Pastor's Letter 20240407 - 07 April 2024- Second Sunday of Easter

[Father Michael]

April 7^th, 2024

Second Sunday of Easter

Message from Father ^†Michael

Today’s Theme:  “Faith and Fellowship"

Reflections on Today’s Scripture

(Acts 4:32-35)    ^†Luke gives us a picture of how the first Christians lived in community with each other.  In the wake of Jesus’ death and rising, he traced the process whereby the Proclaimer of the Kingdom, became the Proclaimed.  Those who believed in Him gathered together; sharing their time, their talents and their treasure, thereby becoming the “Church.”

~~~

(1 John 5:1-6)  ^†John writes how Christians, as Children of God, should show love for God by keeping His commandments. All those who belong to God by faith must necessarily unite with one another in love.  The needy and the homeless in our society are living and painful proof that the preached Gospel has not yet become the practiced Gospel.  

~~~

(John 20:19-31)  ^†Thomas’ doubt turned to faith, when He encountered the Risen Christ.  While we may not “see” Jesus, we can experience Him in the sacraments; hear Him in His word; and touch Him in one another, as His Church continues Jesus’ mission of peace and forgiveness, for the sake of all people.  

~~~

The Beauty of “Touch”

For most people, being “touched” by someone, except for trusted people, is not welcomed.  Indeed, for many, getting a massage from a stranger is unthinkable.  However, in familiar, and intimate situations, another’s touch is not only considered welcomed, but it is actively sought.  

Much is communicated between people through “touch.”  In normal conversations, it is not uncommon for people to lightly touch another’s arm, or shoulder, to show their compassion and concern.  However, in situations where people are “at odds” with one another, being touched, even slightly, might be considered aggressive, even “evil.”  

So, when we consider the instance referenced in today’s Gospel Reading, where ^†Thomas remains unconvinced of our Blessed Lord’s “reality,” he states that only through his touching His wounds would he be convinced. (It should be noted that ^†John doesn’t say he actually “touched” the Lord, but only his being offered the opportunity was sufficient for him to believe.)

The subject of “personal boundaries” has become something of a “political football,” in recent years.  In times past, it was considered quite acceptable for people, like teachers, often to touch their students, during times of special attention, like personal study.  Affectionate “hugs,” in fact, were seen as valuable methods to convey interest in another’s well-being, and happiness, and remain so, between friends, even now.  

But, as we are all familiar, casual “touching” is now often interpreted as an “invasion of privacy,” and in some cases, legally actionable!  How overly-sensitive our modern world has become!  Of course, there is plenty of evidence of abuse in this area, and that is truly shameful.  When respected individuals are guilty of inappropriate behavior toward their charges, we are naturally quite incensed.  Recent scandalous behavior in our educational and religious communities have “fed the flames” of anger for those affected, and even for those of us who are routinely informed by our ubiquitous mass media.  

But in ^†Thomas’ case, and in what surely was a “simpler time” in human history, personal “touch” was a valid means of communication of affection, and for him, belief.  Filled with awe, he said: “My Lord and my God!” (John 20:28.)  In those words, he affirmed his faith in Jesus and joined in the apostolic proclamation, “We have seen the Risen Lord” (John 20:18-25.)  ^†Thomas came to the same faith that transformed ^†Mary Magdalene, ^†Peter, ^†John and the others—and so was moved to make such a bold statement of faith and commitment to Jesus.  

^†Thomas is a very important figure for us as we also seek to deepen our faith.  He stands as a “hinge” between the first Christians, who physically saw Jesus, and all the generations since, whose faith has relied on the apostles’ witness—and on their own vision of Christ with the “eyes of faith.”  Because ^†Thomas first heard about the Resurrection through his fellow apostles, and yet also had his own personal encounter with Christ, we can take his experience as a model for ourselves.  

Like ^†Thomas, we have the witness of the believing community—a two-thousand-year-old testimony of the people of God—who continue to proclaim, “We have seen the Risen Lord!”  This is no small matter, for while the Gospel has penetrated every culture and age since the day of Pentecost, it retains its essential unity.  The truth has not changed, and the promise of personal encounter with Jesus remains as real today as it did on that first Easter Sunday.  

At the same time, like ^†Thomas, we too are invited to experience something more than an agreement with the apostles’’ testimony:  We can all experience the inner acknowledgement of the Holy Spirit.  This Spirit, Whose role is to guide us into “all the truth” (John 16:13,) was poured out so that we could know and experience the love of Christ in our hearts and freely embrace the salvation He offers. 

The first community of believers lived a common life, in which they knew the presence of their Savior, and were drawn ever closer together in love and service.  In their worship together at the Eucharist—“Do this, in memory of Me” (Luke 22:19,)—their attention to the apostles’ teaching, their communal prayer, and their fellowship with one another, their faith deepened and the witness of their transformed lives touched others.  

This communal exercise has become our Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, today.  In it, we reflect on an all that is available to us through the Resurrection of Jesus, and the power of the Holy Spirit to reveal Him to our hearts.  Let us sing with the psalmist: “Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His steadfast love endures forever!”  (Psalm 118:1.)

May God Richly Bless You!

Today's Meditation Music:  Be Still and Know.docx

Click here to view a recording of today's Holy Mass:

 

Edited April 6 by Father Michael