A resource created to support the Religious Education Curriculum from the Archdiocese of Brisbane
What happened at the resurrection of Jesus?
This is a question which is impossible to answer 2000 years later. The accounts in all 4 Gospels are different, and as each was written years after the death of Jesus it is highly possible that the Gospel authors did not know a lot of the historic details about what happened.
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"There is ample proof, even from non-Christian sources, that Jesus of Nazareth was crucified. The Christians believed that his death and burial were not the end, even if that meant ridicule from the world around them (1Cor 1:22-25). As we have seen, the resurrection narratives show all the signs of the rich and faith-filled creativity of later writing, reading, and listening Christian communities". A Friendly Guide to the resurrection of Jesus, Francis J Moloney SDB, 2016, p. 43.
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The following question is one that Christians do need to be able to answer:
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What does the resurrection of Jesus mean?
"The earliest Christian tradition never debated what happened at the resurrection. Their concern was to communicate what the event meant. They identified what God did for Jesus, and what the risen Jesus does for his followers". Moloney, p. 44.
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Certainly, if the death of Jesus had been the end of the story then the story would not have been retold for generations, and Christianity would never have evolved. The story was a tragedy, and an embarrassment and deep shame for the followers of Jesus. What we do know from the Gospel accounts of the resurrection is that something happened which profoundly changed the lives of Jesus' followers. Some of Jesus' followers had an experience that turned their lives from despair and darkness, to new understanding and immense hope. Somehow, in some way, the followers of Jesus experienced his presence, his energy, still with them in some way. Indigenous people all over the world and in Australia will sometimes speak of the absolute knowledge and belief they have of the presence of the spirit of a loved one who has passed away, still present with them in some way. Indigenous people may experience this presence by being tuned in to the signs around them. Each encounter, each experience, is always different, but can have profound meaning for the person who has the experience.
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"Believers wonder at what God has done for Jesus, and rejoice in what God does for us in and through the resurrection. This is especially true in our current era, when Christian institutions are under threat from many sides, including some oppressive aspects in contemporary Christian practice. The stories of the resurrection challenge these threats. They assure us that Jesus' promises come true, that our fears, doubts, failures and sins are overcome, as we are sent out again and again on mission, accompanied by the never-failing presence of the risen Jesus in the gift of his spirit." Moloney, p. 47.
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What is the connection between the resurrection and the Communion of Saints?
'The Communion of Saints' stems from a belief in the Catholic Church that death is not the end of life, but the start of a new journey in life.
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"As Christians, this is our belief: We believe that the dead are still alive, still themselves and, very importantly, still in a living, conscious, and loving relationship with us and with each other. That’s our common concept of heaven and, however simplistic its popular expression at times, it is wonderfully correct. That’s exactly what Christian faith and Christian dogma, not to mention deep intuitive experience, invite us to. After death we live on, conscious, self-conscious, in communication with others who have died before us, in communion with those we left behind on earth, and in communion with the divine itself. That’s the Christian doctrine of the Communion of Saints." Ronald Rolheiser OMI, 'The Communion of Saints', 2015, accessed from http://ronrolheiser.com/the-communion-of-saints-2/#.WM4v5qL-uUk.
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"One of our wonderful, albeit neglected, Christian doctrines is our belief in the communion of the saints. It’s a doctrine that’s enshrined in the creed itself and it asks us to believe that we are still in vital communication with those who have died. Moreover, it tells us that the communication we now have with them is free from many of the tensions that coloured our relationship with them while they were still alive.
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Hence, to believe in the communion of saints is to believe that we can still tend to unfinished business in our relationships, even after death. Simply put, we can still talk to those who have died and we can, even now, say the words of love, forgiveness, gratitude, and regret that ideally we should have spoken earlier. Indeed, inside the communion of saints the reconciliation that always eluded us while that person was alive can now more easily take place. Why?
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Because inside the communion of saints, after death, our communication is privileged. Death washes clean. It clarifies perspective and takes away a lot of relational tensions. Why do I say this? Both because our faith and our experience teach us this." Ronald Rolheiser OMI, 'Privileged Communication within the Communion of Saints', 2002, accessed from
http://ronrolheiser.com/privileged-communication-within-the-communion-of-saints/#.WM4yGKL-uUk.
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Inspiring stories of the Communion of Saints
Teaching Easter: unpacking the resurrection of Jesus with students P-10
On this page you will find some units of work planned by multiple teachers from different schools, with the support of two Education Officers - Religious Education, and Dr Kevin Treston. We thank Kevin for his input into understanding the theology of Easter and why this season is the foundation for the whole Church.
These units are provided to:
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support teachers to know how to teach Easter in appropriate ways for each year level (it is hoped that teachers will apply quality pedagogy to use effective teaching strategies that work for their own students), and use these units as a resource to develop units specific for their own students
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Supplement the Scripture texts provided in the RE Curriculum (few year levels have the resurrection texts as mandated texts but it is impossible to teach Easter well without using these texts).
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support teachers to evaluate what they are currently teaching for Easter (is there anything in your unit about the resurrection of Jesus, unpacking these Scripture stories and what this means for the Church and our lives today?)
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support teachers in the challenging task of recontextualising the resurrection story. The image above is a key image for believers, but how do we interpret it and make sense of it? The image reflects a symbolic reality and not the literal, historical truth of what happened, as no one knows exactly what happened.
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support teachers to incorporate the authentic teaching of Easter into their scope and sequences, as this is one unit that can make a profound difference to student's lives. Here is a key area where Catholic schools can help to equip students for life, for they will all experience grief, loss, suffering and despair in their lives at some point, and some will be experiencing it now. Gaining meaning from the resurrection stories can make an enormous difference to how students navigate their way through those inevitable times in life.
Video Resources for Easter
How to use these videos:
These videos all work together to address the question of 'What does the Church celebrate during the season of Easter and what does it mean?' Although the videos could all be viewed in one sitting, 'listening' to Kevin's insights is only one part of learning. Reflecting on what this means for us individually and as teachers in a Catholic school is another critical element of learning, and therefore it is recommended to build in time for small group discussion after viewing each video.
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What did I hear that affirmed my thinking?
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What did I hear that was new to the way I've thought about Easter before?
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What did I hear that was challenging?
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What difference does this make?
If we do / don't teach Easter well to our students and provide tools for them to understand the Christian cycle of life, death and resurrection, what are the implications for our students?
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What would surface level teaching of Easter look like?
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What would an in-depth exploration, appropriate for the age and life circumstances of students, look like?
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What implications could there be for our students if they left Catholic schooling with only a surface level / commercial understanding of Easter?