Reflection on 2Cor 4:14
“Knowing that he who raised the Lord Jesus
will raise us also with Jesus
and bring us with you into his presence.”
This verse from Scripture is preceded by, “But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that it may be seen that this immense power is of God and not of ourselves. We are oppressed on every side, but we are not cornered; we are helpless, but we are not stranded; we are persecuted, but we are not abandoned; we are struck down, but we are not defeated. We still bear the mark of Jesus’ death on us, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed. For we, as long as we live, are still being handed over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed on our mortal flesh. And so death works its work on us, but life on you. But we have the spirit of faith, of which it is written, ‘I believed, and therefore I also spoke’ – we also believe, and therefore we also speak.” (v.7-13) God’s Word emphasizes union with Christ crucified and our constant surrender to Christ’s death. It means renouncing our self-will even in small things before the face of God, that is, being aware that God sees me and that I do this small thing out of love for Him.
The following verse, verse 14, will be recited for two weeks. Through Christ’s resurrection, we receive new life. Then we read, “Therefore let us not faint in mind: though we perish outwardly, yet inwardly we are renewed day by day. This short and light affliction exerts a transcendent weight of eternal glory upon us who look not to the visible but to the invisible. The visible is temporary, but the invisible is eternal.” (v.16-18) Our gaze is to be fixed upward, toward the eternal glory to come, and we are to be aware that the tribulation and suffering we experience is but brief.
In verse 14 we are told that we know, that is, we are both deeply convinced and absolutely certain that He who raised the Lord Jesus will also raise us with Jesus. Death is not the end for us, but is a transition to new life. We should therefore remember Jesus’ call to make the most of the time while we are here, because we only live this day once and it will never return. We are to use this time to gain eternal treasures that thieves will not dig up and rust will not corrupt. These are works of faith – a little self-denial, humbling ourselves, praising another, an act of faith coupled with repentance or asking for help or giving thanks, even for what we do not yet understand. These little things are not really little things, because through them we obtain great treasures in heaven. So we are to live by faith. We are to expect that even our physical body will be transformed, just as Jesus’ body was spiritually transformed after the resurrection. It is no longer subject to the law of matter, but only to the law of the Spirit. Our spirit and soul will live on after the moment of our physical death. We will immediately find ourselves before the face of God. Therefore, it is necessary that even at this point in our lives we strive to be before the face of God, especially in our prayers. This means that when we pray we should be aware that God sees me, knows me, loves me, and I speak to Him honestly, as I am, and I do not hide anything from Him. And when I stand in this consciousness and speak to Him, God turns His face towards me. The only problem is that because of my distraction I soon turn away my spiritual gaze, that is, my spiritual face, and again occupy myself with vanities, without being immediately aware of it. Therefore, prayer is also a struggle with distraction and we must return to the presence of God again and again.
We are to walk before the face of God even during the day. When a problem comes up, let us stop for a moment, realize – God sees me – and briefly turn to Him for light and for help. God allows certain problems, that is, crosses, during the day because our eyes and our hearts are focused only on earthly concerns and we forget God. Let us therefore remember the motto which is also part of the prayer in the Holy Mass: “Lift up your hearts!” We need to lift up our hearts to the Lord!
Download: Reflection on 2Cor 4:14
