Bearing Witness to the Resurrection

From the Education for Justice (http://www.educationforjustice.org/) website entry for the Easter Vigil:

Quotes
It would be a contradiction to settle for a life of mediocrity, marked by a minimalist ethic and a shallow religiosity. To ask catechumens: “Do you wish to receive Baptism?” means at the same time to ask them: “Do you wish to become holy?” It means to set before them the radical nature of the Sermon on the Mount.”
John Paul II, Novo Millennio Inuente

This world of ours can change: peace is possible even where for too long there has been fighting and death. . . . Men and women of every continent, draw from his tomb, empty now for ever, the strength needed to defeat the powers of evil and death, and to place all research and all technical and social progress at the service of a better future for all.
John Paul II, Easter 2001

The power of the Spirit, who raised Christ from the dead, is continuously at work in the world. Through the generous sons and daughters of the Church likewise, the People of God is present in the midst of the poor and of those who suffer oppression and persecution; it lives in its own flesh and its own heart the Passion of Christ and bears witness to his resurrection.
1971 Synod of Bishops, Justice in the World

We believe that every person is precious, that people are more important than things, and that the measure of every institution is whether it threatens or enhances the life and dignity of the human person. . . In a global culture driven by excessive individualism, our tradition proclaims that the person is not only sacred but also social. The Catholic tradition teaches that human beings grow and achieve fulfillment in community.
U.S. Bishops, Sharing Catholic Social Teaching: Challenges and Directions

Thoughts for Your Consideration

Easter Resurrection is about power, liberation and freedom, but not the power of dominating control or of manipulating others. It is not about the power of corporations or control by military force or the manipulation of the mass media or the triumph of money. Rather it is the power of non-violent, active, generous love and solidarity. It is the power that comes from a faith rooted in the great story of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. The readings at the Easter vigil highlight the great story of God working in our world for our liberation and life. This great story of liberation lives on today.