Second Sunday of Easter (Divine Mercy Sunday) - Year C

Commentary of the day
Blessed Paul VI, Pope from 1963-1978
Apostolic Exhortation “Gaudete in Domino”, on Christian joy

“At the sight of the Lord the disciples rejoiced.”

Paschal joy is not just that of a possible transfiguration: it is the joy of the new presence of the Risen Christ dispensing to His own the Holy Spirit, so that He may dwell with them. The Holy Spirit is given to the Church as the inexhaustible principle of her joy as the bride of the glorified Christ…
Thus the Spirit, who proceeds from the Father and the Son and is their living mutual love, is henceforth communicated to the People of the New Covenant, and to each soul ready for His secret action. He makes us His dwelling place: dulcis hospes animae. Together with Him, man's heart is inhabited by the Father and the Son. The Holy Spirit raises up therein a filial prayer that springs forth from the depths of the soul and is expressed in praise, thanksgiving, reparation and supplication. Then we can experience joy which is properly spiritual, the joy which is a fruit of the Holy Spirit (Gal 5:22)… Such a joy henceforth characterizes all the Christian virtues. The humble human joys in our lives, which are like seeds of a higher reality are transfigured. Here below this joy will always include to a certain extent the painful trial of a woman in travail and a certain apparent abandonment, like that of the orphan: tears and lamentation, while the world parades its gloating satisfaction. But the disciples' sadness, which is according to God and not according to the world, will be promptly changed into a spiritual joy that no one will be able to take away from them (Jn 16:20-22).

Zenit.org

We Are Invited to Share Mercy

Lectio Divina: 2nd Sunday of Easter, Divine Mercy Sunday, Year C

April 1, 2016Archbishop Francesco FolloSunday Readings

Roman rite

Second Sunday of Easter or Sunday of Divine Mercy – Year C – April 3, 2016
Acts 5.12 to 16; Ps 118; Rev 1,9-11.12-13.17-19; Jn 20,19-31

Ambrosian Rite

Acts 4.8 to 24; Ps 117; Col 2.8 to 15; Jn 20,19-31

1) The reason of the doubt of the Apostles.

Contemplating the mystery of the Resurrection of Christ, St. Augustine wrote: “We had nothing from which to receive our life; He had nothing from which to receive death. Hence the amazing exchange: He made his our death and ours his life. “The liturgy of this Second Sunday of Easter turns the intuition of this Saint into prayer: “God of eternal mercy, that in the celebration of the paschal feast kindle the faith of the people consecrated to you, increase in them the grace you have given, so that everyone, with the right intelligence, may understand by which Baptism they were purified, by which Spirit they have been regenerated and by which Blood they have been redeemed “(Prayer of the Mass).

This Sunday the Liturgy of the Word offers us the beautiful gospel of the apparition of the Risen Christ to the Apostles and later to St. Thomas, the nonbeliever. If God allowed this Apostle to have doubts, it is to confirm our faith in the fundamental mystery of the Resurrection of Christ. In this regard, St Leo the Great said: “The Spirit of truth would not have allowed these hesitations in the hearts of his preachers if this distrust and these hesitations full of curiosity had not affirmed the foundations of our faith, and if these” uneasiness “had not been healed in the person of the apostles. In them we have been shielded from the slanders of the wicked and against the arguments of worldly wisdom. What they saw enlightens us, what they have heard gives us directions, what they have touched makes us more firm, more balanced. They doubted so that our doubt is no longer possible. ”

The fragile and weak faith of St. Thomas was strengthened by the mercy of the risen Christ that appeared a second time in the Cenacle mainly for him, not only showing its “glorious” wound, but asking the apostle to put his finger into them. This involved an act of immediate faith: “My Lord and my God”. In darkness and despite difficulties and obstacles, each of us is called to touch with the finger of faith the holy stigmata of Christ and to proclaim his resurrection and divinity. This can be done in a special way receiving the Eucharistic communion by which, under the veil of the sacrament, we can – so to speak – touch the substance of the Risen One.

In the first appearance to the apostles, Jesus showed his hands pierced by the nails and his side pierced by the lance to “show” that He really is the Crucified, dead and risen. Showing his hands and his side, he presents his ID card, which certifies that the Risen Lord among them is the men who they saw die on the cross. Showing this identity document, Jesus also teaches us that the hands that washed the feet are the hands that were nailed to the cross, because He is always at the service of man. The “power” of the hands of Christ the Lord is to wash our feet and to let them be nailed so that our anguish may find refuge in those hands “punctured” by love. On the cross Christ lets himself be nailed to serve and to save humanity with his love. “The pierced hands are necessary to unbind the merciful hands of the Father” (Jacques Maritain). It is there that we know the Lord and see His mercy in action. In these hands we see Jesus’ whole life and all that He has done. Let’s contemplate the sign of his extreme love in those hands nailed to the service of love. They welcome us every time the abyss of sin threatens us: they are the very high manifestation of God’s mercy. In those glorious wounds, open even in paradise, there is a deep mystery: they are always open! “Because from there (from the sores) God comes to man and from there man enters into God. They are the place of communion between man and God. There we scrutinize the mystery of God, and from there the mystery of God, in his love, comes toward us “(Father Silvano Fausti, SI).

It will be the contemplation of these hands that will make us understand – always more and always better – who the Lord is for us: the true God and True man that allowed to be pierced to death for love. Let’s contemplate in astonishment the wounds of love of God which creates and recreates us and from which peace and joy flow.

Joy is the sign of the presence of God that shares his peace with us. Joy and peace are the signs of the presence of the Risen One. They are not only the sign of the presence of the Risen One, they are a sign that each of us participates already now to the Resurrection of Christ.

The joy of being loved and forgiven becomes a joy, which, in turn, becomes a mission in loving obedience to the Word of Jesus who says: “As the Father has sent me, so I send you. Go into the world and bring to all the forgiveness of God “(see Jn 20: 21-23). Today, the resurrected Jesus, the one sent by the Father to reveal the Father’s love toward men, sends us, children in the Son, to bring the proclamation of the Father to our brothers and sisters. Our mission is the same as Jesus’. Love is always a mission and sends us towards the others. In this paschal exodus we are sent towards each other to bring, with mercy, the love needed to start loving. In this regard, Pope Francis teaches: “We must come out of ourselves and go on the road to find out that the wounds of Jesus are still visible today on the body of all those brothers and sisters who are hungry, thirsty, naked, humiliated, slave, are in prison and in the hospitals. Just touching these plagues and stroking them, we can worship the living God among us “(July 3, 2013).

2) The doubt of St. Thomas.

The information about the absence of Saint Thomas at the first appearance of Jesus to the Apostles, introduces the second part of the passage of today’s Gospel, which completes the journey of faith required for us who are reading the account given by St. John. Each of us is invited to take the role of Thomas. We were not there when Jesus appeared to the disciples; we must base our faith on the testimony of the apostles. This is the meaning of the final sentence: “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed” (John 20:29).

At this point, I think that it is important to propose an interpretation of St. Thomas, who has struggled with doubt. First of all it is worth noting that there are different kinds of doubts. There is the doubt of those who walk away from the truth, of those looking for an excuse or a diversion not to believe. They let the pending question of the mind and heart be a question to which they do not want to respond so that they do not have to change their life. This is the skeptical, relativistic doubt that is rampant in a special way nowadays, and that is characteristic of periods of decadence. It is the fruit of material and spiritual satiety and of moral weakness that barely stands or cannot stand at all the tension toward the absolute and the thrust of God’s unconditional love.

This was not the doubt of St. Thomas. He had suffered like the other apostles for the loss of their Master. He was sincerely seeking the truth, but he wanted it firm and of a consistency that could resist the attack of any doubt. In a way, Thomas wanted to “test” his faith, making it firm. For this reason he wanted to see and touch his Jesus in the “sign” of the holes left by the nails and to put his hand in the side pierced by the lance. It was a love exasperated by pain, and not skepticism that made him to say “nonsense”. If Jesus had risen uncovering the stone of the sepulcher, if he had entered through closed doors overcoming their physical barrier, why did He still had sores in his hands, his feet and his side? It is typical of love to be unreasonable and are the “blunders” of love that hold up this sick world, consumed by the doubts of reason that want to be a measure and not an open window on reality.

After all, St. Thomas was right. In front of the disproportioned love of Christ it was necessary to have a physical and absolute evidence of the identity between the Christ dead on the cross and the Risen Christ. A test confirming to the senses of St. Thomas the effective continuity between the holes of the nails, the wound in his side and their glorious footprints was necessary. These are the sensitive tests of death: if Jesus was resurrected, they didn’t hurt him anymore but had to shine in the evidence of the new life. Jesus satisfies St. Thomas and invites him to touch his body and to contemplate his wounds, signs of love.

What did St. Thomas contemplate? He has seen what is contrary to reason: sores that did not give blood but light and joy, a dead man back to life with a glorious body. In this sense, that would not have helped him to believe and confirms that the doubt of St. Thomas was not the result of skepticism, but of the waiting of tormented love. The immediate recognition of Christ by this Apostle shows the faith of St. Thomas. The certainty of the senses is a starting point to say: “My Lord and my God”, to recognize the true humanity of Christ by saying, “My Lord” and adhering to the divinity of the Incarnate Word, who died and rose, by saying: “My God “. Let’s ask the Lord Jesus to confirm and also increase in us a faith that no longer needs miracles, a faith that lives on love.

A contemporary example of this faith is witnessed by the consecrated Virgins in the world. These women say to Christ: “My Lord and my God”, offering themselves completely, body and soul, to Him. These virgins also bear witness to the whole people of God that the union with Christ the Bridegroom implies a profound happiness of consecrated life. St Paul refers to this happiness when he says that anyone who is unmarried is concerned for all the things of the Lord, and he is not torn between the world and the Lord (see 1 Cor 7.39 to 35). This is a happiness that does not exclude and does not exempt from sacrifice, because consecrated chastity entails sacrifices through which it calls to improve compliance to the crucified Christ. St. Paul expressly reminds us that in his bridegroom’s love Jesus Christ offered his sacrifice for the holiness of the Church (see Eph 5:25). In the light of the cross we understand that every union with Christ the Bridegroom is a commitment of love to the Crucified and Risen One. In this way those who profess consecrated chastity bear witness that it is possible to participate in the sacrifice of Christ for the redemption of the world. This must be done with the happy and complete gift of oneself. This offer is made permanent in the consecration so that the “bread” of their lives and the “wine” of their love combined with the love of Christ make it possible to live the covenant with Christ like a spiritual and true match of love.

Patristic Reading

St John Chrysostom (ca 344/354 –407)

HOMILY LXXXVII.

Jn 20,24-25

“But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came. The other disciples therefore said unto him, We have seen the Lord. But he said, Except I shall see in His hands –I will not believe.”

[1.] As to believe carelessly and in a random way, comes of an over-easy temper; so to be beyond measure curious and meddlesome, marks a most gross understanding. On this account Thomas is held to blame. For he believed not the Apostles when they said, “We have seen the Lord”; not so much mistrusting them, as deeming the thing to be impossible, that is to say, the resurrection from the dead. Since he saith not, “I do not believe you,” but, “Except I put my hand—I do not2 believe.” But how was it, that when all were collected together, he alone was absent? Probably after the dispersion which had lately taken place, he had not returned even then. But do thou, when thou seest the unbelief of the disciple, consider the lovingkindness of the Lord, how for the sake of a single soul He showed Himself with His wounds, and cometh in order to save even the one, though he was grosser than the rest; on which account indeed he sought proof from the grossest of the senses, and would not even trust his eyes. For he said not, “Except I see,” but, “Except I handle,” he saith, lest what he saw might somehow be an apparition. Yet the disciples who told him these things, were at the time worthy of credit, and so was He that promised; yet, since he desired more, Christ did not deprive him even of this.

And why doth He not appear to him straightway, instead of“ after eight days”?3 (Jn 20,26). In order that being in the mean time continually instructed by the disciples, and hearing the same thing, he might be inflamed to more eager desire, and be more ready to believe for the future. But whence knew he that His side had beenopened? From having heard it from the disciples. How then did he believe partly, and partly not believe? Because this thing was very strange and wonderful. But observe, I pray you, the truthfulness of the disciples, how they hide no faults, either their own or others’, but record them with great veracity.

Jesus again presenteth himself to them, and waiteth not to be requested by Thomas, nor to hear any such thing, but before he had spoken, Himself prevented him, and fulfilled his desire; showing that even when he spake those words to the disciples, He was present. For He used the same words, and in a manner conveying a sharp rebuke, and instruction for the future. For having said,

Jn 20,26. “Reach hither thy finger, and behold My hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into My side”; He added,

“And be not faithless, but believing.”

Seest thou that his doubt proceeded from unbelief? But it was before he had received the Spirit; after that, it was no longer so, but, for the future, they were perfected.

And not in this way only did Jesus rebuke him, but also by what follows; for when he, being fully satisfied, breathed again, and cried aloud,

Jn 20,28. “My Lord, and my God,” He saith,

Jn 20,29. “Because thou hast seen Me, thou hast believed; blessed are they who have not seen, and yet have believed.”

For this is of faith, to receive things not seen; since,“ Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” (He xi. 1). And here He pronounceth blessed not the disciples only, but those also who after them should believe. “Yet,” saith some one, “the disciples saw and believed.” Yes, but they sought nothing of the kind, but from the proof of the napkins, they straightway received the word concerning the Resurrection, and before they saw the body, exhibited all faith. When therefore any one in the present day say, “I would that I had lived in those times, and had seen Christ working miracles,” let them reflect, that, “Blessed are they who have not seen, and yet have believed.”

It is worth enquiring, how an incorruptible body showed the prints of the nails, and was tangible by a mortal hand. But be not thou disturbed; what took place was a matter of condescension. For that which was so subtle and light as to enter in when the doors were shut, was free from all density4 ; but this marvel was shown, that the Resurrection might be believed, and that men might know that it was the Crucified One Himself, and that another rose not in His stead. On this account He arose5 bearing the signs of the Cross, and on this account He eateth. At least the Apostles everywhere made this a sign of the Resurrection, saying, “We, who did eat and drink with Him.” (Ac 10,41). As therefore when we see Him walking on the waves before the Crucifixion, we do not say, that that body is of a different nature, but of our own; so after the Resurrection, when we see Him with the prints of the nails, we will no more say, that he is therefore6 corruptible. For He exhibited these appearances on account of the disciple.

Arlington Catholic Herald

GOSPEL COMMENTARY JN 20:19-31

Divine Mercy

FR. STANLEY J. KREMPA

This Sunday speaks to us of God’s mercy. Reflection on God’s mercy is as ancient as the Psalms, as old as St. John’s account of blood and water flowing from Christ’s side on the cross, as traditional as the First Friday Sacred Heart devotion and as contemporary as Divine Mercy Sunday in our parish churches.

The mercy of God needs great emphasis today. There is a story of a priest whose sermon was lengthy. After one parishioner remarked that his sermon reminded her of God’s mercy, his pride was deflated when she added, “I thought it would last forever.” Sermons come to an end; God’s mercy does not.

St. John Paul II once cautioned that mercy is almost forgotten today. It has disappeared from our public discourse. In fact, today mercy is almost considered a dirty word, a sign of weakness rather than strength, a symptom of softness rather than hard justice, a dreamer’s folly rather than a realist’s response.

Yet, imagine a society or community without mercy. If strict justice guided all our reactions to others, the result would be a society that is cold, hard, mechanical and unforgiving. We need mercy. In fact, when you think about it, justice, to be justice, needs to be seasoned with mercy.

In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus comes to the apostles on that first Easter Sunday night. They met Him in fear because they knew they had failed the Lord. Now, they expected judgment. Yet, Jesus’ first words to them were, “Peace be with you.” Then they realized in those words that He had forgiven them. The Lord then repeats, “Peace be with you.” He then breathes on them and conveys to them the power to bring to others the very forgiveness they had received from Him.

That breath, the gift of the power to forgive, has traveled through the centuries as an essential part of the church’s sacramental life, passing from the Upper Room in today’s Gospel to every generation and to the ends of the earth and into every confessional.

Our world today needs mercy. Divisions within society can tear us apart. The absence of mercy can cause societies, families and friendships to be ruptured indefinitely.

It is not only society as a whole but we, as individuals, who need not only sacramental forgiveness but forgiveness in our daily life. Without forgiveness, without mercy, we carry around with us unnecessary burdens. Without mercy and forgiveness, we linger at the difficult intersections of our life long after others have moved on. Without forgiveness and mercy, we remain trapped by the past and are unable to move into a new future.

Mercy is more than forgiveness. It is also about compassion, helping others on the journey of life when they have made mistakes, when they have sinned, when they are damaged by others or burdened by disabilities. Mercy draws us out of our personal zone into the wider world of those around us in need of help.

Divine Mercy Sunday and the accompanying Divine Mercy devotion have two dimensions.

The first is to realize, appreciate and receive God’s mercy. We know of judgment but need to be reminded of God’s mercy that rehabilitates and sets us free. God’s mercy is a mercy that heals as the apostles did in today’s first reading.

The second dimension of the Divine Mercy devotion is to show mercy. Here, quite frankly, is where many people “get off the bus.” As much as we want God’s mercy, expect it and plan on it as we look for confession times in our parish bulletin, we often are unwilling to show mercy to others. That is the challenge of the Divine Mercy devotion to each of us. St. Augustine used to refer to the petition of the Lord’s Prayer that asks God to forgive us as we forgive others as the “terrifying petition.”

Divine Mercy Sunday and the Divine Mercy devotion call us to show to others the same mercy we seek from God. Mercy, both received and given, not only makes us Christian. It keeps us human.

Mercy is not a symbol of weakness, but a sign of strength.

Fr. Krempa is pastor of Sacred Heart of Jesus Church in Winchester.

http://www.theworkofgod.org/Devotns/Euchrist/HolyMass/gospels.asp?key=63
Year C - 2nd Sunday of Easter - Divine Mercy Sunday.

Peace be with you. Those whose sins you forgive, they are forgiven.
John 20:19-31
19 When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.”
20 After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then 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 When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.
23 If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.”
24 But Thomas (who was called the Twin), one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came.
25 So the other disciples told 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 in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe.”
26 A week later his disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were shut, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.”
27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe.”
28 Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!”
29 Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.”
30 Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book.
31 But these are written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name. (NRSV)

Inspiration of the Holy Spirit - From the Sacred Heart of Jesus
Peace be with you. I have come into the world for this. To give you Peace not like the peace from this world, but Peace between God and men, which is the fruit of the reconciliation that I have obtained for you through my death on the cross.

There can be no peace in anyone’s heart if there is guilt. I came into the world to expiate for your sins and to cast out your guilt.

Everything has been accomplished by my death.

Now, just as my Father breathed on man for the first time to give him life, so in order to give you new life, I breathe on you now………….. Receive the Holy Spirit; you are now children of God, living temples of the Holy Spirit that comes from my Father and me.

You were first my disciples, then I made you my apostles, now I am entrusting to you my Church, the new temple of my Spirit, the mystical body of Christ.

I am the head, you are my members, but especially to you who are my witnesses I am entrusting the power to forgive sins, therefore for those whose sins you forgive they are forgiven, for those whose sins you retain they will be retained, whatever you bind on earth will be bound on Heaven.

Since I am going to my Father, you now inherit my power to forgive sins, and to consecrate the bread and the wine into my body and blood. Just as I send you with the power of the Holy Spirit, I empower you to send those whom you appoint with the same power to forgive sins.

My Church is founded on the cornerstone that was rejected by the Jews, my Blood gives it life to stand strong until the end of times. It will grow because I remain in you and my omnipotent Spirit will touch every heart that comes to it.

Thomas did not believe at first when he was told about my resurrection, but he changed his mind later when I appeared again and he was present. He represented all my followers who don’t believe in the testimony that I have left. They give way to reason and are weak in the faith.

Many Christians resist my Word, which is very clearly providing my Mercy through the absolution given by the Catholic priest. Many despise the Sacerdotal Order of Melchizedech, which was extended by me to the Apostles and from them to the Catholic Priesthood.

Well I tell you dear soul who reads these lines, Blessed are those who believe in me and in my works without seeing, they are doing the will of God which is to believe in the One that He has sent.
Author: Joseph of Jesus and Mary

Archdiocese of Washington

From Fear to Faith – A Homily for the Second Sunday of Easter

Msgr. Charles Pope • April 2, 2016 •

In today’s Gospel, the risen Lord appeared to the apostles, who were gathered together in one place. The fact that they were gathered in one place is not without significance, for it is there that the Lord chose to appear to them. One of them, as we shall see, was not in the gathering and thus missed the blessing of seeing and experiencing the risen Lord. It might be said that Thomas, the absent apostle, blocked his blessing.

Some people want Jesus without the Church. No can do. Jesus is found in His Church, among those who have gathered. There is surely joy to be found in a personal relationship with Jesus, but the Lord also announced a special presence whenever two or three are gathered in His name. It is essential for us to discover how Mass attendance is essential for us if we want to experience the healing and blessing of the Lord. This Gospel has a lot to say to us about the need for us to gather together to find the Lord’s blessing in the community of the Church, in His Word, and in the Sacraments. Let’s look at today’s Gospel in five stages.

I. Fearful Fellowship – Notice how the text describes the gathering of the apostles: On the evening of that first day of the week, when the doors were locked, where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews … These men are frightened, but they are in the right place. It is Sunday, the first day of the week, and they have gathered together. The text says nothing about what they are doing, only that they have gathered. But in a sense this is all we need to know, for this will set the stage for blessings and for the presence of the Lord.

And these are men who need a blessing! The locked doors signify their fear of the Jewish authorities. One may also assume that they are discouraged, lacking in hope, and maybe even angry. For they have experienced the earthquake that Jesus’ crucifixion was for them. It is true that some of the women in their midst claim to have seen Him alive, but now it is night and there have been no other sightings of which they have heard.

But, thanks be to God, they have gathered. It is not uncommon for those who have “stuff” going on in their lives to retreat, withdraw, and even hide. Of course this is probably the worst thing that one can do. And it would seem that Thomas may have taken this approach, though his absence is not explained. Their gathering, as we shall see, is an essential part of the solution for everything that afflicts them. This gathering is the place in which their new hope, new hearts, and new minds will dawn.

And for us, too, afflicted as we are in so many ways, troubled at some times and joyful at others, there is the critical importance of gathering each Sunday, each first day of the week. In every Mass, the Lord prepares blessings for us. I am powerfully aware that every Mass I celebrate, especially Sunday Mass, is a source of powerful blessings for me. Not only does God instruct me with His Word and feed me with His Body and Blood, He also helps form me through the presence and praise of others: the people I have been privileged to serve. I don’t know where I’d be if it were not for the steady support of the People of God: their prayers, their praise, their witness, and their encouragement.

The Book of Hebrews states well the purpose and blessing of our liturgical gatherings:

Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful; and let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good deeds, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the Day drawing near (Heb 10:22-25).

So the apostles are meeting together, encouraging one another. As we shall see, they are about to be blessed. But the blessing occurs only the context of the gathering, so Thomas will miss it; this blessing is only for those who are there. And so it is for us, who also have blessings waiting but only if we are present, gathered for Holy Mass. Don’t block your blessings!

II. Fabulous Fact – Then comes the blessing: For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them (Matt 18:20). The text from today’s Gospel says, Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, “Peace be with you.” When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you.”

Suddenly there is a completely new reality, a new hope, a new vision. Note, too, that there is also a new serenity, a peace, a shalom. For not only do they see and come to experience a wholly new reality, they also receive an inner peace. Observe again that this is only to those who are present.

And here is a basic purpose of the gathering we call the Sacred Liturgy. For it is here that we are invited to encounter the living Lord, who ministers to us and offers us peace. Through His word, we are increasingly enabled to see things in a wholly new way, a way that gives us hope, clarity, and confidence. Our lives are reordered. Inwardly, too, a greater peace is meant to come upon us as the truth of this newer vision begins to transform us, giving us a new mind and heart. Looking to the altar, I draw confidence that the Lord has prepared a table for me in the sight of my enemies and my cup is overflowing (Ps 23). The Eucharist is thus the sign of our victory and our election; as we receive the Body and the Blood of the Lord, we are gradually transformed into the very likeness of Christ.

Is this your experience of the gathering we call the Mass? Is it a transformative reality, or just a tedious ritual?

As for me, I can say that I am being changed, transformed into a new man, into Christ, by this weekly, indeed daily, gathering we call the Mass. I have seen my mind and heart changed and renewed. I see things more clearly and have greater hope, joy, and serenity. I cannot imagine what my life would be like were it not for this gathering of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, where Jesus is present to me and says, “Shalom, peace be with you.” Over the years, I am a changed man.

Yes, the Mass works. It transforms; it gives a new mind and heart. Don’t block your blessings; be there every Sunday.

III. Forgiving Fidelity – Next comes something quite extraordinary, something that simply cannot take place within a private notion of faith. The text says, “As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained.”

In this remarkable moment, the Lord gives the apostles the power to forgive sin. Note that He is not simply giving them the ability to announce that we are forgiven. He is giving them the juridical power to forgive, or in certain cases to withhold/delay forgiveness. This is extraordinary! Not only has He given this authority to men (cf Matt 9:8), He has given it to the very men who abandoned Him (with the exception of John) at His crucifixion. These are men who are well aware of their shortcomings! Perhaps it is only because Jesus knows of their awareness that He can truly trust them with such power.

There are those who deny that Confession is a biblical sacrament. But here it is, right here in today’s Gospel. There are other texts in Scripture that also show Confession to be quite biblical:

Also many of those who were now believers came, confessing and divulging their practices (Acts 19:18).
Is any one of you sick? He should call the presbyters of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective (James 5:14-16).

Many consider it sufficient merely to speak to God privately about their sins, but the Scriptures instruct us away from such a solitary notion and bid us to approach the Church. The Lord gives the apostles the authority to adjudicate and then to absolve or retain sin, but this presupposes that someone has first approached them for such absolution. St. Paul was approached by the believers in Ephesus, who made open declaration of their sins. The Book of James also places the forgiveness of sins in the context of the calling of the presbyters, the priests of the Church, and sees this as the fulfillment of declare your sins to one another … the prayer of the righteous man has great power (James 5:16).

Thus, again, there is a communal context for blessing, not merely a private one. I have written more on the biblical roots of Confession here: The Sacrament of Confession.

IV. Faltering Fellowship – We have already noted that Thomas blocked his blessing by not being present. The text says, Thomas, called Didymus, one of the Twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. 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 nail marks and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.”

Thomas exhibits faltering fellowship in two ways:

First, he is not with the other apostles on resurrection evening. Thus he misses the blessing of seeing and experiencing the resurrection and the Lord.

Second, Thomas exhibits faltering fellowship by refusing to believe the testimony of the Church that the Lord had risen.

One of the most problematic aspects of many people’s faith is that they do not understand that the Church is an object of faith. In the Creed every Sunday, we profess to believe in God the Father and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, and to believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and giver of life. But we are not done yet. We go on to say that we believe in one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church. We know and believe what we do about Jesus Christ on the basis of what the Church hands on from the apostles. Some say, “No, I believe in what the Bible says.” But the Bible is a Book of the Church. God has given it to us through the Church who, by God’s grace, collected and compiled its contents and vouches for the veracity of the Scriptures. Without the Church there would be no Bible.

Therefore, in rejecting the testimony of the Church, Thomas is breaking fellowship and refusing to believe in what the Church, established by Christ to speak in His name (e.g. Lk 24:48; Lk 10:16; Matt 18:17; Jn 14:26; 1 Tim 3:15; inter al.) teaches. And so do we falter in our fellowship with the Church if we refuse to believe the testimony of the Church in matters of faith and morals. Here, too, is a privatization of faith, a rejection of fellowship, and a refusal to gather with the Church and accept what she proclaims through her Scriptures, Tradition, and the catechism.

Note that as long as Thomas is not present, he has blocked his blessings. He must return to gather with the others in order to overcome his struggle with the faith.

V. Firmer Faith – Thomas then returns to fellowship with the other apostles. Just as we do not know the reason for his absence, his return is also unexplained. Some may wish to chalk up his absence to some insignificant factor such as being busy, or in ill health, or some other largely neutral factor. But John seldom gives us details for neutral reasons. Further, Thomas does refuse to believe the testimony of the others, which is not a neutral fact.

But, praise God, Thomas is now back with the others and in the proper place for a blessing. Whatever his struggle with the faith, he has chosen to work it out in the context of fellowship with the Church. He has gathered with the others. Now comes the blessing.

You know the story, but the point here for us is that whatever our doubts and difficulties with the faith, we need to keep gathering with the Church. In some ways faith is like a stained glass window that is best appreciated from inside the Church. From the outside, there may seem very little about it that is beautiful. It may even look dirty and leaden. But once one ventures inside and adjusts to the light, one can see that the window radiates beauty.

It is often this way with the faith. I have found that I could only really appreciate some of the more difficult teachings of the Church after years of fellowship and instruction by the Church, in the liturgy and in other ways. As my fellowship and communion have grown more intense, my faith has become clearer and more firm.

Now that he is inside the room, Thomas sees the Lord. When he was outside, he did not see and doubted. The eyes of our faith see far more than our fleshly eyes. But in order to see and experience our blessings, we must gather; we must be in the Church.

Finally, it is a provocative but essential truth that Christ is found in the Church. Some want Christ without the Church. No can do. He is found in the gathering of the Church, the ekklesia, the assembly of those called out. Any aspects of His presence that are found outside the Church are but mere glimpses, shadows emanating from the Church. He must be sought where He is found, among sinners in His Church. The Church is His Body and His Bride. It is here that He is found. “Feeling” His presence while alone on some mountaintop can never compare to hearing the priest saying, “Behold the Lamb of God.”

Thomas found Him, but only when he gathered with the others. It is Christ’s will to gather us and unite us (Jn 17:21). Congregavit nos in unum Christi amor (The love of Christ has gathered us in one).

Note: This Sunday is also Divine Mercy Sunday. I published a homily in the past (Perfect Mercy) with this focus.

Video

Sunday Gospel Reflections

2nd Sunday of Easter
Reading I: Acts 5:12-16 II: Rev 1:9-13,17-19

Gospel
John 20:19-31

¹⁹ On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being shut where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, "Peace be with you."
²⁰ When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord.
²¹ Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I send you."
²² And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit.
²³ If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained."
²⁴ Now Thomas, one of the twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came.
²⁵ So the other disciples told him, "We have seen the Lord." But he said to them, "Unless I see in his hands the print of the nails, and place my finger in the mark of the nails, and place my hand in his side, I will not believe."
²⁶ Eight days later, his disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. The doors were shut, but Jesus came and stood among them, and said, "Peace be with you."
²⁷ Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side; do not be faithless, but believing."
²⁸ Thomas answered him, "My Lord and my God!"
²⁹ Jesus said to him, "Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe."
³⁰ Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book;
³¹ but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in his name.

Interesting Details

This narrative describes the second part of the appearances to the disciples on Easter evening which appears in various forms in Matthew, Luke and here. But John alone relates the incident of Thomas. John does not specify how many disciples were present, so it may well have been more than twelve - not including Thomas and Judas.
(v.20) The disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. Jesus fulfills his promise expressed earlier in (16:22) when he says: "But I will see you again and your hearts will rejoice".
(v.22) The word "spirit" also means breath. Jesus breathes on them as God had breathed life into Adam: Jesus recreates them with the Holy Spirit.
(v.27) After the verb "put", we would expect "and feel". Instead, Jesus asks Thomas to "see", meaning "really see" or "understand".
As the disciples gradually gain better knowledge of Jesus, they give Jesus a series of titles with increased accuracy. Here, Thomas gives the final title, the definite one: Jesus is LORD GOD.
(v.28) In the original conclusion to this Gospel, the final statement by Thomas repeats its opening truth: "the Word was God" (1:1).

One Main Point

"My Lord and my God!". Thomas expresses, not what he has seen, but what he now believes, and it is the complete truth.

Reflections

Imagine you are in the room with the disciples when Jesus appears. Look at the disciples' reactions, at Jesus as he blesses you. What do you have to say to Jesus?
In what ways are we like or unlike Thomas?
What (or who) has helped me to believe in Jesus and have life?

'They who are engaged with the salvation of their neighbor, will gain more by an humble modesty than by an authoritative manner, and will gain victory sooner in retreat than in combat.'

St. Ignatius of Loyola

Regina Coeli

Queen of Heaven, rejoice, alleluia. / For He whom you did merit to bear, alleluia.

Has risen, as he said, alleluia. / Pray for us to God, alleluia.

Rejoice and be glad, O Virgin Mary, alleluia. / For the Lord has truly risen, alleluia.

Let us pray. O God, who gave joy to the world through the resurrection of Thy Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, grant we beseech Thee, that through the intercession of the Virgin Mary, His Mother, we may obtain the joys of everlasting life. Through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.

Information: St. Richard

Feast Day: April 3

Born: 1197 at Droitwich, Worcestershire, England

Died: 3 April 1253 at Dover, England

Canonized: 1262 by Pope Urban IV

Major Shrine: Chichester Cathedral

Patron of: coachmen

Holy Spirit Interactive Kids: A Saint a Day

St. Richard of Chichester

Feast Day: April 03
Born: 1197 :: Died: 1253

St. Richard was born at Droitwich, Worcestershire in England and was the second son of Richard and Alice de Wych. His parents died when he was young. His family fell upon hard times and to save his brothers farm from ruin Richard gave up his studies, took over management of the estates and brought them back.

He worked so hard that his grateful brother wanted to give the farms to him, but Richard would not accept them. He also chose not to marry because he wanted to go to college and get a good education. He knew that because he had very little money, he would have to work hard to pay for his education.

Richard went to Oxford University and when he finished his studies, he was given an important position at the university as Chancellor of Oxford. Later he became the Legal advisor of St. Edmund Rich and Saint Boniface of Savoy, the archbishops of Canterbury.

When St. Edmund died, St. Richard attended the Dominican House of Studies in France. There he was ordained a priest. Then he was made the bishop of Chichester, England, and that is why he is called Richard of Chichester.

King Henry III wanted his friend to be bishop and refused to let Richard in his own cathedral. The king also threatened the people of Chichester with punishment if they offered Richard hospitality. But some brave people helped him anyway, like one of the priests of Chichester, Father Simon of Tarring. The two men became great friends.

When the pope threatened to excommunicate the king, he stopped interfering and left Richard alone. As bishop, St. Richard did his duties well. He was always gentle and kind with the people. Once in a while, he had to be stern. He was brave and told people when they were doing wrong and were not sorry.

St. Richard became ill, and God let him know the exact place and time when he would die, in advance. His friends, including Father Simon of Tarring, were at his bedside. He died at Dover in England at the age of fifty-five in 1253.

Miracles and cures took place at his shrine in Chichester. He is shown in pictures as a bishop, with a chalice on its side at his feet because he once dropped the chalice during a Mass and nothing spilled from it.

John
	English: Douay-Rheims	Latin: Vulgata Clementina	Greek NT: Byzantine/Majority Text (2000)
	John 20
19.	Now when it was late that same day, the first of the week, and the doors were shut, where the disciples were gathered together, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in the midst, and said to them: Peace be to you.	Cum ergo sero esset die illo, una sabbatorum, et fores essent clausæ, ubi erant discipuli congregati propter metum Judæorum : venit Jesus, et stetit in medio, et dixit eis : Pax vobis.	ουσης ουν οψιας τη ημερα εκεινη τη μια των σαββατων και των θυρων κεκλεισμενων οπου ησαν οι μαθηται συνηγμενοι δια τον φοβον των ιουδαιων ηλθεν ο ιησους και εστη εις το μεσον και λεγει αυτοις ειρηνη υμιν
20.	And when he had said this, he shewed them his hands and his side. The disciples therefore were glad, when they saw the Lord.	Et cum hoc dixisset, ostendit eis manus et latus. Gavisi sunt discipuli, viso Domino.	και τουτο ειπων εδειξεν αυτοις τας χειρας και την πλευραν αυτου εχαρησαν ουν οι μαθηται ιδοντες τον κυριον
21.	He said therefore to them again: Peace be to you. As the Father hath sent me, I also send you.	Dixit ergo eis iterum : Pax vobis. Sicut misit me Pater, et ego mitto vos.	ειπεν ουν αυτοις ο ιησους παλιν ειρηνη υμιν καθως απεσταλκεν με ο πατηρ καγω πεμπω υμας
22.	When he had said this, he breathed on them; and he said to them: Receive ye the Holy Ghost.	Hæc cum dixisset, insufflavit, et dixit eis : Accipite Spiritum Sanctum :	και τουτο ειπων ενεφυσησεν και λεγει αυτοις λαβετε πνευμα αγιον
23.	Whose sins you shall forgive, they are forgiven them; and whose sins you shall retain, they are retained.	quorum remiseritis peccata, remittuntur eis : et quorum retinueritis, retenta sunt.	αν τινων αφητε τας αμαρτιας αφιενται αυτοις αν τινων κρατητε κεκρατηνται
24.	Now Thomas, one of the twelve, who is called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came.	Thomas autem unus ex duodecim, qui dicitur Didymus, non erat cum eis quando venit Jesus.	θωμας δε εις εκ των δωδεκα ο λεγομενος διδυμος ουκ ην μετ αυτων οτε ηλθεν ο ιησους
25.	The other disciples therefore said to him: We have seen the Lord. But he said to them: Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the place of the nails, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.	Dixerunt ergo ei alii discipuli : Vidimus Dominum. Ille autem dixit eis : Nisi videro in manibus ejus fixuram clavorum, et mittam digitum meum in locum clavorum, et mittam manum meam in latus ejus, non credam.	ελεγον ουν αυτω οι αλλοι μαθηται εωρακαμεν τον κυριον ο δε ειπεν αυτοις εαν μη ιδω εν ταις χερσιν αυτου τον τυπον των ηλων και βαλω τον δακτυλον μου εις τον τυπον των ηλων και βαλω την χειρα μου εις την πλευραν αυτου ου μη πιστευσω
26.	And after eight days again his disciples were within, and Thomas with them. Jesus cometh, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said: Peace be to you.	Et post dies octo, iterum erant discipuli ejus intus, et Thomas cum eis. Venit Jesus januis clausis, et stetit in medio, et dixit : Pax vobis.	και μεθ ημερας οκτω παλιν ησαν εσω οι μαθηται αυτου και θωμας μετ αυτων ερχεται ο ιησους των θυρων κεκλεισμενων και εστη εις το μεσον και ειπεν ειρηνη υμιν
27.	Then he saith to Thomas: Put in thy finger hither, and see my hands; and bring hither thy hand, and put it into my side; and be not faithless, but believing.	Deinde dicit Thomæ : Infer digitum tuum huc, et vide manus meas, et affer manum tuam, et mitte in latus meum : et noli esse incredulus, sed fidelis.	ειτα λεγει τω θωμα φερε τον δακτυλον σου ωδε και ιδε τας χειρας μου και φερε την χειρα σου και βαλε εις την πλευραν μου και μη γινου απιστος αλλα πιστος
28.	Thomas answered, and said to him: My Lord, and my God.	Respondit Thomas, et dixit ei : Dominus meus et Deus meus.	και απεκριθη θωμας και ειπεν αυτω ο κυριος μου και ο θεος μου
29.	Jesus saith to him: Because thou hast seen me, Thomas, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and have believed.	Dixit ei Jesus : Quia vidisti me, Thoma, credidisti : beati qui non viderunt, et crediderunt.	λεγει αυτω ο ιησους οτι εωρακας με πεπιστευκας μακαριοι οι μη ιδοντες και πιστευσαντες
30.	Many other signs also did Jesus in the sight of his disciples, which are not written in this book.	Multa quidem et alia signa fecit Jesus in conspectu discipulorum suorum, quæ non sunt scripta in libro hoc.	πολλα μεν ουν και αλλα σημεια εποιησεν ο ιησους ενωπιον των μαθητων αυτου α ουκ εστιν γεγραμμενα εν τω βιβλιω τουτω
31.	But these are written, that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God: and that believing, you may have life in his name.	Hæc autem scripta sunt ut credatis, quia Jesus est Christus Filius Dei : et ut credentes, vitam habeatis in nomine ejus.	ταυτα δε γεγραπται ινα πιστευσητε οτι ιησους εστιν ο χριστος ο υιος του θεου και ινα πιστευοντες ζωην εχητε εν τω ονοματι αυτου

19. Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for feel of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and says to them, Peace be to you.
20. And when he had so said, he showed to them his hands and his side. Then were the disciples glad, when they saw the Lord.
21. Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be to you: as my Father has sent me, even so send I you.
22. And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and says to them, Receive you the Holy Ghost:
23. Whosesoever sins you remit, they are remitted to them; and whose soever sins you retain, they are retained.
24. But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came.
25. The other disciples therefore said to him, We have seen the Lord. But he said to them, Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe.

CHRYS. The disciples, when they heard what Mary told them, were obliged either to disbelieve, or, if they believed, to grieve that He did not count them worthy to have the sight of Him. He did not let them however pass a whole day in such reflections, but in the midst of their longing trembling desires to see Him, presented Himself to them: Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews.

BEDE. Wherein is strewn the infirmity of the Apostles. They assembled with doors shut, through that same fear of the Jews, which had before scattered them: Came Jesus, and stood in the midst. He came in the evening, because they would be the most afraid at that time.

THEOPHYL. Or because He waited till all were assembled: and with shut doors, that he might show how that in the very same way he had risen again, i.e. with the stone lying on the sepulcher.

AUG. Some are strongly indisposed to believe this miracle, and argue thus: If the same body rose again, which hung upon the Cross, how could that body enter through shut doors? But if you comprehend the mode, it is no miracle: when reason fails, then is faith edified.

AUG. The shut door did not hinder the body, wherein Divinity resided. He could enter without open doors, who was as born without a violation of His mother's virginity

CHRYS. It is wonderful that they did not think him a phantom. But Mary had provided against this, by the faith she had wrought in them. And He Himself too showed Himself so openly, and strengthened their wavering minds by His voice: And says to them, Peace be to you, i.e. Be not disturbed. Wherein too He reminds them; of what He had said before His crucifixion; My peace 1 give to you; and again, In Me you shall have peace.

GREG. And because their faith wavered even with the material body before them, He showed them His hands and side: And when He had said this, He showed them His hands and His side.

AUG. The nails had pierced His hands, the lance had pierced His side. For the healing of doubting hearts, the marks of the wounds were still preserved.

CHRYS. And what He had promised before the crucifixion, I shall see you again, and you, heart shall rejoice, is now fulfilled: Then were the disciples glad when they say the Lord.

AUG. The glory, wherewith the righteous shall shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father, i.e. in Christ's body, we must believe to have been rather veiled than not to have been there at all. He accommodated His presence to man's weak sight, and presented Himself in such form, as that His disciple could look at and recognize Him.

CHRYS. All these things brought them to a most confident faith. As they were in endless war with the Jews, He says again, Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be to you.

BEDE. A repetition is a confirmation: whether He repeats it because the grace of love is twofold, or because He it is who made of twain one.

CHRYS. At the same time He shows the efficacy of the cross, by which He undoes all evil things, and gives all good things; which is peace. To the women above there was announced joy; for that sex was in sorrow, and had received the curse, In sorrow shall you bring forth. All hindrances then being removed, and every thing made straight, he adds, As My Father has sent Me, even so send I you

GREG. The Father sent the Son, appointed Him to the work of redemption. He says therefore, As My Father has sent Me, even so send I you; i.e. I love you, now that I send you to persecution, with the same love wherewith My Father loved Me, when He sent Me to My sufferings.

AUG. We have learnt that the Son is A equal to the Father: here He shows Himself Mediator; He Me, and I you.

CHRYS. Having then given them confidence by His own miracles, and appealing to Him who sent Him, He uses a prayer to the Father, but of His own authority gives them power: And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and says to them, Receive you the Holy Ghost.

AUG. That corporeal breath was not the substance of the Holy Ghost, but to show, by meet symbol, that the Holy Ghost proceeded not only from the Father, but the Son. For who would be so mad as to say, that it was one Spirit which He gave by breathing, and another which He sent after His ascension?

GREG. But why is He first given too the disciples on earth, and afterwards sent from heaven? Because there are two commandments of love, to love God, and to love our neighbor. The spirit to love our neighbor is given on earth, the spirit to love God is given from heaven. As then love is one, and there are two commandments; so the Spirit is one, and there are two gifts of the Spirit. And the first is given by our Lord while yet upon earth, the second from heaven, because by the love of our neighbor we learn how to arrive at the love of God.

CHRYS. Some say that by breathing He did not give them the Spirit, but made them meet to receive the Spirit. For if Daniel's senses were so overpowered by the sight of the Angel, how would they have been overwhelmed in receiving that unutterable gift, if He had not first prepared them for it! It would not be wrong however to say that they received then the gift of a certain spiritual power, not to raise the dead and do miracles, but to remit sins: Whosoever sins you remit, they are remitted to them, and whosoever sins you retain, they are retained.

AUG. The love of the Church, which is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit, remits the sins of those who partake of it; but retains the sins of those who do not. Where then He has said, Receive you the Holy Ghost, He instantly makes mention of the remission and retaining of sins.

GREG. We must understand that those who first received the Holy Ghost, for innocence of life in themselves, and preaching to a few others, received it openly after the resurrection, that they might profit not a few only, but many. The disciples who were called to such works of humility, to what a height of glory are they led! Lo, not only have they salvation for themselves, but are admitted to the powers of the supreme Judgment-seat; so that, in the place of God, they retain some men's sins, and remit others. Their place in the Church, the Bishops now hold; who receive the authority to bind, when they are admitted to the ram; of government. Great the honor, but heavy the burden of the place. It is ill if one who knows not how to govern his own life, shall be judge of another's.

CHRYS. A priest though he may have ordered well his own life, yet, if he have not exercised proper vigilance over others, is sent to hell with the evil doers. Wherefore, knowing the greatness of their danger, pay them all respect, even though they be not men of notable goodness. For they who are in rule, should not be judged by those who are under them. And their incorrectness of life will not at all invalidate what they do by commission from God. For not only cannot a priest, but not even angel or archangel, do any thing of themselves; the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost do all. The priest only furnishes the tongue, and the hand. For it were not just that the salvation of those who come to the Sacraments in faith, should be endangered by another's wickedness.

At the assembly of the disciples all were present but Thomas, who probably had not returned from the dispersion: But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came.

ALCUIN. Didymus, double or doubtful, because he doubted in believing: Thomas, depth, because with most sure faith he penetrated into the depth of our Lord's divinity.

GREG. It was not an accident that that particular disciple was not present. The Divine mercy ordained that a doubting disciple should, by feeling in his Master the wounds of the flesh heal in us the wounds of unbelief. The unbelief of Thomas is more profitable to our faith, than the belief of the other disciples; for, the touch by which he is brought to believe, confirming our minds in belief, beyond all question.

BEDE. But why does this Evangelist say that Thomas was absent, when Luke writes that two disciples on their return from Emmaus found the eleven assembled? We must understand that Thomas had gone out, and that in the interval of his absence, Jesus came and stood in the midst.

CHRYS. As to believe directly, and any how, is the mark of too easy a mind, so is too much inquiring of a gross one: and this is Thomas's fault. For when the Apostle said, We have seen the Lord, he did not believe, not because he discredited them, but from an idea of the impossibility of the thing itself: The other disciples therefore said to him, We have seen the Lord. But he said to them, Except I shall see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into His side, I will not believe. Being the grossest of all, he required the evidence of the grossest sense, viz. the touch, and would not even believe his eyes: for he does not say only, Except I shall see, but adds, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into His side.

26. And after eight days again his disciples were within, and Thomas with them: then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace be to you.
27. Then says he to Thomas, Reach hither your finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither your hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing.
28. And Thomas answered and said to him, My Lord and My God.
29. Jesus says to him, Thomas, because you have seen me, you have believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.
30. And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book:
31. But these are written, that you might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you might have life through his name.

CHRYS. Consider the mercy of the Lord, how for the sake; of one soul, He exhibits His wounds. And yet the disciples deserved credit, and He had Himself foretold the event. Notwithstanding, because one person, Thomas, would examine Him, Christ allowed him. But He did not appear to him immediately, but waited till the eighth day, in order that the admonition being given in the presence of the disciples, might kindle in him greater desire, and strengthen his faith for the future. And after eight days again His disciples were within, and Thomas with them: then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace be to you.

AUG. You ask; If He entered by the shut door, where is the nature of His body? And I reply; If He walked on the sea, where is the weight of His body? The Lord did that as the Lord; and did He, after His resurrection, cease to be the Lord?

CHRYS Jesus then comes Himself, and does not wait till Thomas interrogates Him. But to show that He heard what Thomas said to the disciples, He uses the same words. And first He rebukes him; Then says He to Thomas, Reach hither your finger, and behold My hands; and reach hither your hand, and thrust it into My side: secondly, He admonishes him; And be not faithless, but believing. Note how that before they receive the Holy Ghost faith wavers, but afterward is firm. We may wonder how an incorruptible body could retain the marks of the nails. But it was done in condescension; in order that they might be sure that it was the very person Who was crucified.

AUG. He might, had He pleased, have wiped all spot and trace of wound from His glorified body; but He had reasons for retaining them. He showed them to Thomas, who would not believe except he saw and touched, and He will show them to His enemies, not to say, as He did to Thomas, Because you have seen, you have believed, but to convict them: Behold the Man whom you crucified, see the wounds which you inflicted, recognize the side which you pierced, that it was by you, and for you, that it was opened, and yet you cannot enter there.

AUG. We are, as I know not how, afflicted with such love for the blessed martyrs, that we would wish in that kingdom to see on their bodies the marks of those wounds which they have borne for Christ's sake. And perhaps we shall see them; for they will not have deformity, but dignity, and, though on the body, shine forth not with bodily, but with spiritual beauty. Nor yet, if any of the limbs of martyrs have been cut off, shall they therefore appear without them in the resurrection of the dead; for it is said, There shall not an hair of your head perish. But if it be fit that in that new world, the traces of glorious wounds should still be preserved on the immortal flesh, in the places where the limbs were cut off there, though those same limbs withal be not lost but restored, shall the wounds appear. For though all the blemishes of the body shall then be no more, yet the evidences of virtue are not to be called blemishes.

GREG. Our Lord gave that flesh to be touched which He had introduced through shut doors: wherein two wonderful, and, according to human reason, contradictory things appear, viz. that after the resurrection He had a body incorruptible, and yet palpable. For that which is palpable must be corruptible, and that which is incorruptible must be impalpable. But He showed Himself incorruptible and yet palpable, to prove that His body after His resurrection was the same in nature as before, but different in glory.

GREG. Our body also in that resurrection to glory will be subtle by means of the action of the Spirit, but palpable by its true nature, not, as Eutychius says, impalpable, and subtler than the winds and the air.

AUG. Thomas saw and touched the man, and confessed the. God whom he neither saw nor touched. By means of the one he believed the other undoubtingly: Thomas answered and said to Him, My Lord and My God.

THEOPHYL. He who had been before unbelieving, after touching the body showed himself the best divine; for he asserted the twofold nature and one Person of Christ; by saying, My Lord, the human nature by saying, My God, the divine, and by joining them both, confessed that one and the same Person was Lord and God.

Jesus says to him, Because you have seen Me, you have believed.

AUG. He says not, has touched me, but, has seen me; the sight being a kind of general sense, and put in the place often of the other four senses; as when we say, Hear, and see how well it sounds; smell, and see how sweet it smells; taste, and see how well it tastes, touch, and see how warm it is. Wherefore also our Lord says, Reach hither your finger, and behold My hands. What is this but, Touch and see? And yet he had not eyes in his finger. He refers them both to seeing and to touching, when He says, Because you have seen, you have believed. Although it might be said, that the disciple did not dare to touch, what was offered to be touched.

GREG. But when the Apostle says, Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen, it is plain that things which are seen, are objects not of faith, but of knowledge. Why then is it said to Thomas who saw and touched, Because you have seen Me, you have believed? Because he saw one thing, believed another; saw the man, confessed the God. But what follows is very gladdening; Blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed. In which sentence we are specially included, who have not seen Him with the eye, but retain Him in the mind, provided we only develop our faith in good works. For he only really believes, who practices what he believes.

AUG. He uses the past tense, in the future to His knowledge having already taken place by His own predestination.

CHRYS. If any one then says, Would that I had lived in those times, and seen Christ doing miracles! let him reflect, Blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.

THEOPHYL. Here He means the disciples who had believed without seeing the print of the nails, and His side.

CHRYS. John having related less than the other Evangelists, adds, And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book. Yet neither did the others relate all, but only what was sufficient for the purpose of convincing men. He probably here refers to the miracles which our Lord did after His resurrection, and therefore says, In the presence of His disciples, and they being the only persons with whom He conversed after His resurrection.

Then to let you understand, that the miracles were not done for the sake of the disciples only, He adds, But these are written, that you might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; addressing Himself to mankind generally. And, this belief, he then profits ourselves, not Him in Whom we believe. And that believing you might have life through His name, i.e. through Jesus, which is life.

Catena Aurea John 20

Appearence Behind Locked Doors

Duccio di Buoninsegna

1308-11
Tempera on wood, 39,5 x 51,5 cm
Museo dell'Opera del Duomo, Siena

Doubting Thomas

Duccio di Buoninsegna

1308-11
Tempera on wood, 55,5 x 50,5 cm
Museo dell'Opera del Duomo, Siena

Christ and the Doubting Thomas

Luca Signorelli

1477-82
Fresco, 238 x 200 cm
Basilica of Santa Casa, Loreto

Divine Mercy Sunday

April 3, 2016

Peace & Mercy

On this Divine Mercy Sunday, it is helpful to remember that the great St. Francis (after whom our Pope is named) wrote perhaps the truest and most beautiful expression of the link between Mercy and Peace in his famous prayer:

“Lord, make me an instrument of thy peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is doubt, faith;
Where there is despair, hope;
Where there is darkness, light;
Where there is sadness, joy.

O divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
To be consoled as to console,
To be understood as to understand,
To be loved as to love;
For it is in giving that we receive;
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
It is in dying to self that we are born to eternal life.”

Easter: April 3rd

Second Sunday of Easter (or Sunday of Divine Mercy)

MASS READINGS

April 03, 2016 (Readings on USCCB website)

COLLECT PRAYER

God of everlasting mercy, who in the very recurrence of the paschal feast kindle the faith of the people you have made your own, increase, we pray, the grace you have bestowed, that all may grasp and rightly understand in what font they have been washed, by whose Spirit they have been reborn, by whose Blood they have been redeemed. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

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Old Calendar: Low Sunday; "Domenica in albis"; "Quasimodo" Sunday

"I shall sing forever the Lord's mercy." (Ps 89 [88]) This Sunday is popularly known as Mercy of God Sunday. Between 1930 and 1938 Christ appeared to Sister Faustina, a Sister of Mercy in Poland who initiated the Divine Mercy devotion. She was canonized on April 30, 2000, the Sunday after Easter, the Feast of Divine Mercy. On Good Friday, 1937, Jesus requested that Blessed Faustina make a special novena before the Feast of Mercy, from Good Friday through the following Saturday. Jesus also asked that a picture be painted according to the vision of Himself as the fountain of mercy. He gave her a chaplet to be recited and said that it was appropriate to pray the chaplet at three o'clock each afternoon (the Hour of Great Mercy).

Click here for commentary on the readings in the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite.

Stational Church

Second Sunday of Easter or Divine Mercy Sunday
The Holy Gospel that the Liturgy presents to us on this second Sunday of Easter, is one of the most well known, discussed, and appreciated—the meeting of the Risen Lord with St Thomas. The Fathers of the Church have given us numerous insights into this Gospel text. Likewise, it is has proven the inspiration to the numerous artists who have physically represented the events of this Gospel in order to give us a clear idea of what happened, ‘eight days after’ the first apparition of the Risen One, to the disciples congregated in the cenacle.

Jesus’ response to Thomas, after he recognized Him as ‘My Lord and my God’, has a mysterious fascination that must relate not so much to the disciples—those who ‘have seen’—but rather to those, like us, who were added to their number afterwards. ‘You have come to believe because you have seen me. Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.’ (Jn 20:29)

The attention that these words evoke seams yet more paradoxical if we remember that the Lord had proposed, to the same author of the Gospel, what can be justly referred to as the Christian method, ‘come and see’ (Jn 1:39). How can we possibly reconcile these two phrases by Jesus that form the ideal setting for the whole of the fourth Gospel? Perhaps, in the end, the Lord decided to change His method? What do the words ‘have not seen’ really mean?

The timely recollection of the ‘eight days after,’ which is the Sunday after the Resurrection, permits us to tie our reflection to one of the most significant Eucharistic hymns composed by another Thomas, St Thomas Aquinas. In the Adore Te Devote, which refers to the Eucharist, we read: ‘Sight, touch, taste are all deceived in their judgement of you. But hearing suffices firmly to believe’. Combining these words with today’s Gospel we can justly affirm that the experience ‘to see’ was not denied to us, but it is in contrast with the Apostle Thomas’ physical experience, who was able to put his own finger into the holes in Christ’s hands and side, whilst we can only comprehend it in the faith which is guarded and transmitted by the Church, our Mother and Teacher.

That which we ‘have not seen’ is therefore the glorious Body of the Risen One. However, today we have the ability to ‘listen’ to the Word of God and the Magisterium of the Church and so we can ‘see’ the real Body of Christ which is the Eucharist. We can ‘see’ His Mystical Body which is the Church. We can ‘see’ Him in our lives and in the lives of our many brothers who, after meeting the Lord in a real but mysterious way, are united to Him in His Spirit!

Like Thomas, Christ calls us to fill the holes left by the instruments of the passion in His Body with our own hands so that our lives and the verbal witness that we give proclaim His Resurrection. Our senses could betray us, but we know that we have met the Risen One and we have recognized Him!

The certain hope that Peter, who betrayed the Lord three times for fear of death, proclaims to us with the words, ‘rejoice with an indescribable and glorious joy’ (1 Peter 1:8), become fully comprehensible because blessed are they that ‘have not seen’ the Risen Lord, but seeing the joy of His disciples ‘have believed’ in Him!

From the Congregation for the Clergy

Jesus to Sr. Faustina
On one occasion, I heard these words: "My daughter, tell the whole world about My inconceivable mercy. I desire that the Feast of Mercy be a refuge and shelter for all souls, and especially for poor sinners. On that day the very depths of My tender mercy are open. I pour out a whole ocean of graces upon those souls who approach the fount of My mercy. The soul that will go to Confession and receive Holy Communion shall obtain complete forgiveness of sins and punishment. On that day all the divine floodgates through which graces flow are opened. Let no soul fear to draw near to Me, even though its sins be as scarlet. My mercy is so great that no mind, be it of man or of angel, will be able to fathom it throughout all eternity. Everything that exists has come forth from the very depths of My most tender mercy. Every soul in its relation to Me will contemplate My love and mercy throughout eternity. The Feast of Mercy emerged from My very depths of tenderness. It is My desire that it be solemnly celebrated on the first Sunday after Easter. Mankind will not have peace until it turns to the Fount of My Mercy.

"[Let] the greatest sinners place their trust in My mercy. They have the right before others to trust in the abyss of My mercy. My daughter, write about My mercy towards tormented souls. Souls that make an appeal to My mercy delight Me. To such souls I grant even more graces than they ask. I cannot punish even the greatest sinner if he makes an appeal to My compassion, but on the contrary, I justify him in My unfathomable and inscrutable mercy. Write: before I come as a just Judge, I first open wide the door of My mercy. He who refuses to pass through the door of My mercy must pass through the door of My justice.

"From all My wounds, like from streams, mercy flows for souls, but the wound in My Heart is the fountain of unfathomable mercy. From this fountain spring all graces for souls. The flames of compassion burn Me. I desire greatly to pour them out upon souls. Speak to the whole world about My mercy."

Excerpted from Diary of Sr. M. Faustina Kowalska.

Things to Do:

Read the Apostolic Peniteniary Decree on the Indulgences attached to devotions in honour of Divine Mercy
Read Dives in misericordia, the encyclical Letter of John Paul II on Mercy.

The last stational procession is held at the Church of St. Pancras. Those newly baptized are now full fledged members of the Christian community. This church is most appropriate since St. Pancras was a young man of fourteen who sealed his baptismal promises with his blood.

The Word Among Us

Meditation: John 20:19-31

2nd Sunday of Easter or Sunday of Divine Mercy

My Lord and my God! (John 20:28)

Sometimes we get labeled, whether justly or unjustly. This is certainly the case in today’s Gospel reading. Jesus had appeared to the apostles, but Thomas had not been present. When the other apostles told him about it, he couldn’t accept it. Even though they had been together for three years, he still doubted them.

The Gospel of John is filled with expressions that give honor to Jesus. Some people called Jesus a great prophet. Others called him a teacher. Still others called him the Christ or even the Son of God. But it was the apostle Thomas—the one who has forever been labeled the “doubter”—who first proclaimed Jesus to be “my Lord and my God” (John 20:28). In the words of biblical scholar Fr.

Raymond Brown, Thomas made “the most complete affirmation of Christ’s nature to be found on the lips of anyone in the Gospel.”

My Lord and my God! Every miracle Jesus performed, be it the healing of the man who was lowered down through the roof, the healing of the blind Bartimaeus, or the raising of Lazarus, points to these four words. Every teaching Jesus gave, be it the Sermon on the Mount, the parable of the prodigal son, or the Golden Rule, points to these four words. Every revelation of God’s mercy and love points to who Jesus is and how he wants us to see him.

This story about Thomas tells the story of every believer in the history of the Church. Thomas represents each of us when we say, “I find it hard to believe.” Just as Jesus rejuvenated Thomas’ faith, he wants to rejuvenate ours when we are caught up in doubt. He wants us to be like Thomas—a people who overcome our very human and very natural doubts. He wants to help each one of us say, “Jesus, you are my Lord and my God.”

So today and all week long, proclaim these four precious words. Then watch to see how his grace will help you believe even more.

“Jesus, you are my Lord and my God!”

Acts 5:12-16
Psalm 118:2-4, 13-15, 22-24
Revelation 1:9-13, 17-19

A Christian Pilgrim

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