Immersed in Christ: Thursday, July 22, 2021

Anointed to Be a Sign

Jesus’ resurrection was a sign to those who with their own eyes saw him risen from the dead (1 Corinthians 15:3–9). But a sign has to be visible. So we have to say that Christ’s resurrection two thou- sand years ago is only a sign to people now because the risen Jesus lives and is visible today in those who are his body on earth. We, the Church, are the “sign of Jonah” in our time. We are the risen Jesus.

For the risen Jesus to be revealed in us, however, we have to live visibly in a way that can only be explained by the presence and power of his Spirit within us. If our lifestyle can be explained without Jesus, then Jesus is not visible in our lifestyle.

If this sounds radical, it is. But a radical response is required because of the radical damage done to people’s faith in our times by the mediocrity of Christians. As a Church we need to do penance for our failure to profess the gospel credibly in action. We need to do this by engaging in actions now that are simply not credible without the gospel. Whether and how we do this is matter for confession.