I will take the first question: Why did Jesus die? In verse 3 of chapter 15 of the same letter St Paul says that “Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures?” what does this mean. Paul was a Jew. He knew his Old Testament very well and he would have recalled the Feast of Expiation, one of the most important feasts in the Jewish Calendar. It is the Day when the Jewish people would go to the Temple and pray that their sins and the sins of the whole nation would be forgiven so that they will be given the opportunity to continue their life in a peaceful and fruitful relationship with God.

The Book of Leviticus, one of the books of the Old Testament describes very clearly what used to take place during this feast. This is found in Chapter 16. The high Priest would be dressed to the hilt in all his finery. Two he goats would be brought before him. Lots will be cast. One goat would be chosen for God and the other for Azazel, another name for the devil. The goat which was chosen for God would be killed and sacrificed as a thanksgiving gesture to God for his protection and for his blessings for the forthcoming year. After this part of the ceremony was finished, the he-goat which had been marked for the devil would be brought before the high priest. The high priest would lay his hands on the goat’s head and he will then confess all the sins and the iniquities of the nation of Israel over it. Once this was done, the goat would be led into the desert to disappear. This goat took all the blame and the hurts and the sins of the nation and carried them all into oblivion in the desert. This is where we get the famous word “scapegoat” to refer to somebody who takes the blame for others.

This is precisely what Jesus has done. I should have ended up on the cross. We should have ended up on the cross. But Jesus took the blame for all of us. This means that whenever I see the cross today, I can go before it and once again say to our amazing God “Lord I have come here before you today. Take all my rubbish, my hurts, my anxieties, my fears, my sinful nature, my disappointments, my hurts and instead you give me your life, your strength, your energy, your faith, your peace, your kindness and your compassion.” This is the reason why we are not ashamed or afraid to give the Cross a very prominent place, in our churches and in Catholic institutions like hospitals. The cross for us is not a sign of weakness, of destruction or of death. It is a sign of healing, power and strength. This is also the reason why, every time St Francis of Assisi would enter a church, he would kneel down and pray the prayer that we still use when we pray the Stations of the Cross “We adore you o Christ and we praise you because by your Holy Cross you have redeemed the world”.

Now I come to the second question. Why did Jesus rise from the Dead? The answer lies in today’s second reading. The very last verse of the reading says “but Christ has in fact been raised from the dead, the first fruits of all who have fallen asleep”. 1 Cor 15:20. What do the words “first fruits” mean. The farmer is very particular about the first fruits. The farmer will be anxiously waiting to see what the first fruits would turn out to be. The reason is very simple. The first fruits will show what the rest of the harvest will be like. If the first fruits are good and healthy, then the farmer would understand that the whole harvest or the whole crop would be good and healthy. However, on the other hand, if the farmer realizes that the first fruits are weak and unhealthy, then he will realize immediately that he is not going to enjoy a good harvest with all the natural consequences.

This means that when St Paul says that Jesus is the “first fruits of all who have fallen asleep”, he is in reality saying. “Look what has happened to Jesus, because what has happened to him is also going to happen to us. Jesus died, that is the truth. Therefore we are all going to die. There is no escape from this. However, this is not the end of the story. Jesus also rose from the dead, and consequently we are also going to rise from the dead, this is also part and parcel of our story.”

This reality of having what seem to be tragedies turned into triumphs are not only restricted to our natural death and to the gift of eternal life. This is also the pattern of our daily lives as believers of Jesus. Throughout our lives, we have moments of joy and peace and also moments of deep hurt, loss and suffering. During the moments of hurt and negativity, we can easily remain stuck in that situation. The secret is that while we cannot deny what we are going through, we also ought to remember that Jesus Christ is always close and near to us. This enables us to get up once again, run to him and say “Give me your life and your strength while I leave what is eating me inside in your hands to heal it”.

It is important to recall last Sunday’s gospel. Jesus met Peter and his companions at a very dejected time. They were professional people but after a night of fishing they caught nothing. Jesus did not let them wallow in their negativity but raised them with a challenge. “Throw your nets into the deep”. Jesus knew that Peter and his friends had the capability of moving forward. He believed in them and challenged them. In reality he gave them a greater mission, namely to catch people. It is the same with us, Jesus accepts us for who we are, but he also believes that we are capable of more and he challenges us to realize it. Because of Jesus’ death and resurrection there is nothing that we cannot face and overcome. After all “Nothing is impossible for God” (Lk 1:37) as the Angel Gabriel said to Mary. This means that everything is possible.

God bless.