The Joy of the Resurrection

1 Cor 15:12-20

Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you be saying that there is no resurrection of the dead? If there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ cannot have been raised either, and if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is without substance, and so is your faith. What is more, we have proved to be false witnesses to God, for testifying against God that he raised Christ to life when he did not raise him – if it is true that the dead are not raised. For, if the dead are not raised, neither is Christ; and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is pointless and you have not, after all, been released from your sins. In addition, those who have fallen asleep in Christ are utterly lost. If our hope in Christ has been for this life only, we are of all people the most pitiable. In fact, however, Christ has been raised from the dead, as the first-fruits of all who have fallen asleep. Read More

“PRESERVING PEACE OF MIND”

“He who minds neither praise nor blame possesses great peace of heart and, if his conscience is good, he will easily be contented and at peace.” (Thomas a Kempis)

In the passage above, Thomas a Kempis addresses what can confuse us and how we can easily lose our peace of mind. We must learn to handle praise. Certainly, genuine praise is uplifting. Yet spiritual teachers warn us of the danger that, when we receive praise, our focus may increasingly turn inward toward ourselves. Following such a path can lead to a growing lack of freedom. This occurs when we, so to speak, “build ourselves up” with this praise and even begin to derive our inner worth from it. But this would make us dependent on other people, and as a result we may find ourselves seeking their praise and even feeling disappointed when it is not given. Our heart is no longer undividedly focused on God, from whom true peace comes. We have forgotten to attribute all praise to the Lord and have, so to speak, claimed it for ourselves.

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