Pope John
XXIII and Pope John Paul II were canonized early this morning. They both were
good humored and could poke fun at themselves.
One day a journalist
asked Pope John XXIII how many people worked at the Vatican; the pontiff
replied, “About half.”
When he went
to visit the Hospital of the Holy Spirit in Rome, the nun answering the door
said: "Holy Father, I'm the Mother Superior of the Holy Spirit." To
which he replied: Oh. Well, I’m only the Vicar of Christ.”
Pope John Paul
II was elected when he was 59 years old, and was a lifelong skier. Someone once
told him when he was a Cardinal that it was unbecoming for a cardinal to ski.
To which he answered: It is only unbecoming for a cardinal to ski badly.
One time, when
John Paul was tired, one of the sisters with him said: 'Holy Father, I'm
worried about Your Holiness.' He responded: 'I am too.'"
The first Easter Sunday was a day of confusion; the disciples
were perplexed in the face of the empty tomb.
The disciples were gathered in the upper room with the doors
locked. “What happened to him could happen to us.”
But the Risen Jesus broke through their fears and guilt and locked
doors declaring: “Peace.”
Note well that Christ does not shame them.
He does not blame.
He forgives.
He extends mercy.
*
Jesus
needed the disciples to be faith-filled. “As the Father sent me, so I send you.”
Then he breathed the Holy Spirit upon them…for the forgiveness of sins…calling
them to be Church…forming them into disciples for the world.
He
transforms frightened and confused individuals into a community of disciples
gathered together in love – called to become His very presence in the world and
to continue together the mission the Father gave Him – to reveal the mercy of
God and to give life, eternal life.
When we
are locked behind closed doors and unable to reach out to others, he comes to
us with his message of love and peace.
Some of
us have deep wounds, deep hurts, fears, Yet Jesus forgives us for He is wounded
as well. He still bears the marks of the nails and spear.
*
BUT
Thomas was not with them that first Easter night!
So
when the others tell him the good news, Thomas is caught in doubt. He will hear
nothing of it. He has to experience it himself.
Thomas ONLY expected death.
And when it happened, which he expected, he was still so heartbroken that he
had to be alone and suffer and grieve alone, away from the community….
The resurrection story was
too good to be true.
Where was
Thomas? Why did he not join the others on that Sunday?
He may
have needed to distance himself from all the disciples, and from all that
reminded him of Jesus and anything associated with him.
Thomas may have even been angry that Jesus had failed.
He may have
even been regretting his decision that he had ever followed the preacher from
Nazareth.
And now some
women claim that Christ is risen! He can’t believe that Jesus would appear
first to WOMEN!
Maybe
Thomas said to himself: “No, he didn't die…Well, yes, he did die, so there is
no way he is alive. And He couldn't have appeared to Mary Magdalene!
“Happy endings just don’t happen.”
Thomas is focused on death and all that is negative.
Thomas would
not believe Jesus has been resurrected unless he could physically verify it for
himself, even though he was a witness to the raising of Lazarus.
*
Many people
tend to withdraw in difficult situations, at just the time when they need
community the most (a symptom of depression)
This closes us off of God’s grace. In spite of our sorrow or
disappointment, we should seek out the community of faith.
*
We can all be like Thomas.
We all resist God's action in our lives and get mad at Him and fail to trust
Him.
We can be like Thomas and live in
the past and stew over things in regret…
We can hide in the upper room; we
can be like the others and stare into the tomb, we can sit there and obsess
over our losses, lamenting what was!
And all the while we miss the
joy!!! We fail to witness to the new life that is all about us!
*
Imagine that we were oblivious to
the budding trees all around us, the plants and the flowers, and all the color
of new life exploding all around us!
In our hearts, we could still be
back in the darkest and coldest days of January and February, our hearts cold,
still lamenting and mourning how cold that winter was and how cold and how much
snow and ice…and how inconvenient it all was and all the misery and problems it
caused.
BUT SPRING has sprung!
We have but to lift up our heads
and open our eyes!
*
And we have but only to turn to
today’s First Reading to see the transforming power of God upon the church
community!
In
the Acts of the Apostles, Luke writes of the early church: (Acts 2:42-47) They
devoted themselves to the teaching of the apostles and to the communal
life, to the breaking of bread and to the prayers.
Awe came upon everyone…All who believed were together and had all things in
common….And every day the Lord added to their number those who were
being saved.
In the Acts of the
Apostles and in the Gospels, we see the early Church's commitment to the
celebration of the Eucharist and hearing the Word of God – the teaching of the
apostles and the breaking of the bread! and the importance of community
fellowship, regular church attendance and attentiveness the needs of each
member of the community.
The Church is
called to joy! Faith and generosity should be contagious! We as Church should
be attractive, causing others to want to join!
And there is new life budding forth
here! The Lord is adding new members to the Church here!
In less than a month several visitors
have spoken with me, introducing themselves as either new members or they have
been so moved by the hospitality among the people and the reverence in the
Liturgies that they have decided to join our parish.
I witnessed a new member who invited
her entire family to Easter Sunday Mass! What a witness!
There is new life here!
The
tomb is empty! Alleluia!
We have a great treasure. And it is ours to share!
*
Yes, there
will be trials, as Peter reminds us in the second reading.
When we follow
Christ, we will experience pain, sorrow, and even death. But life, not death,
will have the last word.
As
St. Paul wrote: “Nothing
will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord”
(Romans 8.35, 37-39).
Despite
the locked doors of our hearts, Jesus will break in and stand in our midst and
bring us his Peace and Mercy!
May
we, when we are confronted with sorrow, pain, and death, be like St. Thomas,
and fall at the feet of our Lord Jesus and cry out: “My Lord and My God!”
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