RCIA Resource – Session 23

The Resurrection — Christ’s Victory Over Death

RCIA – Session 23
This session forms part of a structured introduction to the Catholic Faith used in parish RCIA. It is intended to be read slowly and prayerfully, alongside participation in the life of the Church. This material is offered for formation and reflection. Reception into the Catholic Church always involves personal discernment and parish accompaniment.

Aim of this session

By the end of this session, participants should understand that:

  • the Resurrection is the decisive victory over sin and death
  • it confirms everything Christ claimed and accomplished
  • it inaugurates a new kind of human life
  • salvation is not only forgiveness, but new life
  • the Resurrection has consequences for our present and future

This session asks:

What did the Resurrection accomplish — and why does it matter now?

1. The Resurrection Completes the Cross

The Cross and the Resurrection cannot be separated.

If Christ had died and not risen:

  • His sacrifice would remain unconfirmed
  • death would still reign
  • hope would collapse

The Resurrection is God’s answer to the Cross.

It declares:

  • the sacrifice accepted
  • sin defeated
  • death conquered

The Resurrection is not an afterthought.
It is the completion.

2. What the Resurrection Is — and Is Not

The Resurrection is not:

  • a return to ordinary life
  • a symbolic survival
  • a memory living on

It is:

The rising of Christ from the dead to a new and glorified life.

The same body that died:

  • was raised
  • transformed
  • glorified

Death no longer had power over Him.

Penny Catechism

Q. Did Jesus Christ rise from the dead?
A. Yes, Jesus Christ rose from the dead on the third day.

This is stated as fact, not metaphor.

3. The Resurrection Confirms Christ’s Identity

By raising Christ from the dead, God confirms:

  • His divine sonship
  • His authority
  • His teaching

Everything Christ claimed:

  • is vindicated
  • is proven true

The Resurrection is God’s seal.

Without it:

  • Christ would be a tragic figure
    With it:
  • He is Lord.

4. Victory Over Death

Death entered the world through sin.

The Resurrection:

  • breaks the power of death
  • opens the way to eternal life
  • changes the meaning of death

Death is no longer:

  • the final end
  • the absolute defeat

It becomes:

  • a passage
  • a transition
  • something conquered

This does not remove suffering now.
It removes despair.

5. A New Kind of Life

The Resurrection does not merely restore what was lost.

It inaugurates:

A new mode of human existence.

Christ’s risen life is:

  • bodily
  • real
  • glorified

This life is the beginning of:

  • the new creation
  • the future resurrection of humanity

The Resurrection is the first fruits.

6. The Resurrection and Our Salvation

Salvation is not only:

forgiveness of sin

It is also:

sharing in Christ’s risen life

The Church teaches that:

  • grace flows from the risen Christ
  • new life begins now
  • eternal life begins here

The Resurrection makes sanctification possible.

Penny Catechism

Q. Why did Jesus Christ rise from the dead?
A. Jesus Christ rose from the dead to show that He is the Son of God, and to give us the hope of rising again.

Hope is not wishful thinking.
It is grounded in fact.

7. The Resurrection and Faith

Faith in the Resurrection is not:

  • denial of death
  • escape from reality

It is:

Trust in God’s victory over what we cannot conquer ourselves.

The Resurrection does not remove:

  • grief
  • struggle

It transforms them.

8. Common Difficulties Addressed

“Why don’t we see the effects clearly now?”

The victory is real but not yet complete in us.

“Isn’t this just belief?”

It is belief grounded in witness, consequence, and continuity.

“Does this mean life now doesn’t matter?”

It means life now matters eternally.

9. What Is Being Asked of You Now

At this stage, you are asked to consider this:

If Christ is risen, what kind of life am I called to live now?

That question leads directly to Christ’s Ascension and present reign.

10. Questions for the Week

Reflect quietly during the week:

  • Do I live as though death has the final word?
  • What does hope mean in my daily life?
  • How does the Resurrection change my view of suffering?

11. Closing Summary

Christ died.
Christ rose.
Death was defeated.

The Resurrection:

  • confirms the Cross
  • inaugurates new life
  • grounds our hope

Next week we will ask:

Where is Christ now — and how does He reign today?

Optional Closing Prayer

Risen Lord,
You have conquered death and opened the way to life.
Strengthen our faith in Your victory,
and teach us to live as people of hope.
Amen.