Sunday Gospel Reflection
"Unless I see in his hands the prints of the nails, I will not believe"
Introduction:
"To bring about in all Catholics such an enthusiasm for their faith that, in living their faith in Jesus, they freely share it with others" is Goal #1 of Go and Make Disciples (Published by the NCCB). Hopefully your enthusiasm for your faith in Christ is riding high after having focused on His passion, death and resurrection. Now you are faced with the ever present option, do you keep the fire of Christ burning in your heart or do you let the embers grow cold and ashen like an abandoned fire? Because God is a gracious God, the option is yours.
How can a person maintain enthusiasm for Christ, and the things of Christ? It seems that when we look at the first century Christians, who turned their world upside down with their enthusiasm, several things stand out. We see in the first reading that they were "devoted" to Jesus and to pleasing him. The word "devoted" means to give ourselves over to something, purposefully, and ardently. Luke-warmness wasn't an issue to these early believers because they knew they might be called on to die for their faith. Unlike Thomas, who would only believe when he could see and feel Jesus' wounds, early believers loved Jesus, having not physically seen him. And though they did not see, still they believed. Was it easier for them, than us? No! It still took faith and commitment. And like them, when we reaffirm our love and faith in Christ the Holy Spirit responds to our receptivity, and as a breath from heaven that blows on our faith, re-ignites the coals of our enthusiasm.
They also availed themselves of the opportunities to be with others who were alive with faith. They were devoted to Jesus in the midst of community and communion. If we were to take a brilliantly glowing coal from a roaring, hot fire, and set it off by itself, in a short period of time the formerly glowing coal would become ashen and cold. Similarly, when we withdraw ourselves from the warmth and glow of others who are alive in Christ, we will also grow cold in a short period of time. God provides community for us through other believers, and we need this life giving presence of Jesus' body to maintain our enthusiasm. And the rest of Christ's body needs us. For it is in relationship with other believers that both the Living Word and the written Word are more fully made known to us.
"But God has put this Word into the mouth of men in order that it may be communicated to other men. When one person is struck by the Word, he speaks it to others. God has willed that we should seek and find His living Word in the witness of a brother, in the mouth of man. Therefore the Christian needs another Christian who speaks God's Word to him. He needs him again and again when he becomes uncertain and discouraged, for by himself he cannot help himself without belying the truth. He needs his brother man as a bearer and proclaimer of the divine word of salvation." (Dietrich Bonhoeffer in Life Together)
The option is yours! What will you do differently this year to keep the fires of your faith enthusiastically aflame?
First Reading
Acts 2:42-47
42 And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and fellowship,
to the breaking of bread and the prayers.
43 And fear came upon every soul; and many wonders and signs were done through the
apostles.
44 And all who believed were together and had all things in common;
45 and they sold their possessions and goods and distributed them
to all, as any had need.
46 And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they
partook of food with glad and generous hearts,
47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number
day by day those who were being saved.
Second Reading
1 Peter 1:3-9
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By his great
mercy we have been born anew to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ
from the dead,
4 and to an inheritance which is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for
you,
5 who by God's power are guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the
last time.
6 In this you rejoice, though now for a little while you may have to suffer various
trials,
7 so that the genuineness of your faith, more precious than gold which though perishable
is tested by fire, may redound to praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus
Christ.
8 Without having seen him you love him; though you do not now see him you believe in him
and rejoice with unutterable and exalted joy.
9 As the outcome of your faith you obtain the salvation of your soul
Gospel Reading
John 20:19-31
19 On the evening of that first day of the week, when the doors were
locked, where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their
midst and said to them, "Peace be with you."
20 When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. The disciples rejoiced
when they saw the Lord.
21 (Jesus) said to them again, "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I
send you."
22 And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, "Receive the holy
Spirit.
23 Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained."
24 Thomas, called Didymus, one of the Twelve, was not with them when Jesus came.
25 So the other disciples said to him, "We have seen the Lord." But he said to
them, "Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands and put my finger into the
nailmarks and put my hand into his side, I will not believe."
26 Now a week later his disciples were again inside and Thomas was with them. Jesus came,
although the doors were locked, and stood in their midst and said, "Peace be with
you."
27 Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here and see my hands, and bring your
hand and put it into my side, and do not be unbelieving, but believe."
28 Thomas answered and said to him, "My Lord and my God!"
29 Jesus said to him, "Have you come to believe because you have seen me? Blessed are
those who have not seen and have believed."
30 Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of (his) disciples that are not written
in this book.
31 But these are written that you may (come to) believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son
of God, and that through this belief you may have life in his name.
Bible Study
19 On the evening of that first day of the week,
-----The first Easter Sunday, the day Jesus rose from the dead.
John wants to make it clear that this is the apostles' first encounter with the risen
Christ. Every resurrection account which is dated in the gospels occurs on a Sunday.
19b when the doors were locked, where the disciples were, for fear of
the Jews,
-----After what had happened to Jesus, they feared
for their lives.
19c Jesus came and stood in their midst
-----Through locked doors. Emphasizes the spiritual
qualities of the resurrected body of Christ.
19d and said to them, "Peace be with you."
----Shalom.
20 When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. The
disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord.
-----The showing of the wounds demonstrates that the Risen One is the
Crucified One. Answers the question of "Where have they put him?"(John 20:2).
21 (Jesus) said to them again, "Peace be with you.
-----Shalom. This is also a promised gift in John 14:27 "Peace I
leave with you; my peace I give to you".
21b As the Father has sent me,
-----Jesus was sent to reconcile people with God and had
the authority to forgive sins.
21c so I send you."
-----Sent with the full authority of God. When you
hear the bishop, you hear God speaking. "Apostle" means "one who is
sent".
22 And when he had said this, he breathed on them
-----An outward sign instituted by Christ. When God breathed on
the clay, He breathed life into Adam (Genesis 2:8). Here, Jesus is breathing life into His
creation, the Church.
22b and said to them, "Receive the holy Spirit.
-----Receipt of the Holy Spirit is a grace; a grace which
gives supernatural life. The Baltimore Catechism defines a sacrament as "An outward
sign, instituted by Christ, to give grace" What we have here is a sacrament in one
verse.
23 Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain
are retained."
-----This is the power given to the Church to continue the
judicial character of Christ in the matter of sin; a character of Jesus which so upset the
Pharisees that they sought to kill him. This is the origin of the sacrament of penance,
though it is equally true that the Church's power over sin is also exercised in baptism
and the preaching of the redemptive word. The apostles were not given the charism of
clairvoyance; they must hear the sins if they are to know which to forgive and which to
retain.
24 Thomas, called Didymus, one of the Twelve,
-----The designation of "the Twelve" remains even
though one of them has defected. Matthias will be selected by lot to replace Judas in
forty days (Acts 1:16ff).
24b was not with them when Jesus came.
25 So the other disciples said to him, "We have seen the Lord." But he said to
them, "Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands and put my finger into the
nailmarks and put my hand into his side, I will not believe."
------Doubting Thomas. How many today do not believe in the Real
Presence because it fails the "duck test"?
26 Now a week later
-----Again on a Sunday.
26b his disciples were again inside and Thomas was with them. Jesus
came, although the doors were locked,
-----Christ appears under the same circumstances as before.
26c and stood in their midst and said, "Peace be with you."
27 Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here and see my hands, and bring your
hand and put it into my side, and do not be unbelieving, but believe."
-----Again, a repeat of His previous appearance. Here and in verse 20
is the only explicit evidence from the Bible that Jesus was nailed rather than tied to the
cross. Luke 24:39 implies that His feet were also nailed. The Second Sunday of Easter can
be called Saint Thomas' Easter since he was not present at the first appearance of the
risen Lord.
28 Thomas answered and said to him, "My Lord and my God!"
-----Whether Thomas actually took Jesus up on His offer to probe
the wounds is not stated but his response is the most complete affirmation of Christ's
nature to be found on the lips of anyone in the gospel. The combination of
"Lord" and "God" is found in the Greek Old Testament (Septuagint) to
translate the name of the God of Israel; it was also a combination used as a divine
designation in the Greek world.
29 Jesus said to him, "Have you come to believe because you have
seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed."
------This blessing insists that all those Christians who have
believed without seeing have a faith which is in no way different from that of the first
disciples. Their faith is grounded in the presence of the Lord through the Spirit. A small
number of very early manuscripts read "continue to believe" rather than
"come to believe" suggesting that the audience consists of Christians whose
faith is to be deepened by this reading.
30 Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of (his) disciples
that are not written in this book.
-----Other than appearing in a room with locked doors, there are
no "signs" in this reading. This has led some commentators to suggest that this
verse was originally the conclusion to the collection of miracles used by the evangelist.
In that context Jesus' resurrection would have been understood as the final
"sign" of His relationship with the Father.
31 But these are written that you may (come to) believe that Jesus is
the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through this belief you may have life in his name.
------This final verse summarizes the purpose of the gospel as having
faith in Jesus as Messiah and Son of God as the source of eternal life. As Jesus said in
John 6:29 "The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent". If you
trust in God and not yourself, then you will do whatever He tells you - no matter how
bizarre it may seem. "Eat My Flesh, drink My Blood".
Meditation
Do you know the joy of the resurrection? The Risen Jesus revealed the glory of his resurrection to his disciples gradually and over a period of time. Even after the apostles saw the empty tomb and heard the reports of Jesus' appearance to the women, they were still weak in faith and fearful of being arrested by the Jewish authorities. When Jesus appeared to them he offered proofs of his resurrection by showing them the wounds of his passion, his pierced hands and side. He calmed their fears and brought them peace, the peace which reconciles sinners and makes one a friend of God. Jesus did something which only love and trust and can do. He commissioned his weak and timid apostles to carry the gospel to the ends of the earth. This sending out of the disciples is parallel to the sending out of Jesus by his Father. Jesus fulfilled his mission through his perfect love and perfect obedience to the will of his Father. He called his disciples, and he calls us to do the same. Just as he gave his first disciples the gift of the Holy Spirit, so he breathes on us the same Holy Spirit who equips us with power, grace, and strength.
The last apostle to meet the resurrected Lord was the first to go with him to Jerusalem at Passover time. The apostle Thomas was a natural pessimist. When Jesus proposed that they visit Lazarus after receiving news of his illness, Thomas said to the disciples: "Let us also go, that we may die with him" (John 11:16). While Thomas deeply loved the Lord, he lacked the courage to stand with Jesus in his passion and crucifixion. After Jesus' death, Thomas made the mistake of withdrawing from the other apostles. He sought loneliness rather than fellowship in his time of adversity. He doubted the women who saw the resurrected Jesus and he doubted his own fellow apostles. When Thomas finally had the courage to rejoin the other apostles, the Lord Jesus made his presence known to him and reassured him that he had indeed overcome death and risen again. When Thomas recognized his Master, he believed and exclaimed that Jesus was truly Lord and truly God! Through the gift of faith we, too, proclaim that Jesus is our personal Lord and our God. He died and rose that we, too, might have new life in him. The Lord offers each of us new life in his Holy Spirit that we may know him personally and walk in this new way of life through the power of his resurrection. Do you believe in God's word and the power of the Holy Spirit?
Reflections:
· Please re-read the phrase(s)/sentence(s) that move(s)/touche(s) you.
· How do you identify with the disciples ?
·On the evening of that first day of the week, when the doors were locked, where
the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to
them, "Peace be with you." (John 20:19)
-----What do you think causes doubt and fear to arise in our lives ?
· Jesus said to him, "Have you come to believe because you have
seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed." (John 20:29)
-----Do you believe in God's word and the power of the Holy Spirit?
· But these are written that you may (come to) believe that Jesus is
the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through this belief you may have life in his
name.(John 20:31)
----What (or who) has helped you to believe in Jesus and have life?
----Can you be a living Gospel so that others can believe in Jesus and have
life?
· (Jesus) said to them again, "Peace be with you. As the
Father has sent me, so I send you." (John 20:21)
-----What are the stages or stepping-stones in your following Christ?
To live His Word this week:
· Hold off your judment when someone does something that you think is wrong.
For Youngsters:
. Be nice and helpful to your sister , brother and friends.
Prayer
Lord Jesus Christ, through your victory over sin and death you have overcome all the powers of darkness. Help me to draw near to you and to trust in your life-giving word. Fill me with your Holy Spirit and strengthen my faith in your promises and my hope in the power of your resurrection.