One of the tribes of East Africa (Kenya and Tanzania), the Kamba tribe, has a very interesting legend. It is said that many, many years ago the men who lived in those regions were desperate because everyone died, some when they were young, some when they were old, but either way death was present in their lives. They said: “death is defeating us, so we must run away from death.”
So, the authorities of that tribe had a meeting a made a decision. They decided to send people all over the world to look for a place where death does not dominate, so that they could move their people to that place and death would not conquer their tribe.
They sent emissaries to discover a different land where death had no power. For years they went all around the world, from one place to another, and returned at last with the sad news: “Let us stay here and die as our fathers died, for there is no place where death does not reign.”
The resurrection of Our Lord Jesus Christ tells us that such a place does exist; that there is a kingdom where death has no power and whose inhabitants live eternally and are eternally happy. That kingdom is the kingdom of Christ and with His resurrection from the dead and His ascension into heaven, He confirmed that that kingdom exists although it does not belong to this world (Jn. 18:36).
Christ, by His resurrection, confirmed that there is a place in which there shall be no more death or mourning, wailing or pain (Rev 21:4). There is a kingdom where men will not hunger or thirst anymore, nor will the sun or any heat strike them… and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes (Rev 7:16-17).
This is one of the greatest joys that the resurrection of Our Lord brings us. Let us give thanks to God for giving us this hope through Jesus’ resurrection. Let us always live facing that reality, and not allowing the distractions that come from earthly things to make us lose such a great hope.
