This Easter, we have the unique opportunity to see the recently released movie called Risen. Unfortunately, the movie has been much criticized. It is an attempt to portray the death, resurrection and post resurrection appearances of our Lord, Jesus. Biblical events are present in the movie, however, as we know, even the eyewitness accounts, which we have in the Scripture, do not do justice to the real events.
One interesting thing about this movie is that there is a supposed objective bystander, Clavius, a skeptical Roman Commander, who was sent by Pontius Pilate to investigate the so-called resurrection. He was ordered to find the body of Jesus and, if still alive, to kill Him. There have been many attempts to depict both modern and ancient interpretations of Clavius. What is different in the movie Risen, however, is that Clavius becomes a believer as he witnesses the interaction of the risen Christ with His followers.
Several years ago, Our Sunday Visitor, (www.osv.com) published an interesting new version of the Way of the Cross, calling it the Way of Light. It consists of 14 meditations – first on the resurrection and then on the events that followed, beginning with the discovery of the empty tomb by Mary Magdalene and the other women.
Next is the appearance of Jesus to Mary Magdalene and the tradition that He appeared first to His mother, Mary. Jesus then appears on the road to Emmaus and is recognized by His disciples in the breaking of the bread. He explains to His bewildered followers what the Scripture had always said about Him.
Jesus then appears to all but one of the disciples gathered together and breathes on them, giving them the Holy Spirit. Thomas, missing from the room, is a foil by which faith is reaffirmed. Most importantly, as seen in the movie Risen, Jesus eats with His disciples on the seashore after He has prepared breakfast for them.
In one scene when Peter makes his three-fold admission of love for Him, Jesus is shown putting His arm around Peter, walking with him, and questioning him. The sending of the disciples into the world and finally the Ascension of the Risen Lord to heaven is tastefully portrayed in the movie, with Jesus walking into blinding light, leaving His disciples perplexed. This reminds us of the promise of sending the Holy Spirit upon Mary and the disciples who are gathered in the upper room. The Risen Lord sends the Holy Spirit with mighty wind and tongues of fire to confirm the Apostles in the mission that they are about to undertake.
Once we have celebrated Easter, it is always wise to remember what happened after the first Easter. It is the highlight of our liturgical celebration during the year, but it is also the highlight of our personal encounter in faith with the Christ who rose from the dead two millennia ago, and who still lives today.
Faith in the Resurrection of Jesus is truly like putting out into the deep, not knowing what course to chart in order to find the Risen Lord. There are many who are drawn off course by looking for scientific proof or biblical scholarship that absolutely confirm the facts recounted to us by the believers in the New Testament. The simple fact is that Jesus is risen! He rose from the dead as He said He would, and now lives at the right hand of God the Father in heaven. There will always be questions about He who has risen. Those questions should always lead us to deeper faith.
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