By Anna Ram~ Pastoral Integrative Counseling~ This is a New Day!
The experience of Easter is that it is neither ethereal nor esoteric. It’s about the real Jesus coming out of the real tomb and getting God’s real new creation under way.
We observed Lent as a time to give things up. Easter ought to be a time to take things up. If Calvary means putting to death things in your life that need killing off if you are to flourish as a truly human being, then Easter should mean planting, watering, and training up things in your life (personal and corporate) that ought to be blossoming, filling the garden with color and perfume and in due course bearing fruit. If you really make a start on it, if might give you new possibilities, new hopes, new ventures you never dream of. It might help you wake up in a new way. That’s what Easters is all about.
Tomorrow we commemorate the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem as King and Messiah who Old Testament’s prophets announced. During the week we will have time to accompany Jesus and identify with him in all his forms as we culminate the following Sunday with the celebration of the Resurrection of Jesus, the heart of the Christian faith and a permanent source of meaning for those who seek consolation, renewal, and spiritual accompaniment.
From the perspective of psychological and pastoral counseling, this week offers us a symbolic and practical framework to sustain ourselves and others with illness, grief, crisis, loss of meaning, loss of precious relationships, and even existential weariness. Also to sustain a world convulsed by the destruction, displacements, and death caused by all kinds of violence and world wars.
Living Hope: Jesus, King, and the Resurrection Promise
This week, we are invited to renew a true and very deep hope: death does not have the last word.
Jesus’ entry into the city, acclaimed by the people, shows us who he is: Jesus was not a king of earthly power, but he is the King who came with a Kingdom and authority from Heaven like no other. At his first coming, He entered the earth to live among us in humility and love, (Matthew 21:1–11; John 12:12–19). That acclamation prepared the heart for the greater mystery: his surrender, his death, and finally his victory over eternal death in the resurrection. He defeated eternal death since he is life.
Why Should We Care About The Resurrection?
- The Resurrection is the real and sure hope in the face of death.
The resurrection responds directly to the most basic existential fear: annihilation.
If true, death is not the absolute end but a transition to a renewed life for those who die believing in Christ; that transforms how we deal with pain, loss, and mortality itself. In practice, this hope reduces the terror of the unknown, the definitive. It allows for mourning with consolation and gives value to the promise of future encounter with those we have loved. We do not need to be reincarnated in something or someone to redeem ourselves until we reach perfection, because Christ already perfected us on the cross. That is, that His sacrificial love made us acceptable to eternal life, when we received Him by faith and repentance of sins.
- The Resurrection gives us meaning and dignity for the present life.
The Resurrection offers a transcendent basis for human purpose: Our lives are not the product of chance or only useful for an immediate end. Our lives are part of a journey with an ultimate purpose of renewal and restoration. This means that each life has its own value and that what we do now contributes to lasting transformation, not just temporary outcomes. This gives intrinsic dignity to each person and motivates an ethic oriented towards love, justice, and service; Living like this ceases to be just survival and becomes participation in a work with eternal meaning.
- Resurrection has a Mission for the Church
The Gospels and Acts, have made it explicit that resurrection doesn’t mean “escaping” from the world. It means mission to the world based on Jesus Lordship to the world.
The mission of the Church is nothing more nothing less than the outworking in the power of the Spirit, of Jesus’ bodily resurrection and thus the anticipation of the time when God will fill the earth with the glory, transforming the old heavens and earth, into the new, and raise his children from the dead to populate and rule over the redeemed world he has made. This will be fulfilled in his second coming.
Who Will Be Resurrected After Death?
Jesus’ resurrection is the first fruits—his victory is the guarantee of our hope.
Scripture speaks of a grace-filled resurrection: those who are in Christ will share their lives and receive renewed bodies. John 11:25, 1 Corinthians 15, 1 Thessalonians 4:13–18.
And those who do not believe in the Resurrection?
There will also be a resurrection for judgment at the end of time for those who did not receive Him (John 5:28–29).
Today, as in Jesus’ time, there were those who did not accept this hope, such as the Sadducees who did not believe in the resurrection because of their strict interpretation of the Law and because they maintained the religious order of their Judaism, as well as other secular groups. (Matthew 22:23–33). But the multitudes of Jews and Gentiles, who received his message saw a King who brings life.
This week let’s enjoy this amazing gift of grace with gratitude and holiness, allowing hope transform how we live today—with love, forgiveness, acceptance, and courage. Let us receive today real life.
I invite you to say this prayer with me :
Loving God,
Thank You for the promise of new life and hope this Easter. We are grateful for love that renews us. Be with those who suffer—especially people affected by war—bring comfort, safety, and healing. Help us share compassion, mend what is broken, and light the way toward peace. Amen.
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