Using three stories, Fr. Stephen Ernst described some of the implications of the suffering, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  He began first with a story demonstrating the necessity of humble listening as key to the spiritual life and our humanity. 

The second story from the Hasidic tradition, pointed to the necessity of repentance and purification as authentic reflections of Jesus' death, as seen in the sacraments of Baptism and Eucharist.  Therefore, the sacraments require a response from the individual Christian and the community Christians call, the church.  Our response to the sacraments entails dropping vengeance, hate and the judgment of others. 

In addition, the sacraments also challenge us to announce the values God has placed in us while denouncing those values, which are inconsistent with the unbounded value God gives each human being.  This response must unfold in our daily lives, in society, culture and the world of politics and economics.

The last story integrated the two previous ones by reminding the participants that in believing and contemplating the reality of the resurrection one must reflect this in our lives through joy.  Joy is a preeminent sign of the Christians belief in redemption.