Jesus

Proofs of Jesus’ Resurrection from Scriptures, Saints, and Experience

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Editor’s Note: Originally published April 18th, 2017.

resurrection of Jesus
Love is an open door.

Christianity across the world celebrates the Resurrection of Jesus Christ this past Sunday. Easter is a celebration of a miraculous—and seemingly impossible—event. The feast of Jesus’ Resurrection holds a special place in my heart.  I wish to share the basic biblical proof of the Resurrection, examples from some saints, and my own personal experience.

Note: If you still have questions related to a more cerebral and logical argument for the Resurrection of Jesus I highly recommend Carl Olson’s: Did Jesus Really Rise from the Dead?

Gospel evidence

Since there a lot of evidence to refer to and I prefer to keep today’s post as concise as possible I will only focus on the two strongest pieces of evidence I found to be convincing for me in showing validity in Jesus’ Resurrection. First, the witness of the women being the initial people to notice the empty tomb is strong evidence. The reason for this is due to in 1st century Palestine life women did not enjoy the benefits of voting, membership in the workforce, or even respect to be witnesses in events like today.

The Gospel writers uniformly state that women were the first witnesses to the empty tomb and the first to proclaim Jesus as risen. This does not make sense unless it was true. Why would the gospel writers embarrass the apostles by placing women in a place of honor as the first evangelizers of Jesus’ Resurrection, unless that was the truth?

Saint Mary Magdalene and Risen Jesus
Saint Mary Magdalene is known as the Apostle to the Apostles.

Secondly, the Gospel of Matthew already shows alternative explanations already surfacing to explain the disappearance of Jesus’ body when the tomb was opened. According to Matthew, the priests and elders charged the Roman soldiers to create a story to explain why the tomb was empty. They [priests and elders] state, “You are to say, ‘His disciples came during the night and stole him while we were asleep’. If any word of this gets to the procurator, we will straighten it out with him and keep you out of trouble.” (Matthew 28:13-14).  This never made sense to me. If the apostles were fraudulent, why the Matthew plainly write about the theory of the stolen body of Jesus? Such a theory only makes sense as a lie developed by the priests and elders.

Saintly Sources

Because of the vast array of saints to attest to the truth of the Resurrection, I will only focus on two for conciseness’ sake—St. Peter and St. Paul. The thing that I really love about St. Peter is his fervor to follow the gospel after Jesus’ Resurrection. In addition to being the 1st pope of the Catholic Church, Peter testified to the truth of the Gospel as a martyr via crucifixion.

St. Paul represents arguably the greatest conversion in the history of Christianity. Paul went from being a murderer of Christians to the Church’s great evangelizer and writer of almost 2/3 of the New Testament. These two men show us that they encountered someone who transformed them. Peter and Paul’s conversions are an effect of the power of Jesus’ Resurrection!

peter and paul

My Testimony

While my own testimony does not hold the same weight at Scripture and Tradition, I still am convinced that certain things in my life transpired due to a power outside of my control and full understanding. During my darkest days a few years ago I learned of the power of God. He rose me up from the loss of a job and our miscarriages. God continues to demonstrate the glory of His Resurrected Son in seemingly ordinary things too. For example, I asked my cousin to pray for my wife for an important interview. My cousin told me, “Of course, and incidentally she [my wife] was the person my cousin and his fiancée scheduled to pray for, in a special way, anyways.” This is not the first time this seeming coincidence happened to my cousin.

Through Scripture, Tradition [the saints], and my personal experience with daily and extraordinary events I have come to more deeply realize the Resurrection of Jesus as an historical fact. I pray that you come to enjoy this truth in Scripture, Tradition, and your own life’s experiences!

Related Links

Evidence for the Resurrection- Catholic Digest

Resurrection- Catholic Answers

What Exactly Does Jesus Mean in John 14:12?

Will Our Resurrected Bodies Grant Us Superpowers?

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Saints Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea: Witnesses to Spiritual Renewal and the Dignity of Life

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The encounter between Jesus and Nicodemus, as recounted in the Gospel of John, offers a glimpse into the transformative power of spiritual rebirth through baptism. Nicodemus, a Pharisee, seeks wisdom under the cover of night. This darkness can be seen as symbolic of his initial lack of understanding or hesitation to fully embrace the truth of Jesus’ message. Yet, by approaching Jesus, Nicodemus takes the first step out of this spiritual darkness.

Their conversation centers around the concept of baptism—a second birth that ushers believers into the realm of the spirit. Through baptism, individuals shed their old selves, emerging as adopted children of God, free from the constraints of original sin. Nicodemus’s willingness to engage in dialogue, despite his initial reservations, demonstrates his openness to spiritual growth. He becomes a beacon of hope for all who seek understanding and a deeper connection with divine truth.

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An 1166 Word Interview with The Little Apologist

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Editor’s Note: Matthew Chicoine interviewed Colleen, founder of The Little Apologist, via phone on November 12th, 2025. Some of the questions/answers have been rearranged, edited, and paraphrased to provide the best reader experience without losing any integrity of the answers given.

Your Early Start in Apologetics

You mention that you began studying Catholic apologetics around age twelve when you had to defend your faith in public school. Could you share one of those early “aha” or “uh-oh” moments from back then, and reflect on how that shaped your approach to faith and evangelization today?

I remember when I was in 7th grade there began to be certain books or content being taught in my public school classes that were directly contrary to Truth, especially from a moral standpoint. In that time, I learned how to stand up for purity and for what’s right in writing to and having conversations with my teachers. My parents helped me to frame the emails and conversations,  and my formation in Confirmation classes, along with hours of listening to Catholic Answers Live helped me to be able to articulate the Truth. The conversations with my teachers led to pushback from my classmates about different belief systems, which presented the opportunity for further evangelization and thought-provoking conversations.

At my Confirmation when I was 13, I felt a physical warmth come over me as I was Confirmed,and truly felt set on fire for Jesus and His Church. After that I was able to share my faith in a more clear, loving manner than I ever had before. So that sacrament was definitely a turning point in my life and has inspired my work in apologetics. 

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A Christmas (Birthday) Letter to the Infant Son of God

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Nativity.jpg

Below is a letter I dedicated to our Lord Jesus Christ in celebration of his birth, December 25, 2020 Anno Domini.

Dear Baby Jesus,

In a stable, 2000 years ago, a seemingly ordinary infant was born. Through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, shepherds and kings from afar learned about His incredible presence. God uses the most common of circumstances to work the greatest of all miracles–the Incarnation. God so loved the world He sent you–His only Son– to bridge the great gulf, the separation caused by sin.

Wrapped in swaddling clothes, laid in a manger, you my king took the form of mankind. I have heard the Nativity story dozens of times. This Advent I feared I would take your origin story for granted. Instead, I am grateful for the opportunity to gaze on the Nativity scene through new eyes–not merely of a follower, but also as a father.

My children are a reminder of your goodness, truth, and beauty. Seeing the twinkle in their eyes when they gaze at the Nativity Scene at home or church is priceless. The smiles on my kids faces as they color “presents” pictures for my wife and I remind me the true reason for the season!

People are born everyday on this earth, but only once a year do we remember the greatest birth of all.

Jesus my servant king, Emmanuel, Prince of Peace, God-hero, I adore you and celebrate with my family and friends the anniversary of your birth. I pray that my heart is enlarged to make room within the inn of my soul for you, my family, friends, and people I meet daily!

Praised be to God in the Highest and Alleluia for our Savior’s arrival.

With great love and gratitude,

Your adopted son,

Matthew

For us men and for our salvation

he came down from heaven,

and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary,

and became man.

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The Joy of Anticipation: A Catholic Reflection for Advent

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By: Elisabeth Williams

Preparing the Way of the Lord

Each year, as Thanksgiving dishes are barely cleared and Black Friday sales flood our inboxes, the season of Advent quietly arrives. It doesn’t shout. It doesn’t demand. Rather, it simply invites: “Prepare the way of the Lord.”

For years in our family, this meant going to every holiday function, dragging the kids around the city to make memories while also losing sleep hoping that we checked off everything on their Christmas activity wish list. It was imperative to arrive early enough to get seats at their Christmas pageants, to complete the Jesse Tree, and read from scripture nightly. It was tiring, overwhelming, and left the kids and us cranky and too tired to celebrate the actual Octave of Christmas when it finally arrived.

More recently, Advent has become less about checking off traditions like parties, LEGO calendars, and candy-filled shoes and more about listening. What is Christ asking of me in the waiting? How can I make space in my home and in my heart for Him? And is it possible for me to offer that simple invitation to others as well?

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Why Saint Nick’s Day is Awesome— Celebrating Generosity with the Ultimate Catholic Meme Collection

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G.K. Chesterton once wrote, “It is the test of a good religion whether you can joke about it.”

I certainly think that he would have (and hopefully you will) chuckle at the following joke:What do you call Santa when he has no money? Saint ‘Nickel-less’.

Today is Saint Nicholas of Myra’s Feast Day. It’s also the greatest Catholic meme day of the year. 🙂🥊👊

Thinking about Saint Nicholas (aka Santa Claus, yes he is real and I still believe in him. 🎅 🙏 🙂) puts me in a jolly mood and sparks one of the greatest gifts God has given me— my creativity.

Enjoy this Ultimate Saint Nick Meme Collection.

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6 Epic Facts About the Saint Behind Santa Claus

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Editor’s Note: Article originally published on December 5th, 2022.

G.K. Chesterton once wrote, “It is the test of a good religion whether you can joke about it.” I certainly think that he would have (and hopefully you will) chuckle at the following joke: What do you call Santa when he has no money? Saint ‘Nickel-less’. Get it? Nicholas?

If you enjoy wordplay, you’re welcome! However, if you find such repartee revolting, I apologize and implore you to still read on.

Ironically, Nicholas came from a wealthy family (more about that later). Some believed his family riches provided means for him able to make generous visits through the night delivering anonymous gifts to the less unfortunate in his city.

Below are six common (or maybe not so common!) facts about the Catholic saint later popularized and associated with Santa Claus. Regardless of whether you heard of these facts before or not, they are still epic!

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