Living in the Light of Resurrection
We pay more attention to dying than to death. We’re more concerned to get over the act of dying than to overcome death. Socrates mastered the art of dying; Christ overcame death as the last enemy. There is a real difference between the two things; the one is within the scope of human possibilities, the other means resurrection. It’s not from ars moriendi, the art of dying, but from the resurrection of Christ, that a new and purifying wind can blow through our present world. Here is the answer to Archimedes’ challenge: “Give me somewhere to stand and I will move the earth.” If only a few people really believed that and acted on it in their daily lives, a great deal would be changed. To live in the light of resurrection—that is what Easter means.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer
Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1906-1945) was a German theologian famous for his stand against Adolf Hitler and the Nazi party. His opposition and beliefs ultimately cost him his life at the hands of the Nazis. He was a pastor, theologian, spiritual leader, and presenter of the spiritual life. He wrote about what it meant to follow Christ in a world that has largely lost sight of Christ and his place at the center of culture and history. His best known works include The Cost of Discipleship and Life Together.