April 18, 2004 - 2nd Sunday of Easter (C)

A. The Risen Lord Present among His People
B. See, I Am Alive
C. Peace Be with You

Readings:
Acts 5:12-16; Ps 118:2-4, 13-15, 22-24; Rev 1:9-13, 17-19; Jn 20:19-31

Commentaries / Gospel Reflections from:
Sunday's Into Silence • Daily Gospel • Preaching the Word

Greeting (See Second Reading)

We are gathered in the name of Jesus,
the First and the Last,
the Living One who lives for ever,
our Lord and our God.
May his peace and joy be always with you. R/ And also with you.

Introduction by the Celebrant

A. The Risen Lord Present among His People

Why do we gather every Sunday to celebrate the eucharist of the Lord? For the same reason that the first Christians changed their day of worship from the Jewish Sabbath to the Christian Sunday. For Christ rose from the dead on Sunday, the first day of the week. It became "the Lord's day," the day on which they began to celebrate that Christ is risen and alive in the community of his faithful, as he is present among us now. He is real and alive among us, he is our companion on the road of life and we recognize him in the community of the Church. May the Lord Jesus give us faith to sense his presence.

B. See, I Am Alive

We accept in faith, perhaps with difficulty and hesitation, that Jesus is alive among his people today. Yes, he lives in his communities and he is right here among us. Yet like the apostles we too would like very much to see the Lord, to become more aware and more convinced that he is here, alive, standing by our side, moving us forward by his Holy Spirit. But we don't see him except with eyes of faith. That is what real, deep faith is all about: not seeing and yet believing. We recognize Jesus as our Lord and God and with him we thank our Father.

C. Peace Be with You

When are you at peace in life? I hope it is not when nobody disturbs but when you are living in the right relationship with God and yourself and with your neighbor. It is not always a peace easy to find. The key to all real peace is the peace Jesus offers us; he states this even three times today: It is the peace of forgiveness, the peace of his nearness, the peace of your faith. Then all the rest will follow. Let us ask our Lord here in this eucharist for that peace that no one can take away from us.

Penitential Act

First of all, let us ask the Lord
to give us the peace of his forgiveness.
                    (PAUSE)
Lord Jesus, you offer to all humanity
the peace of reconciliation with God:
Lord, have mercy. R/ Lord, have mercy.
Jesus Christ, you want us to be reconciled
with all our brothers and sisters:
Christ, have mercy. R/ Christ, have mercy.
Lord Jesus, you want us to find
genuine peace with ourselves:
Lord, have mercy. R/ Lord, have mercy.
Open us to the fullness of life, Lord,
and forgive us all our sins.
Bring us to the joys of everlasting life. R/ Amen.

Opening Prayer

Let us pray
that our faith in the risen Lord
may be the moving force of our lives
                    (PAUSE)
God of life and our loving Father,
our eyes have not seen your Son Jesus Christ
and our fingers have not touched the scars of his wounds,
yet we have come together here in his name.
Make our faith in him deep and strong and lasting,
that the Spirit of Jesus may breathe new life in us
and make us look with new eyes
at our world and at people,
so that we can bring them
the peace of the love and the justice of Jesus.
Let people see and taste in us
that Jesus is alive as our risen Lord,
now and for ever. R/ Amen.

Scripture Readings

First Reading Introduction: Many Came to Believe in the Lord
Because Jesus was alive in the apostles, he continued his work of healing through them. Because he was alive in the Christian community, many came to believe in Jesus.

First Reading: Acts 5:12-16

Many miraculous signs and wonders were done among the people through the hands of the apostles. The believers, of one accord, used to meet in Solomon's Porch. None of the others dared to join them, but the people held them in high esteem. So an ever increasing number of men and women, believed in the Lord. The people carried the sick into the streets and laid them on cots and on mats, so that when Peter passed by, at least his shadow might fall on some of them. The people gathered from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing their sick and those who were troubled by unclean spirits, and all of them were healed.

Responsorial Psalm: Ps 118:2-4, 13-15, 22-24

R. (1) Give thanks to the Lord for he is good, his love is everlasting.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Let the house of Israel say,
"His mercy endures forever."
Let the house of Aaron say,
"His mercy endures forever."
Let those who fear the LORD say,
"His mercy endures forever."
R. Give thanks to the Lord for he is good, his love is everlasting.
or:
R. Alleluia.
I was hard pressed and was falling,
but the LORD helped me.
My strength and my courage is the LORD,
and he has been my savior.
The joyful shout of victory
in the tents of the just:
R. Give thanks to the Lord for he is good, his love is everlasting.
or:
R. Alleluia.
The stone which the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone.
By the LORD has this been done;
it is wonderful in our eyes.
This is the day the LORD has made;
let us be glad and rejoice in it.
R. Give thanks to the Lord for he is good, his love is everlasting.
or:
R. Alleluia.

Second Reading Introduction: Do Not Be Afraid: I Am the Living One
The apostle John was encouraged in his faith by a vision of the risen Lord. In his message to the seven churches, symbolic of the universal Church, he encourages the persecuted Christians to be without fear and to be firm in the faith.

Second Reading: Rev 1:9-13, 17-19

I, John, your brother, who share with you, in Jesus, the sufferings, the kingdom and the patient endurance, was on the island of Patmos, because of the Word of God and witnessing to Jesus. On the Lord's day, the Spirit took possession of me and I heard a voice behind me which sounded like a trumpet, "Write down all that you see, in a book, and send it to the seven Churches of Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea."

I turned to see who was speaking to me; behind me were seven golden lampstands and, in the middle of these, I saw someone like a son of man, dressed in a long robe tied with a golden girdle.

Seeing him, I fell at his feet like one dead but he touched me with his right hand and said, "Do not be afraid. It is I, the First and the Last. I am the living one; I was dead and now I am alive for ever and ever; and mine are the keys of death and the netherworld. Now write what you have seen, both what is and what is yet to come."

Gospel Introduction: Doubt No Longer But Believe Without Seeing
Like Thomas before the Lord appeared to him, we have not seen Jesus in the flesh. Happy are we if we have enough faith to recognize the Lord in our lives and in our neighbor.

Gospel Reading: Jn 20:19-31

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

TIMOTHY Radcliffe commented on this passage:
"It is the sight of the wounded Christ that frees the disciples from fear and makes them glad. It is the wounded Christ that transforms them into preachers.
One cannot be a preacher without getting wounded. The Word became flesh, and was hurt and killed. He was powerless in the face of the powers of this world.
When we see the wounded Christ, then we can face the fact that we are already hurt. Perhaps we have been hurt by our childhood, by growing up in dysfunctional families… by botched attempts to love, by ideological conflicts in the Church, by sin. Every one of us is a wounded preacher. But the good news is that we are preachers because we are wounded. Gerard Vann, an English Dominican, was one of the most famous writers on spirituality in the English-speaking world since the Second World War. He struggled with alcoholism and depression all his life. That is why he had something to say. We have a word of hope and mercy because we have needed them ourselves. On my bookshelves I have a book written by an old French Dominican called Les Cicatrices, (The Scars). In this book he tells how he came to Christ through the hurts of his life. And when he gave it to me he wrote a dedication, 'For Timothy who knows that the scars can become the doors of the sun.'"

Read also Sundays Into Silence: Forgiveness; the Ultimate Proof of Love

General Intercessions

A. and B. The Lord Present and Alive
Let us pray to our Lord Jesus Christ for a living faith not merely in his truths but in his person and at his presence among us, and let us say: R/ Lord, help us grow in faith.
- For our shepherds in the faith, that they may place the powers of healing, pardon and peace, entrusted to them by Jesus, in the service of the people of God and of all who seek the truth, let us pray: R/ Lord, help us grow in faith.
- For all those whose faith is tested in darkness and in doubt, that they may encounter the living Lord in their everyday work, in the events of life and in the love and trust of their neighbor, let us pray: R/ Lord, help us grow in faith.
- For the sick and the persecuted and for all who are tried in life, that they may keep trusting in a Lord who heals and gives life, let us pray: R/ Lord, help us grow in faith.
- For those who work for peace and justice in the world and in our country, that the Lord may give them courage and that he may bless their efforts, let us pray: R/ Lord, help us grow in faith.
- For this and all Christian communities, that our faith in Jesus may lead us to have faith in each other's goodness and to be united in love, let us pray: R/ Lord, help us grow in faith.
Lord Jesus Christ, live among us and make us sensitive to your presence in our lives. And let our integrity and love be the sign to all that you are with us now and for ever. R/ Amen.

C. Peace Be with You

"Peace be with you" is Jesus' wish to his disciples. Let us ask him to bring his peace to his Church and to people everywhere. Let us say: R/ Lord, give us your peace.
- Lord Jesus, give your peace to your Church. In all its variety, let it be united in one faith and love, and let it be an agent of reconciliation and peace among all countries and people, we pray: R/ Lord, give us your peace.
- Lord Jesus, give your peace to all those in search of truth, goodness and compassion, that they may discover these in you through the people who have found you and love you, we pray: R/ Lord, give us your peace.
- Lord Jesus, give your peace to all nations. Dispose divided and warring factions to dialogue and to look for ways to settle conflicts in a spirit of justice and cooperation, we pray: R/ Lord, give us your peace.
- Lord Jesus, give your peace to all who suffer. Give them a faith that is strong enough to rise above their fears and pains; and make us stand by their side as sympathetic friends, we pray: R/ Lord, give us your peace.
- Lord Jesus, give your peace to our communities. Make us aware of your presence among us, that our faith and love may keep growing and that we may share what we have and are, we pray: R/ Lord, give us your peace.
Risen Lord, let your joy and your peace be ours all the days you give us. Be with us now and for ever. R/ Amen.

Prayer over the Gifts

God our Father,
your Son came among his disciples
and brought them peace.
In these signs of bread and wine
let him come among us,
his disciples today,
to bring us the peace of his presence
and to strengthen our faith.
For he is our Lord and our God
now and for ever. R/ Amen.

Invitation to the Acclamation (After the Consecration)

We cannot see the Lord with our eyes nor can we touch him with our hands. But we know that he is alive and we proclaim the mystery of our faith:
Introduction to the Lord's Prayer
With Jesus present among us
we pray his prayer of trust to the Father: R/ Our Father...

Prayer for Peace

Lord Jesus Christ, in the evening of Easter
you said to your apostles:
"I leave you peace, my peace I give you."
Look not on our sins of disbelief
but on the faith of your Church,
which always proclaims that you are risen.
Stay always present among us
to let us enjoy the peace you promised
and lead your Church to perfect unity,
now and for ever. R/ Amen.

May the peace
which the Lord brought to his apostles,
be with you always. R/ And also with you.

Invitation to Communion

This is Jesus, our risen Lord,
whom we acclaim as our Lord and our God.
Happy are we that he comes to us
and stays with us. R/ Lord, I am not worthy...

Prayer after Communion

God our Father,
we thank you for Jesus, your risen Son.
He who loves us is alive.
Give us eyes of faith to see
that all that we are and do
has a meaning and a purpose,
and that your Son is with us and guides us
through our darkness and hesitations
to the fullness of love and joy.
Let him stay with us
now and for ever. R/ Amen.

Blessing

If only we had a deep faith
in the presence of the Lord among us, his people!
How different our relationships would be
with God, with one another,
even with ourselves.
Then we would really have the peace
of which Jesus insistently speaks in today's gospel.
Let this faith be alive in our community,
with the blessing of almighty God,
the Father, and the Son and the Holy Spirit. R/ Amen.

Go in the peace of Christ
and let the people around you share in it. Alleluia.
R/ Thanks be to God. Alleluia.

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Additional Resource Material for this Easter Sunday

Ideal for catechetical and liturgical dramatization of today"s gospel.

What We Have Seen and Heard
(Jn 20:19-31)

(taken from the book A Certain Jesus, Vol. 3)
Click here for other Readings --> Index of A Certain Jesus