Sunday, April 3, 2005
2nd Sunday of Easter

1st Reading: Acts 2:42-47
A model community for life

The whole community were faithful to the teaching of the apostles, the common life of sharing, the breaking of bread and the prayers.

A holy fear came upon all the people, for many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. Now all the believers lived together and shared all their belongings. They would sell their property and all they had and distribute the proceeds to others according to their need. Each day they met together in the Temple area; they broke bread in their homes; they shared their food with great joy and simplicity of heart; they praised God and won the people's favor. And every day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved.

2nd Reading: 1 Peter 1:3-9
The joy of faith

Let us praise God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, for his great mercy. In raising Jesus Christ from the dead he has given us new life and a living hope. The inheritance which does not corrupt nor goes bad nor passes away was reserved to you in heavens, since God's power shall keep you faithful until salvation is revealed in the last days.

There is cause for joy, then, even though you may, for a time, have to suffer many trials. Thus will your faith be tested, like gold in a furnace. Gold, however, passes away but faith, worth so much more, will bring you in the end praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ appears.

You have not yet seen him and yet you love him; even without seeing him, you believe in him and experience a heavenly joy beyond all words, for you are reaching the goal of your faith: the salvation of your souls.

Gospel: Jn 20:19-31
Happy those who believe without seeing

On the evening of that day, the first day after the Sabbath, the doors were locked where the disciples were, because of their fear of the Jews, but Jesus came and stood in their midst. He said to them, "Peace be with you"; then he showed them his hands and his side. The disciples kept looking at the Lord and were full of joy.

Again Jesus said to them, "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you." After saying this he breathed on them and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit; for those whose sins you forgive, they are forgiven; for those whose sins you retain, they are retained."

Thomas, the Twin, one of the Twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. The other disciples told him, "We have seen the Lord." But he replied, "Until I have seen in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe."

Eight days later, the disciples were inside again and Thomas was with them. Despite the locked doors Jesus came and stood in their midst and said, "Peace be with you." Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here and see my hands; stretch out your hand and put it into my side. Resist no longer and be a believer."
Thomas then said, "You are my Lord and my God." Jesus replied, "You believe because you see me, don't you? Happy are those who have not seen and believe."

There were many other signs that Jesus gave in the presence of his disciples, but they are not recorded in this book. These are recorded so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; believe and you will have life through his Name.

Commentary

THIS is the culmination of the stories of Resurrection. Jesus enters the locked room and shows his crucified and risen body to the frightened disciples. He brings them the word that is Resurrection life: PEACE and breathes his own Spirit upon them, commanding them (and us) 'as the Father sent him, now he sends us' forth, out into the world to boldly give witness to forgiveness and mercy, yet also, with the power of the Spirit to call sin and evil what it is and to hold bound (and stop) those who do evil. This is what the power of the Spirit is given for in the world. Thomas isn't there (he doesn't believe them afterwards either) and he gives awful criteria for his personal belief. Jesus comes again after a week where they have tried in vain to share this news with Thomas. And Jesus holds Thomas bound-bound to his stopping the good news from getting out into the world, stopping hope and stopping the commission of the disciples because of his destructive and demeaning list of what will take him to personally believe. Jesus give them Peace again, of forgiveness, of truth-telling and of life. It is the Peace of the Father, the Peace of the Risen Lord and the Peace of the Spirit. It is Resurrection Peace and life.

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