The Promise of Easter

April 16, 2014 by James Faulconer

Continued from Page 1

That he could be touched literally showed that he could be touched by our pains and came to heal them. And it seems to me that the promised resurrection of the spirit is the healing of our physical and spiritual wounds.

That spiritual resurrection is not something on which we must simply wait. As a contemporary LDS Apostle says:

To be redeemed is to be atoned—received in the close embrace of God with an expression not only of His forgiveness, but of our oneness of heart and mind (Russell M. Nelson, October General Conference, 1996).

I take it as significant that Elder Nelson uses the present tense rather than the future. At Easter time we remember Jesus' suffering and ignominious death. But we celebrate his resurrection. We celebrate the new bodily and spiritual life that he offers, an embrace by God here and now and not just something that we await.

That embrace by God is found in his present forgiveness of our sins, in his grief at our present sorrows, and in his gift of the Spirit, by which we may be one with him in heart and mind.

But if we are of one heart and mind with him, then we will, with him, sorrow at the sorrows of our fellows, we will learn to succor the physical and spiritual infirmities of others. Our bowels, too, will be filled with mercy and forgiveness.

The resurrection's promise of spiritual and physical rebirth and renewal calls us to the joy of peaceful shepherding and healing. Easter is a both a promise of the future and a demand for the present.

Page: 2 of 2

12/2/2022 9:09:21 PM

Mormon

Speaking Silence

Easter

Healing

History

Joy

Peace

Sacred Texts

Mormonism

more at patheos

In the Kingdom of God, Priorities Matter

Lee Ann Marino

MA Enacts Law Allowing Abortion at any Stage of Pregnancy

Rebecca Hamilton

How Can We Understand Transcendent Experiences?

Larry Jordan

Created or Discovered? (Part Two)

Dan Peterson

About James Faulconer

James Faulconer is a Richard L. Evans Professor of Religious Understanding at Brigham Young University, where he has taught philosophy since 1975.

Patheos Logo Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Subscription Support Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In

Follow Patheos