Chapter 8

"Christ Conquers


I.   In Front of St. Peter's in Rome there stands a lofty obelisk which the ancient Romans brought over from Egypt. For centuries it remained buried deep under heaps of rubbish; Pope Sixtus V caused it to be set up one more, and this inscription to be engraved upon it: "Christus vincit, Christus regnal liberal." "Christ conquers, Christ reigns, Christ governs; Christ delivers us from every evil."
   Christ conquers: He does this by means of His glorious resurrection from actual death, for this is the most striking, the most incontrovertible proof of His divinity. The Resurrection of Christ stands forth as a prominent fact in the world's history, and enemies of Christianity are not less compelled to own its truth than were His adherents and believing disciples. All the attempts of unbelief to argue it away have until now been utterly put to shame, and will be confounded forever. The facts of the Gospel stand as firm as mountains; all storms pass over them without leaving any trace.
II.   Christ conquers; He had Himself foretold His resurrection, and regard it as a miracle that should prove Him to be the Son of God in the eyes of the whole world. When with a scourge He drove the buyers and sellers out of the Temple, and the Jews asked Him in virtue of what right He acted thus, He replied: "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up." "But," adds the evangelist, "He spoke of the temple of His body." In these words Our Lord referred to His future resurrection on the third day. Did this really take place? Yes, in the pages of the Gospel we find it proved to demonstration.
III.   In the first place, the Gospel proves with absolute certainty that the Saviour really expired upon the cross. In order to make certain of His death, a soldier pierced His side with a lance; blood and water flowed from the wound, this being the surest sign that the heart had been pierced and death had actually occurred. Indeed, the wound was so deep, that, at a subsequent period, the apostle Thomas was able to place his hand in it; thus it was a mortal wound. All those who witnessed the crucifixion were convinced of Our Lord's death, four evangelists are unanimous upon this point. And even the chief priests and scribes, the bitter enemies of Jesus, bore witness to His death, since they asked permission to place a guard at His grave. Moreover, His closest adherents doubted not the fact; they wrapped His body in linen cloths, laid it in a grave, and closed it with a slab of stone.
IV.   We now come to the most important point. In order that no deception might be practiced, and the body not be stolen, the sepulcher was sealed and guards were placed before it, in compliance with the request of the Pharisees. But it was these very quarts who bore the most incontrovertible witness to the resurrection, since they presented themselves on the third day and affirmed on oath they had seen Christ come forth from the sepulcher.
   The obdurate Jews, however, went so far in their blindness that after taking counsel, "they gave," as the evangelist tells us, "a great sum of money to the soldiers, saying: Say you, His disciples came by night, and stole Him away when we were asleep." What incredible folly is this! Would any man in his senses accept the testimony of witnesses who were asleep? But God, in His wisdom, permitted things to happen in this manner, in order that our faith in the fundamental truth of Christianity, namely, the Resurrection, and therefore in the divinity of Jesus Christ, should be established in a more firm and convincing manner.
V.   Yet a further proof. The risen Lord appeared to His followers. The women who early on Easter morning repaired to the grave declared that they found it empty, as did also the apostles Peter and John. Soon after ward Jesus showed Himself to St. Peter. On the same day He appeared to the two disciples, as they were proceeding to Emmaus. In the following night He appeared to all the apostles when they were gathered together, with the exception of Thomas to whom He manifested Himself at a later period, when he was present with the others. Furthermore, the Saviour repeatedly appeared to the disciples in Galilee; He ate with them and made arrangements concerning the Church of the future. On one accession He appeared to five hundred disciples at once, and on the fortieth day after His resurrection He ascended into heaven in the sight of the apostles.
   These appearances could not have been the result of imagination on the part of the apostles; they could not have fancied that they saw what they so earnestly desired to behold; for from the conversation of the disciples on the road to Emmaus, and conduct of St. Thomas, it is plain that they despaired of proving the truth of Our Lord's claims.
VI.   Thus once again let us repeat: Christ conquers! Rejoice therefore, O Christian, to know that our faith is firm as a rock! Yes, know that our faith is from as a rock! Yes, verily, firm as a rock! For no fact in the history of the world has been proved in so undeniable a manner as the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Wherefore bow down in a spirit of humility, confidence, and lively faith before this God and Saviour, exclaiming with St. Peter: "Thou art Christ, the Son of the living God!" Conquer, reign, and rule in my heart.

O death! where's now thy mortal sting?

Where's now thy victory?

To-day His glorious praise we sing,

Who triumphed over thee.

Not  triumphed for Himself alone;

But, by His mighty power,

Taught us to triumph in our turn,

Nor dread thy terrors more.

Fore lo! the dread of death is sin

And never-ending woe;

From thence our evils flow.

But now, from sin and hell set free,

No longer death we'll fear;

But longing for eternity

Rejoice when it draws near.

Ye angels, now, who watch around

The Conqueror's heavenly throne,

Aid us to make the skies resound

The victory for us won.

Aid us to sing His worthy praise

With one united heart;

Aid us to walk in all His ways,

Till we from life depart.

-Oratory Hymns."