How do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there is no resurrection of the dead, not even Christ has been raised; and if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is vain, your faith also is vain. (1 Cr 15:12b-14)

“Go and announce the Gospel of the Lord!” is what Catholics were commissioned after each Mass; and the core of the Gospel proclamation was that Christ had been raised from the dead. However, there were Christians in Corinth who did not believe in the resurrection of the dead because people, at that time, were converting to Christianity from many different beliefs, Jewish and pagan. Not all of those had a tradition of the resurrection of the body. So for some, the Resurrection was an alien concept. While they may have come to accept Jesus’ Resurrection because he was God, they could not believe that resurrection applied to them personally. Some may have even tried to believe, but experienced ridicule from others or were met with arguments they could not refute, so they gave up. These were not bad people. They genuinely wanted to follow Christ. And they did, except where this difficult belief about the Resurrection came in. They were saying, I am Christian, but I do not accept this idea. How often do we come across Catholics who behave in a similar way? The concept of Resurrection is one we are comfortable with, but there are so many other teachings we are asked to believe and stand by. Some are politically sensitive. Some are confusing. As a result, some people may proclaim to be Catholic, but then either speak against these beliefs or live in contradiction to the beliefs of the Church. Following Christ means following all his teachings, not just those we like. Saint Paul tells the Corinthians that you cannot do this. You cannot pick and choose what parts of our faith you believe. This is because they are a whole: one belief touches upon and supports the others, and all work together to lead us to a life in Christ. Just as rejecting the belief in the Resurrection leads to a rejection of Christ, so too does rejection of the beliefs of the Catholic Church lead to a rejection of the Church, the Bride of Christ. It is our duty, then, as Catholics, to strive to believe what the Church teaches, to study and ask about what we do not understand, and to defend against wrongful teachings. Christ made the greatest sacrifice on the Cross for us. If we believe that, then we must sacrifice our refusal to believe in his difficult teachings. Let us pray today for a heart that is on fire for Christ, at times it might require giving up our personal agenda for the sake of the Gospel. May we do everything “all for the greater glory of God—Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam (AMDG) rather than for the glory of our own.

Hail Mary full of grace…

Peace in Christ,

Father Vincent-Vuong Nguyen

St. Clare of Assisi

Houston, TX