Friends, welcome to Word on Fire, Catholic Ministries. Word on Fire is an apostolate dedicated

to the mission of evangelization, using media both old and new to share the faith on every

continent and to facilitate and encounter with Christ and His Church. The efforts of

Word on Fire engage the culture and bring the transformative power of God's Word where

it is most needed. Today we invite you to join Bishop Robert Baron as he preaches

the gospel and shares the warmth and light of Christ with each of us.

Peace be with you and a very blessed and happy Easter to everybody. Friends, what's Easter

all about? Let me start with this. In 1st century Judaism, so in the time of the New Testament,

there were many views concerning what happened to people after they died. So following a very

venerable tradition, some said that death was just the end, that the dead simply returned

to the dust of the earth from which they came. Again, it's got very ancient roots within

Judaism that view. Others around Jesus' time maintain that the righteous dead would rise

at the close of the age. Think of, you know, when Jesus approaches the tomb of Lazarus and

Martha says, yes, I believe that he will rise at the resurrection of the dead. That's

what she meant at the end of the age. Still others thought, maybe a bit here under the

influence of Greek philosophy, that the souls of the just went to live with God after the

demise of their bodies. Think of the book of Daniel here, the book of wisdom you have some

reference to this. Some it seemed even believe in a kind of reincarnation. Think of when

Jesus asked the disciples, who do people say that I am? And some of them say, well, you

know, Jeremiah or one of the prophets come back from the dead. There are all kinds of views

about what happened after we die. Here's what's particularly fascinating about the accounts

of Jesus' resurrection is that none of these familiar frameworks of understanding is invoked.

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