The Last Sunset
And the Resurrection
Every hunter knows the feeling of the last sunset - that last evening of deer season.
In life, every person has a last day, like hunting season has a last sunset. GK Chesterton, a renowned British Catholic writer of the early 20th century, said, “Death is the great equalizer.” Everyone has a last day: kings, queens, the wealthy, tyrants, heroes, the famous, the poor, you and me.
Although hunting and life share a theme of a last sunset, there is no Resurrection in hunting. When hunters return after taking a few years off, they come out of hunting retirement; they do not come back to life.
In Christianity, there is a Resurrection. The Catechism powerfully notes, “The Resurrection of Jesus is the crowning truth of our faith in Christ” (CCC 638). The crowning truth of Christianity is that the Resurrection changed everything.
The Resurrection gave Peter and John confidence and courage when they were called forth before the Sanhedrin in front of the leaders, elders, and scribes of that time. The previous day, Peter and John were taken into custody for “teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the Resurrection of the dead” (Acts 4:2). The Sanhedrin ordered Peter and John to never again speak or teach in the name of Jesus.
Peter and John boldly replied, “It is impossible for us not to speak about what we have seen and heard” (Acts 4:20). In time, Peter would be crucified upside down, and John would be exiled.
There have been legends of hunters who have harvested the biggest bucks, but there are no martyrs of hunting. The faith has had thousands and thousands of martyrs, and there will continue to be martyrs.
A powerful Latin phrase is Resurrexit sicut dixit, which means “He rose like He said.” During the last sunset of hunting season, think about how Jesus rose like He said He would.
What role does the Resurrection play in our lives, knowing that our last sunset draws ever closer?
Fr. Luke Daghir
