The Way of the Risen Jesus and His Followers

"Florida Sunrise" by James E.K. via Wikipedia.

We followers of Jesus follow Him the Crucified His way. And we follow Him the Risen His way. He is crucified by us but raised by His Holy Spirit from His Father. We mark fourteen stops to deepen our dying to our sinful self and rising to our graced self.

(1) Jesus rises from the dead at sunrise the third day after His crucifixion and burial. (2) He empties the tomb where His dead body lay. His body is not found in the tomb by Mary Magdalene and by the women nor by the apostles Peter and John. The angel tells them Jesus has been raised up from the dead. (3) Jesus appears to His Mother and friend Mary in communion with His friends alive and dead, especially Joseph. (4) He appears to Mary Magdalene and to Peter individually in the garden near the tomb. (5) He appears to the two disciples on the road and in the inn. Their hearts burn as He walks and talks and breaks bread with them. (6) On this third day of His passover and first day of His resurrection, He appears to the ten apostles in the upper room of the last supper. He breathes His Holy Breath from His Father in them to mercy their brothers and sisters in their sinful misery. (7) On the eighth day of His resurrection, He appears to the eleven apostles in the upper room; this time Thomas, who has doubted, is present and now believes because he has seen and heard and touched Jesus.

Campfire via Wikipedia.

(8) Days later, Jesus appears to the seven disciples at the lake. He missions Peter to care for His lambs and sheep out of love for Him. (9) Forty days after the resurrection, He appears to the eleven apostles on the mountain. Then Jesus missions them to evangelize and sacramentalize their brothers and sisters from all the nations; He pledges to be with them to the end of time. (10) Jesus ascends in their presence to His Father by His Cloud, His Holy Breath, and continues to help His followers from the side of His Father by His Holy Breath. (11) During nine days, the 120 disciples, including Mary His Mother and some extended family members, and including Peter and the other apostles, pray in the upper room for His Holy Breath from His Father. (12) Fifty days after His resurrection and ten days after His ascension, Jesus from His Father breathes His Holy Breath in the 120 disciples. (13) His Holy Breath is Water filling them, Wind blowing them, Fire kindling them, Soul animating them together and singly, each original for and with all and each, making them His Body and Him their Head.

(14) So the story of Jesus and His Church, His gathered and sent followers, unfolds through history (gospels of Jesus, acts and letters of apostles, revelation). People belong to Him inwardly by His graced faith and hope and love and justice in their heart and life and mission, and outwardly relating to Him our Way and Truth and Life through His shepherding and teaching and sanctifying in His Church for His world by our graced good will, human and secular and hopefully as religious, as Christian, as Catholic. Jesus crucified and raised calls us His way during our life and history to be His family of friends of Mary and Joseph to the image and likeness of Him Child of theirs and of His Father by His Holy Breath.

The last supper, the passion, and the resurrection of Jesus is our passover, our liberation. The coming of His Holy Breath from His Father is our covenant, our communion. The last supper is now the passover and covenant meal offering of Jesus and of us His friends, especially Mary and Joseph.

Popular prayer in the Church by the Holy Breath inspires our prayer together and singly: 

Abba, Father, we are His children, His friends, His family of friends. Alleluia, praise the Lord. Take my freedom, receive my imagining, knowing, willing. Only give me your love and grace, that is enough, nothing more. Soul of Jesus, Body of Jesus, hide me in Your wounds, never let me be separated from You. Mary, Mother of Mercy, after this our exile, show us your Child, our Jesus. Together with Joseph, pray for and with us to your and our Jesus now and at the hour of our death. By the Holy Breath in the Church. Amen, let it be so.

We together and singly are deeply involved in the struggles of our Church and of the nation and world. We have our concerns and our hopes and dreams. With the help of Jesus, we do our best and entrust all to Him. His and our Church and nation and world are in His heart and mind and hands.

Father Don