Doubting Thomas

                       2nd Sunday of Easter

                      C cycle

 

In the Sundays after Easter the Church gives us a little history lesson. For the next few weeks the first reading will be taken from the Acts of the Apostles, and not from the Old Testament or Hebrew scriptures. We are going to see the young Church growing through the "signs and wonders" worked by the Apostles in the Name of the Risen Christ.  In today's reading we see that the apostles were able to cure the "sick and those disturbed by unclean spirits."  

 

Today's gospel, however, shows us another manifestation of the Risen Lord. It is the traditional and touching story of "doubting Thomas," from St. John's gospel. Before Vatican II this gospel was always used for the first Sunday after Easter. Even though we now have three cycles of gospel readings, the story of our Lord's appearance to St.Thomas is used in each cycle.

 

Remember that last week we heard how in the early hours of the first Easter Sunday, Mary Magdalene had found the tomb empty. Then St. John tells us that he and Peter ran to the tomb and also found it empty with the burial cloths neatly rolled up. When the two men went back to tell the others, Mary Magdalene stayed by the tomb. Jesus appears to her and asks her why she's weeping. At first she fails to recognize Him but when He speaks her name she believes. We can imagine her throwing her arms around Him but He cautions her not to touch Him, "for I have not yet ascended to my Father." He tells her to tell His brethern what she has seen. She returns to the disciples and says, " I have seen the Lord." Immediately after this episode John's gospel jumps right to the incident in today's gospel reading.

 

On the evening of that day Jesus comes to the disciples despite the locked doors of the house. He "stood in their midst" and said to them "Peace be with you." He shows them His hands and His side and they all rejoice. Again He says, "Peace be with you," and tells them of their mission. "As the Father has sent me, so I send you." All were present except Thomas and when he returns, he can't believe it.

 

       Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands

       and put my finger into the nailmarks

       and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.

 

A week goes by and Jesus appears to them again. Once more He says, "Peace be with you." This time Thomas is there and in that unforgettable scene, Jesus tells him to examine his wounds. "Do not be unbelieving but believe." We can picture Thomas dropping to his knees and saying, "my Lord and my God." 

 

Only about a century ago Pope Pius X, who would later be canonized as St. Pius X was trying to encourage frequent reception of Communion. It was part of the effort of this great Pope to restore all things to Christ. It's hard to believe but for centuries most Catholics did not receive Communion at Mass. Not only did Pius X encourage adults to receive, he also lowered the age for the reception of first Communion so that children could receive. As part of this effort Pius X encouraged Catholics to look at the Host when it was elevated and repeat the words of Thomas. "My Lord and my God."

 

The Pope also initiated a great liturgical reform movement. He was the first to grant permission for the words of the Mass to be printed in everyday language alongside the traditional Latin. Older Catholics will remember the Latin-English Missals of their youth. His reforms led to the liturgical reforms of the Second Vatican Council. One of those reforms has particular relevance to today's reading.

 

How many times in today's gospel did our Lord say, "Peace be with you?" In the traditional Latin Mass it seemed like the priest was always kissing the altar and then turning to the people to say "Pax Vobiscum", "Peace be with you." The altar represented Christ. The priest would receive the Kiss of Peace from Christ and then pass it on to the deacon, who in turn would go into the congregation and bring Christ's Kiss of Peace to all. Since Vatican II the Church has given new emphasis to this practice.

 

Later in the Mass the priest will give us the Kiss of Peace and ask us to pass it on to our neighbor. He will ask us to give much more than a simple handshake. He will ask us to repeat the same words that our Lord used in today's gospel and give Christ's blessing to our neighbor. A blessing is a real thing. It is meant to heal. We are being asked to bring Christ to our neighbor just as the Apostles did. After the Apostles believed, they were able to work "signs and wonders," they were able to heal the sick in both body and soul. 

 

People will travel thousands of miles to receive the blessing of the Pope, the Vicar of Christ. Yet, we believe that at every Mass Christ, Himself, comes into this place and gives us His blessing. "Peace be with you."

 

            "Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed."

 

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Reading 1. Acts 5: 12-16

Reading II. Revelation 1:9-11a, 12-13, 17-19 

Gospel. John 20:19-31 (Doubting Thomas).

Easter Sunday

                                     Easter Sunday

                                            C cycle

 

The Church uses many different readings on Easter. The Vigil Mass has seven readings from the Old Testament; St. Paul's famous letter to the Romans--"Christ raised from the dead, dies no more; death no longer has power over Him:" and St. Luke's account of the empty tomb. "Why do you seek the living one among the dead? He is not here, but he has been raised." In the afternoon Mass we will have the account of the risen Lord's appearance to the disciples on the road to Emmaus.

 

This morning's Mass, however, begins with a reading from the Acts of the Apostles. Peter is preaching. Remember how prominently Peter appeared in the readings during Holy Week. Last Sunday he told Jesus that he would follow Him to prison, even to death. But our Lord predicted that Peter would deny Him three times before the cock crows. Peter's subsequent denial is one of the few things reported in all four gospels. 

 

Today it's a different Peter. He gives as good an account of the life and work of Jesus as you will find anywhere. Then he bears witness to His Resurrection,

 

       This man God raised on the third day and granted 

       that He be visible...to us,...

       who ate and drank with Him after He rose from the dead.

 

Finally, he makes the claim "that everyone who believes in Him will receive forgiveness of sins through His name." 

 

However, it's easy to imagine that Peter might have felt differently after the death of Jesus. He didn't know how the story was going to come out.What was there to believe? As St. John says in today's gospel, "they did not yet understand the Scripture that He had to rise from the dead." Not only had his Lord been brutally tortured and killed, but Peter had also turned his back on Jesus. He especially could have no hope of a resurrection or new day.  Wouldn't Peter think that his own sin, his own lack of faith could never be forgiven?

 

Then Mary Magdalene comes rushing in on the first Easter Sunday morning to tell them that the tomb is empty. Fearing that the Lord's body had been stolen Peter and John race to the tomb only to find the burial cloths neatly rolled up with no evidence of foul play. St. John tells us that "he saw and believed." St. Luke tells us that Peter was "amazed."  

 

 

 

Is this why we're all here today on this Easter Sunday morning? Are we all here today to peer inside the empty tomb? The empty tomb itself means nothing. As St. Luke said last night we will not find our Lord among the dead. It's His appearances that matter. Over the next fifty days we'll hear about all of His appearances. He'll appear to Mary Magdalene in the garden; to the disciples on the road to Emmaus; to the Apostles in the upper room; to doubting Thomas; to the fishermen in Galilee; and to countless other witnesses. Finally, His Holy Spirit will come upon them at Pentecost.. 

 

As we listen to these witnesses we'll have to examine our own belief. After all, St. Paul said that "if Christ is not risen, our faith is in vain." In other words if Christ is not risen, there will be no resurrection for us. However, maybe some of us feel like we're in the same position as Peter. Maybe doubts have crept in, maybe we're too secure, maybe something has caused us to deny our Lord and turn our backs on Him. 

 

The only way to rekindle our faith is to act differently. We have to realize that like the Apostles we are called to be witnesses of the Risen Christ. St. Paul calls us the "yeast" that leavens the dough. In our own little way each of us is called to bring Christ to each other. Last week during the reading of the Passion, our Lord said to Peter;

 

       Simon, Simon, behold Satan has demanded 

       to sift all of you like wheat,

       but I have prayed that your own faith may not fail;

       and once you have turned back,

       you must strengthen your brothers.

 

The little Albanian nun who became Mother Teresa did not wait for someone else to pick up that little deserted child in the street and bathe his sores. She saw the Risen Christ in him and in all the others she helped. Did the young Polish priest who became John Paul II ever imagine when he took his first vows that he would bring the Risen Christ to more people than all the previous Popes put together? 

 

The word "Easter" comes from a Germanic goddess of spring. Latin peoples use the word pasqua from the Jewish pasch or passover. When the Germanic peoples were converted the Church wisely associated the word for Springtime with the feast of the Risen Lord. All around us new life is springing from the dead of winter. And so, as St. Paul says,

 

       let us celebrate the feast,

       not with the old yeast, the yeast of malice and wickedness,

       but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

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Reading 1. Acts 10:34a, 37-43

Reading II. Colossians 3: 1-4 or 

1 Corinthians 5: 6b-8

Gospel. John 20: 1-9 (Easter).

Palm Sunday: the Passion of Christ

 Palm Sunday of the Lord's Passion

                  C cycle

 

 

At the blessing of the palm branches before Mass began today we heard the famous account of the triumphal entrance of Jesus into Jerusalem. Luke uses words similar to those which he had used to announce the birth of Jesus. The crowd proclaims:

 

      Blessed is the king who comes 

      in the name of the Lord.

      Peace in heaven

      and glory in the highest.

 

It's hard not to wish that the story had ended there. The hero rides into town after preaching his wonderful message, healing the sick, and even raising his friend, Lazarus, from the dead, and then receives a hero's welcome. We can all live happily ever after. Why does He have to go though with the Passion? Why does there have to be a "Passion of the Christ?" 

 

In our society today we spend billions of dollars every year trying to make our lives free of pain and suffering. Our drugstore aisles are full of painkillers; we go to Florida in the winter to avoid the cold; and we would not think of buying a house or car without all the latest labor saving devices. We try to dull our psychological pain with drugs, both legal and illegal. We also shrink from spiritual pain.

 

For example, many regard Jesus primarily as a teacher, a good man whose words provide valuable advice for all whether religious or otherwise. Others see him as a kind of social worker who as St. Peter said, "went around doing good works." They see Him as providing an example for all in His care to help the poor and the downtrodden. However, we can not regard Jesus as a loving teacher and caring brother and then shrink from the Jesus that is presented to us in today's readings.

 

As we enter into Passion week we will have to face the "suffering servant" presented to us in today's first reading from Isaiah:

 

      I gave my back to those who beat me,

      my cheeks to those who plucked my beard;

      my face I did not shield

      from buffets and spitting.

 

We heard in the reading of the Passion that Jesus found it necessary to take up his Cross. He had warned us of this a few weeks ago at the Transfiguration, and told us that we would also have to take up our own crosses. Today's reading starts with the account of the Last Supper. He took bread, blessed it, broke it, and gave it to the Apostles, and said,

 

      This is my body, which will be given for you;

      do this in memory of me."

 

Then he took the cup and said:

 

      This cup is the new covenant in my blood'

      which will be shed for you."

 

His Body and Blood will be shed for us. From day one Christians believed that this sacrifice was the central part of their faith. Almost immediately after His death and resurrection they began to come together to bless the Bread and Wine and remember him. They believed as we still do today that the same sacrifice He offered on Calvary is still offered in every Mass. Of course, we don't believe that our Lord suffers over and over again. We believe that the Mass that we offer today is one and the same with the sacrifice He offered on Calvary. This is why we fill our churches with reminders of His Passion. Look at the Stations, the Windows and see the symbols of his journey to Calvary.

 

St. Paul always said that he preached "Christ crucified." In today's second reading he says that our Lord "humbled himself, becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross."  The teaching of our Lord and the example He set is this--without suffering, there is no resurrection. 

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Reading 1. Isaiah 50: 4-7

Reading II. Philippians 2: 6-11

Gospel. Luke 22: 14--23:56 (Passion)

Gospel at the Procession. Luke 19: 28-40.

Woman Caught in Adultery

                            5th Sunday of Lent

                           C cycle

 

Remember last week when we read the story of the Prodigal Son, the Father said to his other son, 

 

we must celebrate and rejoice, because your brother was dead and has come to life again; he was lost and has been found.

 

That same theme is continued in today's readings. Isaiah speaks of the desert coming to life again in the same way that our own streets and yards are coming to life again now that springtime is beginning to flower and the dead of winter seems to be over. Isaiah tells the people of God to forget the past for the Lord is "doing something new."

 

If the subject of last week's gospel was the Prodigal Son, this week's could be the Prodigal Daughter. However, the story of the woman caught in adultery is not a parable. It is a real life occurrence with life and death consequences.

 

Jewish law required that a woman caught in adultery be stoned to death. If she was married or engaged the man involved would also be put to death. If she was unattached, the man usually got off unpunished. People in the ancient world did not think such discrimination unfair. This is one of the ways in which the teaching of Jesus represents such a break with the world before Christianity. Jesus and his followers raised women to equality with men and held men to the same standard.

 

In today's touching story Jesus literally saves the life of the accused woman. Next year at this time the reading for the 5th Sunday in Lent will be the story of the raising of Lazarus from the dead. In many ways today's story is just as miraculous. Do you recall another incident where Jesus was dealing with a paralyzed man. He told the poor man that his sins were forgiven but the onlookers murmured in disbelief. In reply, he asked them what was easier to do--to forgive sins or to work a miraculous cure? To prove that he had the power to do both he told the man to pick up his mat and walk.

 

Today, he saves the woman's life by freeing her from her accusers. "Let the one among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her." Then he saves her life from her past. St. John tells us that when the crowd drifted away Jesus was left alone with the woman. This is probably one of the few times in the gospels when Jesus is left alone with anyone. Now it was a scandal in those days for a Jewish man, especially a rabbi, to converse in public with a woman. Nevertheless Jesus speaks with her.

 

Let's put ourselves in the picture and imagine that we are the woman. He asks, "Has no one condemned you?" We reply, "No one, sir." Then he wipes the slate clean. The past is forgotten, and a new life can begin. He says,

 

         Neither do I condemn you.

         Go, and from now on do not sin any more.

 

We live today in awe of psychology and psychoanalysis. Practically everyone who writes to Dear Abby or Ann Landers is told to see a counselor. Unfortunately too many of those counselors only encourage people to go back into the past and find the hidden causes of all their problems. Maybe you had an abusive or neglectful father, maybe a domineering mother. We are told that we cannot get on with our lives until our past life is encountered. For some people this means that they will never escape their past and the wrongs that they have committed or the wrongs that have been inflicted upon them.

 

This is why we should take a few moments to revisit today's difficult second reading from St. Paul. For Paul there is no looking back. All his past life, his training, his accomplishments, even his sins, he has come to regard as "so much rubbish." Like Isaiah, like the woman caught in adultery, he has been given a new life. He doesn't claim to be saved like a born again Christian. Rather, he has been given a chance to begin a new life. It will not be easy, he will have to endure suffering, he will make mistakes, and it will take a lifetime. 

 

         Just one thing: forgetting what lies behind

         but straining forward to what lies ahead,

         I continue my pursuit toward the goal,

         the prize of God's upward calling, in Christ Jesus.

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Reading 1. Isaiah 43: 16-21

Reading II. Philippians 3: 8-14

Gospel. John 8: 1-11 (Woman caught in Adultery).