Easter Reflection: Our Faith In Christ’s Resurrection Is Faith In His Divinity — Fr. Patrick Ajayi

Akahi News presents the spiritual reflection of Rev. Fr. Patrick Ajayi for Saturday, May 2, 2026 — the Saturday of the Fourth Week of Easter, being the Memorial of St. Athanasius.

The readings for today are Acts 13:44-52 and John 14:7-14.

In his reflection, Fr. Ajayi draws attention to the unique communion Our Lord Jesus Christ enjoyed with the Father. This claim, he explains, is substantiated by the Resurrection. In other words, the divinity of Jesus Christ — the very divinity He claimed for Himself — is proved in His rising from the dead.

Therefore, our faith in His Resurrection is not merely a belief in a historical event. It is a direct expression of our faith in Him as God. When we say “He is risen,” we are also saying “He is Lord.” The two declarations cannot be separated.

Akahi News understands that this connection between Resurrection and divinity was fiercely defended by the early Church. And today’s memorial of St. Athanasius reminds us of those battles.

In Jesus We See God Who Cannot Experience The Corruption Of Death

Fr. Ajayi explains that in Jesus Christ, we see God who cannot experience the corruption of death, because He possesses eternal life in His fullness. Death could not hold Him. The grave could not contain Him. Corruption could not touch Him. This is not the story of a mere prophet or a moral teacher. This is the story of God walking among us, dying for us, and rising for us.

Indeed, Jesus is God.

The miracle that happens in those who believe in Jesus Christ at this level, the priest continues, is that through their faith, eternal life is imparted to them. Belief is not merely intellectual agreement. It is a participation. When we truly believe that Jesus is God who conquered death, that eternal life begins to flow into our own mortal bodies.

St. Paul, in the first reading today, draws a direct similarity between the rejection of this message and the rejection of eternal life itself. To reject the message of Christ’s divinity and Resurrection is to shut the door on eternal life. That is the stark choice placed before every human heart.

Eternal life comes to us through our faith in the divinity of Jesus Christ. There is no other channel. There is no other name.

Why The Church Fought: The Legacy Of St. Athanasius

This is the reason the Church fought vigorously at the beginning of her existence. Fr. Ajayi reminds us of the efforts of all the Church Fathers, most especially St. Athanasius, whose memory the Church celebrates today. Athanasius stood almost alone against the Arian heresy, which denied the full divinity of Christ. He was exiled five times. He was threatened. He was vilified. But he did not bend.

Thanks to his courage and theological depth, the Church declared definitively that Jesus Christ is truly God — consubstantial with the Father. That declaration was not a mere opinion. It was the cornerstone of Christian faith.

As we celebrate St. Athanasius, Fr. Ajayi prays that his intercession and the prayers of all the Saints will strengthen our faith in the divinity of Jesus Christ.

It is not a child’s play to believe that a man who walked the dusty roads of Palestine is also the eternal Son of God. But that is the scandal of the Gospel. And that is the source of our salvation.

Fr. Ajayi concludes with a prayer: “May the GRACE OF ETERNAL LIFE increase in us in Jesus Name.”

He adds a personal note to all who read his reflection: “PRAYING FOR YOU AND YOUR LOVED ONES. IT IS WELL.”

Here is the philosophical reflection that lingers: If Jesus is not God, the Resurrection is a hoax and our faith is futile. But if Jesus is God — as the empty tomb declares — then death has been defeated, and eternal life is not a distant hope but a present reality. St. Athanasius gave his life defending this truth. Fr. Patrick Ajayi echoes that same truth today in Ilesa. The question for every reader is simple: do you believe?

— Rev. Fr. Patrick Kunle Ajayi writes from St. Mary Catholic Pro-Cathedral, Ilesa. Akahi News publishes this reflection as a service to our Christian readers. May the peace of the Risen Lord be with you all.