Ratzinger’s Reflections on the Staurological Foundation of the Resurrection

Jesus’ Cross, death, and Resurrection are events from His life that paved the way for man’s salvation. The Son of God’s passion and death on the Cross led to the Resurrection. Because of Jesus Christ’s Resurrection, every person who remains in union with him can count on experiencing his own personal resurrection. Christ took up the Cross out of love for man and, in so doing, paved the way to eternal life. The prospect of eternal life was made possible for man through Jesus’ redemption, which He achieved on the cross and brought to completion in the Resurrection. Because of this greatest of mysteries, man’s union with God does not cease when he dies, but rather continues within God’s eternal life. This article considers Ratzinger’s theology that presents the staurological basis of the mystery of the Resurrection and is organized into three categories: the Cross, death, and the Resurrection. When man lives with Christ, he enters into a relationship of love that leads to the cross, which transforms time and is a precursor to eternity.