(upbeat music) hello. on behalf of the archdiocese of san francisco welcome to "mosaic" . easter i a feast that many people enjoy. whether they observed in originalists way or not. at easter, spring has sprung in th world is green and the season i bright. at the heart of easter is a deep and dark drama with coemnation etiard s rerrecon

it diult comhis to here with us today to discuss the resurrection is a scholar, teacher and priest. after this brief break rejoin us to delve deeply into the resurrection of christ.

hello and welcome to "mosaic" . i have you with us you have a fantastic resume. you have more abbreviations after your name than most people. he is not only a big assist, to say a scholar of the bible but a physicist and an experimental scientist. i see ba in physics, ma in biblical studies. and sacred theology. and a dr. of sacred theology from the same institution. he began with a ba in physics an worked in the semiconductor industry in palo alto. i think

there was a time when you experienced a conversion to follow system. can you tell us about that? >> it started in the last year when i studied at berkeley. i studied with an idea of applied physics and semi conductors an that sort of thing. i had statistics classes and so on an interpretation of data. i went on a hitchhiking trip and i ha been raised catholic and then i drifted off . six years later, went out hitchhiking out of berkeley , for recreation. >> that is what happened. >> three people on that brief hitchhiking trip all talk to me about jesus christ. i believe there is a god out there somewhere, maybe like a force. in my mind i said this is statistically significant. nobody in six years and then 24 hours, three. i thought i bette go back over this . there may b

something in this for me. i wen back and out of curiosity read the bible and look for this person , the first person to talk about, john the apostle, he was talking about the apocalypse. then i started reading the gospel of john and it started with a kind of poetic introduction. and i thought, this is like the east and poetry i have been reading about the cosmos. i got absorbe in the story and who drew me into this person of christ tha i never really encountered, personally before. to read it for my own inspiration. that sunk in and carry through until after graduation it came to conviction, this is a person unique in human history. >> in relation to jesus and with the church, you went back to catholic liturgies at that point pack . >> after three or four months o reading the bible three or fou

times a day and praying, i saw god saying go back to church . said, which one? i was not necessarily attached to the catholic church. he brought me back to remember the exact morning i left and i said, i a not experiencing god here and i will be back when i do. he sai remember what you said? yes. and i said, okay. i went to the nearest church . >> it to you back not only into practicing catholicism and reading your bible but apparently to a vocation to the priesthood. >> that was some years downstream. at the research lab, ironically will where people say scientist slowly believe in god. i was in a research lab in palo alto and around 60 employees , and ther were two bible studies weekly. and apparently there had been young man before me that have become a catholic priest and three of my friends became full-time christian missionaries. it was a hotbed for christian calling and

ministry. >> these gentlemen are out of the semiconductor industry. >> scientific environment. >> you found your way into religion and priesthood. your priesthood seems to be a scholarly one and a pastoral one. can you tell us what you do? >> at present i am working at sonoma state newman center. an also working in teaching in the seminary. i teach the gospel o john and a course on matthew, mark, and luke. >> the newman center, it is a catholic chaplaincy at the university. sonoma state university. you are acquainted with the ancient texts and today's young people, and you have some theological literary and scientific knowledge , and we have you here today to talk about the resurrection. was th resurrection a key part of your interest ? your renewed interes in catholicism ?

>> it became that. before that it was a passion. t pason chris event of his dying in the way h went through that. there was a major impact the came when i wa reading the gospel of john and came to the way of the cross when he had his cross, john sai he is taking his own cross and he went out from there. i saw this view of christ with blood and a crown of thorns. i looked at his face and i saw this serene and decisive face that he did not care what was happening around him. he was no worried or upset or afraid or angry. he was determined to get the the place of his own death i thought , this is god at work this is divine. no man could live like that and love like that and move forward to his ow death . this is god and it may that kind of impact. >> that was powerful. that was

just the passion of the death and suffering. he faced it like a man. and as you say like a go . the next question is, the resurrection. after this break, rejoin us and we will talk abou the resurrection of jesus of nazareth.

good morning. we are talkin with father betcher about the resurrection of jesus christ. the teaching central to the catholic faith. i believe, always has been from the very beginning of the writing of the catholic doctrine. i believe st. paul in his early letter, i'm not sure which one it was, letter to the corinthian says if jesus did not rise from the dead, our faith is in vain. it is a lie and not true. we need to believe this is an historical fact that jesus aros from the dead. paul seemed to. what can you tell us about that >> one angle to approach the question is the physical evidence that remains of the passion. to show he did die an the resurrection. the fact we have an empty tomb, we believe the body is in heaven and was risen and made spiritual and corporal and touchable. tactile. but at the same time, we are on earth where we cannot point towards a body in a sense of what remains. for catholics

that is evidence. you think about all the saints, we have some piece of their body usually. relics. we are into relics. we don't have a relic for jesus or the virgin mary, says something else. if it wer all production or fantasy or invention, they would have invented a relic. more seriously, if we look at the shot of children, for example, that has been an intense focus of study from all kinds of angles, scientific in the last few decades, the results of tha are extremely intriguing, if no convincing. for a number of people on the team, convincing enough to convert to catholic faith . to anyone who has interest, they are intriguing. there are so many powerful sign that point in the same directio and there are strong signs that point otherwise. like the later radiocarbon dating's was that

it was from 1350 something. there is conflicting evidence. the scientific approach is to look at all the evidence and include it in any viable theory you cannot say, we will not pay attention to that and we will come up with the theory that ignores the data. scientist have to deal with the relevant data and come up with a theory that explains all of it or it i not a confirmed theory. so far that has not happened for eithe side to explain the data convincingly. we are in the middle of it. that is the state of science. a beautiful thing. the intrigue and to get people passionate about the argument for or against and work it out. >> there is philosophical questions, or historical, philosophical. one it is a myth invented later. this beginning of christianity , yes >> if you look at the early sources like luke and the acts

of the apostles and describing the events that unfold in naming historical names and territories that are pretty bona fide historical narrative for the times that people take seriously as much as josephus. not to be taken as a novel. th genre of other gospels like th gospel of thomas , that came in the mid-second century are evidence of their was a genre around and multiplied. we are talking about a different genre of ancient text. some of very early. 36 a.d. is the historica point of luke's focus. first corinthians, 52. early stuff . >> let's be clear. paul's epistle was written in the 50s and 60s . was riding at the sam time. witnesses were still around. i have read this

objection, it was an invention in some kind of conspiracy amon the early followers to persuad the world? >> then it shifts to, is a credible that a group of people that were among the most intensely compelled to not bea the false witness, with they have done that and become hypocritical liars? that would be possible but i don't think i is a credible argument. they had a very strict level of ethics, which says don't tell wise and don't tell half-truths and be willing to lay down your life for the truth . the martyr who died who said the truth and had could have gotten out with being quiet , they felt the nee to say the truth and be killed for it. there is that kind of force, not to accept that as a credible story. >> that is inaccurate recounting of early history. no one recanted jesus as resurrection. people died t il the ews here is -- i

are aware, after the resurrection there is a pretty healthy post resurrection narrative in the scriptures . i the acts of the apostles and even the apostles . jesus was present to his friends. the recount is works in appearances and they recount their own weakness and doubt. literarily it is very impressive for me. scripturally i am no expert. tell me, does that ring true? >> definitely. there are early church apologetics. the people included self-criticism and it looks really bad. peter said, keep it in. i failed and i fel on my face . >> more than one thing points out the first witnesses to the resurrection as told in the gospels were women . women had social status that did not allo their word to be taken very seriously. in my right? >> yes. >> let's take a break and then we will return in talk about th resurrection.

welcome back. we are talking about the resurrection of jesus of nazareth. a fascinating discussion. i thin we have established it has bee a christian doctrine from the beginning. their efforts to debunk or resist it. what do w

get from it? what is important about it? why does it have a central place in our religious life? >> i would say one thing since it is a tangible reality, at first , in luke's gospel, they see jesus risen and they think it is a ghost. they get paniced . jesus says, calmed down. do you have anything to eat? he needs a piece of fish. ghosts don't do that. it must be okay. something tangible they handed him a piece of fish and he ate it. that demonstrates the real, human bodily presence . i believe that is what is important. the body is important in the way we have passions. they were afraid. yo look at the resurrection accounts and you see emotion, passion, fear, joy, amazement. in a way that in most of the gospels it is not there. actions among the apostles but really that kind of emotional

intensity. >> yes. if god became man and took on human form, then he suffers a human death. overcomes it in this way. in this way i strictly find unimaginable. i cannot imagine what his risen body was is the settled in the church doctrine? >> it is mysterious. the qualities are he can go through walls . but it is still a tangible body. it does throw us off. the qualities , it will not fit the normal myth or the rules for how he is doing what he is doing. >> it is the display of god's power, i take it. that as you point out, displayed modestly. he comes and goes and knows is followers and what will appeal to them. not doing anything, i would say, spectacular. >> nothing, even during his life. he did not working miracles after the resurrection just being with his disciples and convincing them he is alive

>> i heard you played christ in the passion play in lake tyesti angle to try to embody that person. >> it was a great privilege an amazing experience. i had come back from a pilgrim in israel. had been there for five weeks, living, walking and sleeping were jesus walked and slept. i went to the german passion play outdoor and beautiful dramatic production. i asked to be in th role of christ in the lake county passion play. in the open there is about 200 members in the cast and people on horseback and goats and it is big. in that play, that amazing inside view of christ with his sufferings and his carrying the cross, i insisted on making a full-size, fully solid four by 12 cross that weighed 112 pounds. i did not

have to fake. it was really heavy. with that experience in the sufferings within the grace of the resurrection and coming over the hill risen, seeing the shockwave go through the audience. this is like the rea thing. being the joy. it started me thinking about the reason why did jesus have to come back like that. for the full, convincing, human relationship of the body embraced . there is a beautifu point in the play where i go down to my mom and give her th beautiful hug. this is my son. it was a beautiful moment. very emotional. and affirmative if you look at the disciples before that, they are scared an hiding in the upper room . afte the encounter of jesus risen, they are ready to die for him

and go to the ends of the world they have the intense zeal which had not happen before the bodily presence of christ confirmed them. they had been with him 40 days. >> you worked with young people and you are chaplain at state university. are they interested in this? do they find the resurrection a more difficult doctrine than you might expect? >> i think it is a challenge, definitely. it is easy to believe that he suffered and died. that is pretty much an historical point. the risen part, right. there is a great movement among young people no to meditate on or be in the presence of what we call the blessed sacrament , the host, that we consecrate during the mass which we believe is the body -- although mystically so body of christ . it does not look like it but we believe it is him and it is tactile. that sense of a physical, real presence that also has a

spiritual power to it, that is very intriguing for young adult today. it provides a lot of gusto . >> i hear about this and our youth minister arranges these adoration sessions. i think it is meditative but silent and deeply plumbing for people to get away from the digital world and be alone with god. father, thank you for being with us. we have one minute left . what is the one or two things that a viewer should take away from this discussion? >> it is a real question. believe it or not there is data around the shot a touring in the christian tradition and wha we claim to be is that jesus i with us now and there are physical manifestations of healings , the same things jesu used to do. also, to realize the passion of that event , is where we have such joy and strength and ability to commiserate because we have thi joyful sustenance inside. let

your passions loose. get curious and go for it. >> thank you. thank you for joining us on the special easte themed presentation about the resurrection of jesus christ.

from cbs news bay area. this is the morning edition. a wildly popular fan for mexico plays an extra concert in san jose to raise money for struggling farmworkers affected by recent floods. there are new calls this morning for a reform of the local jail after dozens of deaths over the past decade. the changes that protesters are calling for with support from law-enforcement . part of the heavily used riders are getting where they need to go as crews make upgrades to the tracks. good morning. it is sunday, april 2nd. thank you for joining us. let's have a quick check of our weather with