15:12-20
Why do we pray and go to church? We may find that the Word of God speaks to us and gives meaning to our life. We may also appreciate that Jesus comes to live in our hearts through the sacrament of the Eucharist. We may be looking forward to our eternal reward in Heaven and want to help Jesus to build his kingdom on earth. But all of these reasons depend on Jesus being who he said that he was – the Christ, the Son of God, who came to die for our sins and to bring us to new life through his resurrection. Otherwise, our belief is useless.
All Christians, including us, should be pitied as the most unfortunate of people because the sacrifices that we have made for our faith have all been vain. All of our prayers for people who have passed away have been wasted. But if Christ has been raised from the dead, we are the first-fruits of all who have fallen asleep. Jesus, please help us to base our lives on the truth that you rose from the dead and are living in us, so that others can know you through us and you can save them.