CAPG's Blog 

David Wilkie: The Confessional

"Christ, rising from the dead, is our instruction at this time, that whoever pretends to be His disciple, ought not to lie buried in the grave of sin, but rise with His Lord to a life of grace, obeying the summons of St. Paul: "Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall enlighten thee". No one can be a true disciple of Christ, who believes not what He teaches; neither can any one seriously judge himself His disciple, if he does not what Christ commands. He commands you now, O Christian, to awake and arise from sin. If you do it not, how do you belong to Him? For this end, the Church now calls upon you by confession and sincere repentance to purify your soul from whatever can defile, and present it a pure offering before God, if not without spot nothing that can render It may be easily known or blemish, at least so that there be you unfit to accompany your Lord. How near you are come to be this happy soul, if you consider yourself by St. Paul's measures: "If you are risen with Christ, seek the things that are above, mind the things that are above, not the things that are upon the earth". Not that a Christian is entirely to banish from his heart the thoughts of all worldly things. This cannot be in this life, where our duty in several ways links us to this world; but that our hearts be so possessed with the love of God, that using this world only as far as necessity requires, our great concern and solicitude in the main body of our actions may be how to perform the Will of God, and work out our salvation.

This is the method, and these are the marks of a soul risen with Christ: and where these are not, it is to be feared that the soul goes not beyond the ceremony of a resurrection and repentance. Deceive not then yourself any more, Christian soul; for you cannot deceive Him, who is the searcher of hearts. If at this time you have thoughts of repenting, see that your repentance be accompanied with a change of yourself, and with amendment for otherwise, though Christ be risen, yet you can expect no part in the resurrection of the just." The Catholic Year by Rev. Fr. John Gother

The three women on the tomb of Christ, by Irma Martin,  1843

"As the angel said to the holy women, who were looking for Christ among the dead: He is risen, He is not here; so the state of every Christian at this time ought to be such, that as to all wilful and affected sin, it may with truth be said of him: "He is risen, he is not here". The past time ought to suffice for sin: and now as to what remains, all ought to live to the will of God. This is what St. Paul says to the Corinthians: "You have been sinners, but now you are washed, now you are sanctified, now you are justified in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. You have been darkness; but now you are light in our Lord: walk therefore as children of the light." This is the fruit of Christ's Passion, which ought to be found in every Christian. This it is which the present solemnity of the Resurrection demands of every one in particular; and wherever this is not, those who have it not are not the children of God, nor have they any part in Christ. And the Resurrection of our Lord, which is a day of joy to repenting sinners, what must it be to such as obstinately or carelessly abide in sin, but a day of reproach and confusion, even a beginning of that confusion, which, if not timely prevented, will be eternal?

For where the mercies of a Redeemer do not raise up from the grave of sin, what can be expected, but to lie buried in sin for ever?

Wherefore, it being a common interest to escape this confusion, it is plain that it can be no other way effected, than by rising with Christ from sin, and beginning the life of the new man. And because the weight of our corruption is a general hindrance to this work, and the occasion of its being unfinished, though often begun; it is our present duty to consider of the means proper for carrying it on. And since this was the time of our Saviour's beginning a new life, beg of Him to give a new life to all who believe in Him, that they may begin such a method, as may give them well-grounded hopes of rising with Him to a life immortal." The Catholic Year by Rev. Fr. John Gother

Sandro Botticelli: The Resurrected Christ

"The Resurrection of Christ is the accomplishment of Man's redemption. He died for our sins; He rose again, that we might be clothed with new justice, such as might establish us in a life of virtue, and preserve us from the danger of our own corruption. This mystery is the confirmation of our faith; that we shall one day rise from the dead to a life immortal; a life to which sin and death can have no access. The yearly celebration of it is to revive this faith in us, and to put us in mind of obtaining such an establishment in virtue against all sinful relapses, as may be a preparation for that unchangeable state hereafter. For this end the Church calls upon us to arise with Christ; and that as Christ, dying once, died no more, for that death had now no power over Him, so we ought to rise from sin, and sin no more. We are taught moreover, that we ought to renounce all ungodliness and worldly desires, and live soberly, justly, and piously, in expectation of the coming of our Lord; that we ought to seek the things that are above, and not the things on earth; and that thus only can we duly celebrate this festival, and hope to rise with Christ in the resurrection of the just.

The solemnity is great, and our obligation also is great not to be satisfied by dissolute joy or plentiful tables, for thus the heathens honoured their gods; but by putting on the new man, and living as the children of light, sanctified by the Blood of Christ. Christ was crucified that the body of sin might be destroyed, and we might no longer be the servants of sin. This was the end of Christ's sufferings, and it ought to be our great concern that this effect be found in us. For to go on now in sin, if it be not a reproach to Christ's Passion, is an argument at least of our having no part in it. And what state can there be more miserable, than for a Christian to be found still a captive to sin, after Christ has given His Blood to redeem him from it, and establish him in the liberty of the sons of God?" The Catholic Year by Rev. Fr. John Gother

"They being troubled and affrighted, imagined that they saw a spirit. This was the first effect of Christ's manifesting himself to His apostles, after His rising from the dead. He presented Himself in the midst of them; but such was their difficulty of believing, that they could not persuade themselves that it was any more than an apparition. This their incredulity was necessary for establishing the faith of this mystery; since they required most convincing proofs to persuade them to believe it. This therefore was so ordered by Providence, in all the witnesses of this truth. The women that carried perfumes to His sepulchre, went with a persuasion of His being dead. The two disciples going to Emmaus, seemed disappointed in the hopes which they had once had of His Resurrection. The apostles, though prepared by the information which they had received, were not hasty in believing it. St. Thomas positively declared his disbelief, and that he would not believe, but upon evidence of seeing. Now though this was a weakness in all, yet it was permitted for our greater assurance. For had they shewn an over-credulity, their testimony might have been questioned, in a mystery so difficult. When however they give their lives in testimony of the truth, this renders them witnesses above all exception.

It is our duty therefore, to give hearty thanks to our Redeemer, for setting this fundamental article of our religion in so eminent a degree of certainty, that it equals and surpasses that of all other things in the world. For, the Resurrection of Christ being proved, all other articles are proved by it. If Jesus Christ is risen, then the whole Gospel is to be believed; then the Church is to be believed, which is promised in the Gospel; in fine, the whole Christian religion is to be believed, because it is all linked to the truth of the Resurrection.

The Pilgrims of Emmaus on the Road (Les pèlerins d'Emmaüs en chemin) - James Tissot

"They discoursed together of the things that had happened. The subject of this Gospel is a relation of Christ's appearing on the day of His Resurrection, to two of His disciples, as they were going to Emmaus. They had not yet a faith of Christ being risen. We hoped, said they, that it was He who was to redeem Israel: but now they seemed to fear a disappointment. However, such was their love for their Master, that they could speak of nothing but of Him. This is the subject of their discourse by the way; and while they thus entertain each other, Christ joins Himself to their company, though as yet unknown, and soon after opens their eyes to see the unreasonableness of their own fears, and to know Him.

It is out of the abundance of the heart that the mouth speaks. Hearts possessed with God, speak of God: and where there is a solicitude for truth and salvation, this cannot be smothered, but will discover itself, either for the help of others, or in hopes of being improved by some new light. Mary Magdalen seeks her Lord, and not finding Him at the sepulchre, her uneasy mind speaks its wants, and makes enquiry of those whom she meets. These two disciples have their desires on their Lord; and they communicate their concern to a stranger, who presents Himself on the way. And who is this stranger but Christ Himself, who knowing their solicitude, answers the earnestness of their desires, in offering Himself both to Magdalen and to these disciples, and in being His own discoverer? So that they not only find him by seeking, but even then possess Him, while they are looking for Him.

This is not an encouragement to discover all our sentiments or uneasiness of mind to every one who is thrown in our way by accident; for this cannot be done without great indiscretion: but it ought to excite in Christians a just solicitude for all that belongs to eternity, and to encourage them to manifest this concern, in conferring with those persons, whose charity fits them for being instruments of good. This method of conferring with others is particularly necessary for those states, which have difficult duties to discharge. This necessity is grounded on the general narrowness and weakness of the human mind, which meeting with the infirmities of constitution, as in want of vigour, weakness of memory, excess of some passion, niceness, sloth or self-love, or in want of reflection, is the occasion of many considerable branches of duty being neglected, and sometimes no more thought of than if they were no part of their concern. Add to these the general partiality to which we are subject, in our own affairs: and that though we study others closely, we see ourselves only by halves. From these heads, there will appear a necessity for all, in difficult states, to confer with others; that they may receive the benefit of other men's reflections, and by a communication of thoughts be helped to discover their oversights, and to amend.