WEBINAR PART 2

Father Scott Lewis's next presentation was logically about the Resurrection, the day that brings hope out of the agony of Good Friday.

Again, let me summarize his main points as well as adding my own spin on it. 

Father Lewis began by outlining the marked differences in the accounts of Easter morning in the four gospels, inconsistencies that only add to the veracity of the story. After all, eyewitnesses seldom agree on all the details of any tragedy.  As well, he gave two approaches to the events of that day.

One is under-belief, that is, let's spin the meaning of the day into something we can believe because after all, no one rises from the dead. Let's keep the notion that Jesus lives on in our hearts and that He actually helps transform us into something more.

The other tact is over-belief, the acceptance of everything written in the Bible after the Resurrection which can indeed lead to some confusing contradictions. In one account, Jesus meets Thomas showing him nail holes in His hands but on the road to Emmaus when He meets two travelers, He has none. One story has Him passing through walls but next He's eating fish at a cookout. Clearly, His body has transformed into a another dimension a la Superman reminding us that we too are so much more than flesh and blood.

Before continuing, please indulge an old math teacher as I go off on a tangent here.

I'm beginning to think that the concept of original sin is completely off. And that, St. Augustine, the concept's originator, must have been a goblet half full kind of guy.  At our very core, we're filled with goodness, not evil. Instead of original sin, I think it's more like original incompleteness of both body and spirit.

Incompleteness of body accounts for our need for sleep, our inability to live forever and on a much simpler level, why I can't write with my right hand. Incompleteness of spirit, often fueled by an insensitivity to the needs of others, keeps us from being our best selves. I'm not denying that some have really lost their way but even they're not rotten at the core. Something from the outside has undoubtedly wormed its way in. In many cases, I think that negativity comes from isolation from the mainstream goodness of others. 

Now back to the topic of the webinar. 

Father Lewis touched on many theological and esoteric issues surrounding the Resurrection. Unlike some scholars, I really appreciated the fact that he never pretended to have all the answers. He concluded his one hour presentation with the statement that the Resurrection is an affirmation of God's promise to humanity about our ultimate destiny. 

Certainly a very hopeful message, especially for those suffering or nearing the end of their story. But for the rest of us, I think the Resurrection brings a  more immediate reminder, that is, the call to be something more, something better, every day.