Pastor's Letter 20230416 - 16 April 2023 - Faith and Fellowship

[Father Michael]

April 16^th, 2023

Second Sunday of Easter

Thomas inspects Jesus’ wounds

A Message from Father ^†Michael

Today’s Theme:

“Faith and Fellowship”

Reflections on Today’s Scripture

(Acts 2:42-47)  Every believer is called, to answer the challenge of daily living in a community.  After Easter, those who followed Jesus gathered together and zealously continued His mission.

^†Luke wrote his two-volume work in the 80s C.E.—by which time the authoritative witnesses to Jesus’ life and His teaching had virtually disappeared.  His intent was to teach disciples how to survive grow and flourish, as a vital and vibrant faith community, through his Gospel and through Acts.  Characterized by worship of God and loving service towards one another, ^†Luke showed that the work begun by Jesus and the Twelve was being maintained by those whom they taught and to whom they witnessed.  

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(1 Peter 1:3-9)  Born anew in His death, and healed by His sufferings, Jesus’ disciples launched a worldwide mission of peace and forgiveness.  The wonderful paradox of Baptism is that it gives life as a birth into the death of Jesus.

^†Peter (or, one of his disciples,) wrote this letter (ca. 80-90 C.E.) to those who were the genuine heirs of the blessing our Lord spoke to ^†Thomas: “Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.”  The author refers to Baptism as a “rebirth” unto hope and an imperishable inheritance to be revealed in the “last days.”  Then and now, those who are persecuted for Christ are urged to regard their sufferings as a temporary purification, just as were the Israelites’ wanderings in the desert, as recorded in Exodus.  As Jesus’ own suffering and death was a brief passage to His exultation, so too, the believers who remain faithful, will survive their “moments” of persecution, and enjoy a “forever” of glory.  Faith in the Resurrection of Jesus is the basis of our hope for eternal life—a hope which enables us to bear the trials of life with patience.

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(John 20:1-31)  All who live in Jesus Christ, and are made whole by Him, are called to partake in His missionary effort.  When sceptics become believers, and warriors make peace, the legacy of Easter will be known to all.   

Today’s Gospel features two Resurrection appearances—First, on Easter evening, when ^††John portrays the Risen Lord bestowing “the Spirit” on the apostles, mandating them to continue His mission.  Then, secondly, a week later, we hear the story of ^†Thomas…unique to the Gospel of ^†John…provides an excellent lesson in faith, making the case for the “value of doubt” in the life of the believer.  As such, ^†Thomas has become a source of encouragement for anyone who struggles to believe.  For a time, those who had not seen the Risen Lord relied on the testimony of those who had.  But as the “^†Thomas episode” illustrates, even seeing firsthand was no guarantee of faith.  

By means of ^†Thomas’ doubts, the evangelist puts forth several theological points: (1) Jesus’ body was not an illusion—it was real—as His wounds attested—it  was the same Jesus, Who died on the cross; (2) Believers are to move beyond the sensational aspects of the Resurrection to a committed faith. (Note: As written in ^†John’s Gospel, ^†Thomas never actually touched Jesus’ wounds.  He came to faith when Jesus challenged Him to “Believe!.”) (3) ^†Thomas’ words: “My Lord,” and “My God,” reflected the early Church’s ever-deepening understanding that Jesus was the all-powerful Lord, equal to the Creator, God the Father.

The Human Need to Touch

Tourists, visiting “holy destinations,” in Israel, like Galilee, Jerusalem, and their surroundings, usually take photos, buy cards and souvenirs.  They want to have some tangible mementos to take home with them to remember their experience, and show their friends the places they have seen.  Pilgrims to the Holy Land often want to touch and to “kiss” things they see that have particular significance as they relate to Jesus’ life.  In addition to standard collectibles, they may find a leaf, a wild flower, a pebble, a bottle of water from the Jordan river or, even some soil, that has special meaning.  And here, we are talking about people whose faith is sound and sure.

This expresses the universal human need for the visible, the concrete, the tangible.  We can sympathize with ^†Thomas, when he declared he would not believe the Lord had risen unless he actually “touched” him.  He was merely echoing the human cry for certainty.  Nevertheless, where faith is concerned, we have to go beyond this.  This is because there is no such thing as absolute certainty about spiritual things.  If there were, faith would not be necessary.  This is the argument made from the point of view of science, which requires a “method” for investigation of phenomena—and only becomes “conclusive” by repetition and review.

One would think that simply “seeing” Jesus would have been enough for ^†Thomas.  But having observed others healed by Jesus’ touch, or even when they touched the hem of His garment, given their faith was strong enough.  But ^†Thomas’ faith was so weak, that He thought he had to actually touch the Redeemer, Himself.  In truth, he was the wounded one, darkened by grief and doubt.  Even though his wounds were invisible, to him, they were very real and painful.  But Jesus saw them, and it was Jesus that touched ^†Thomas’ wounds, making him whole and well again.

Most times, the human heart is healed only by the presence of another human being who understands human pain.  The Lord’s wounds help us to recognize and find healing for our own wounds.  Jesus’ wounds were caused by His love—the mortal wounds the Good Shepherd suffered for the sake of His sheep.  

The story of Doubting ^†Thomas brings home to us just how frail is the human container in which the gift of faith is carried.  It also shows that Christian faith is essentially one in a Person—Jesus—who loves us, and has the wounds to prove it.  At the heart of Biblical faith is not only the faith we have in God, but the faith God has in us.

When Jesus told ^†Thomas: “You believe in Me because you have seen Me; but blessed are those who have not seen, and yet believe.”  This was a little “dig” at ^†Thomas’ stubbornness, that was also meant to encourage us when we are asked to believe without being able to see or touch Jesus.

The Role of Faith

Some people think that if they have enough faith, life will be “plain sailing” for them.  But this is not so.  The fact that we can swim doesn’t prevent us from being knocked about by the waves.  In the same way, faith doesn’t shield us from the “hard knocks” of life or from death.  

So, then, what does faith do?  It gives us bearings, and enables us to live in our uncertain world, without getting lost or giving in to despair.

Just as swimmers trust they will be safe, if they don’t panic and do a few simple things, that the power of the sea will uphold them; so, believers entrust their lives to a power greater than themselves—a power greater than us all—the power of God, Who brought His son, Jesus, back from the dead.  

We cannot know the ultimate truths of some things, like how or when time began, what caused the “Big Bang” or, for that matter, existence, itself.  Science advances constantly, and great human minds discover more and more about our world and the universe.  But at some point, using ever more regression, we have to ask, “What was the cause of it all.”  

That is the point at which our faith allows us to conceive and trust in an all-knowing, all-powerful, unseen, uncreated God.  He is the source of all our hope.  And because the very concept of God is beyond human understanding, we have been given a Savior in Jesus Christ, to be our “conduit” to His greatness.  Being wholly human and wholly divine, He was a Person Who lived on earth, as we do, and with Whom we can relate.  This is the great mystery of our faith, and in which we take great comfort.  To aid us in conquering our unbelief along the way, we enjoy the guidance of the Holy Spirit, living within our immortal soul.  

May God Richly Bless You!

I Can See-On the Emmaus Road.docx

To view a recording of today's Holy Mass, click here:

 

Edited April 16, 2023 by Father Michael