SECOND SUNDAY OF EASTER Year C April 24, 2022
We have just celebrated our
most holy week. For many people it is a
great time to go camping… to reset our lives a little with rest. For all Christians it is a most important commemoration,
and for those from the more orthodox traditions, who’ve partaken in fasting of
some kind – or given up something for Lent, we actually enter into that story
of our salvation, feeling the story quite profoundly. I believe that we do our children a huge
disservice if we don’t encourage them to give up something for Lent – or take
up doing something significant for Lent, because this helps them to connect
with, and enter into the story of Christ.
My own most cherished memories of Easter as a child, are connected
deeply with fasting on Good Friday – going to church at 3pm and then coming
home to hot cross buns. I distinctly remember the sense of stillness each Good
Friday. It is always as if all of
creation remembers that it is Good Friday and pauses with us as we recall the
events.
It has been a lot of years
since Christ walked the roads of Jerusalem.
If Thomas, who so loyally followed Christ was inclined to doubt the
resurrection, how can we blame anyone today for doubting?
Why was Thomas not in the room
when the others were? Our Gospel begins
by telling us that the disciples were in a locked room for fear of the
Jews. I have a crazy theory that Thomas
was actually more faithful to Jesus and perhaps not there because he was less
afraid. Thomas, in the Gospel of John
chapter 11, verse 16 says, “Let us also go, so that we may die with Him.” This was before the crucifixion when Jesus
was going to raise Lazarus. They knew
that the Jews were plotting to kill Jesus.
This is simply my musings, but
what is fact, is that Thomas was a true and loyal disciple. He didn’t necessarily have the same
“theological” understanding as the others, who also were lacking in their own
understanding of the message of God… and there is something in that to ponder
for us all. Thomas was genuine in his
relationship with Christ, but most importantly, he was not in the room when the
others saw Christ.
Remember, after the women saw
Jesus, many still doubted. It is
probably good to have a healthy amount of scepticism. So, let’s not be harsh with Thomas – or with others
who are like him.
We live in an age when there
are people who doubt everything. The simplest
example is covid. So many and varied
opinions about the virus and the vaccine.
So many conspiracy theories also.
In this day and age, on the internet, anyone can have their say about
anything. Many do! Many do, deliberately, put out false
information just to see how much power they have to cause confusion. For this reason, platforms like facebook and
twitter are being asked to filter information and sometimes posts are taken
down as false news – and sometimes these platforms get it wrong. False information is actually really
dangerous and can cause much suffering and is causing suffering and a whole lot
of anxiety. Truth, and preserving it is
important.
The message of our faith is
vital. Our very lives depend on it, as
Christ died to bring us life – life eternal and abundant. But how can we know that our faith is for
real? How can we know that we are
putting our trust in something that is totally trustworthy?
For a start – for this reason,
I believe it is important that we continue good traditions like fasting in
Lent. For this reason, I believe it is
important that we involve our children in these traditions…. We pass the story
on and we involve each other in the story of Jesus. We don’t simply read the story. We must become involved in it. ..AND we must
involve others in the story also. Notice that Thomas is instructed to touch the
wounds of Jesus. Jesus didn’t chastise
Thomas, but gave him what he needed. To
touch the wounds of Jesus today might mean caring for those in need. Touching Jesus for us today, might mean
becoming involved in a charity. It might
mean becoming a life-line counsellor.
For each of us the call is answered differently, but all of us are
certainly called to touch the wounds of Jesus, remembering that what we do for
the least of these we do for him – and in this way we will truly come to know
that Jesus is the Messiah, the son of God, and in believing in him, we will
have life.
All that being said and done,
it is important that we know exactly what it is that we believe and that it is
worthy of our belief and our allegiance.
Our reading from Revelation tells us about the nature of Jesus, who was
and is and is to come.
You see there are levels in
the story of our faith. At a purely
physical level there is the story of a man named Jesus who performed miracles
and who was crucified. This much is
verified by non-Christian historians – and also that the body disappeared, his
followers claiming that he rose from the dead.
Even the enemies of Christ admitted that the tomb was empty. There are many very logical and rational
reasons to believe in the resurrection.
For starters, the many eye witnesses who remained true to their story
though persecuted and even put to death.
This leads us to the belief
level of our faith story. After we know
the facts, we decide what we believe about those things that are not physical,
but most likely true. Many people
believe that Jesus was an important person, even a prophet, miracle worker, and
some believe he is who he claimed to be, but even the demons know who he is.
The important level in our
faith, is to not just know the facts and believe in Jesus, but the important,
vital aspect is the action level - to
join our lives to him and be united with him.
We believe in him, but we also accept him as our Lord and saviour.
Our first reading tells us
about the apostles putting their faith into action. They were preaching and healing in Jesus’
name and were warned by the authorities not to do so, however they continued,
because they put their faith into action.
They were obeying God first and foremost.
The Book of Revelations
proclaims that Jesus is, was and is to come – the alpha and the omega. In case you are wondering, this is a similar
idea to the God who revealed himself to Moses in the burning bush and declared himself
to be I AM. Jesus’ nature is
divine. He is one with the father and
his nature is eternal. Revelations
explains what Jesus has done for us – He freed us from our sins by his blood.
Something we should never take for granted, forget or diminish. The conclusion of the reading makes it very
clear that the one who was, who is and who is to come is the ALMIGHTY.
Putting all our readings
together we have faith being put into action in the first reading of the
apostles before the council and the high priest. We have an understanding about who Christ is
and what he has done for us in our revelation reading, but the Gospel reading
portrays the journey of faith and a group of frightened and doubting disciples. How is it that such a frightened and
fractured group become so transformed that they changed the course of our
world?
It is definitely something
worth pondering, as we currently are also a very fractured society and, in many
ways, a frightened society. To give an
example of just how frightened and fractured we are; a few months ago, I had a
conversation with a lady who didn’t like what was being taught in a high
school. I pointed her in the direction
of petitions that she could sign. “Oh, I
will never do that!” she exclaimed. She
went on to explain that she didn’t want to take the chance that anyone would
know what she was putting her name to.
How far have we fallen that we’ve become so inhibited & impotent?
But let’s go back to our
Gospel story again and see what Jesus does with these frightened, fractured and
doubting disciples, because in this is the key to courage, and becoming the
effective people of God.
Firstly, notice that he showed
the disciples his hands and his side. He
was reassuring them that he was not a Ghost, but his body had been
resurrected. Then Jesus breathes on them
and urges them to receive the Holy Spirit.
The Greek word for spirit is pneuma, an ancient word for “breath” and
also used to indicate “spirit”. It is a
word that has the basic meaning of “air in motion” – something necessary for
life.
In Old Testament times a
prophet would present themselves to the community with an object and declare
the word of God using that object to make their point. Therefore, Jesus breathing on them was a
prophetic sign accompanying his message to them. He emphasizes definite link between the Holy
Spirit and life.
Jesus then tells his disciples
that if they forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them, and if they
retain the sins of any, they are retained.
This simply indicates our responsibility to proclaim the Gospel and that
with the power of the Holy Spirit to declare the Gospel, those who receive that
Gospel are set free and forgiven, and those who refuse the Gospel are not
forgiven, but their sins remain because they haven’t accepted the gift that
Jesus offers.
In a particularly puzzling
part of the Gospel, in both Matthew and Mark, there is a message about
blaspheming the Holy Spirit. It states
that those who blaspheme against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven. The reason is simply that those who resist
the prompting of the Holy Spirit to receive the message of the Good News, can’t
be forgiven because they have refused to believe. And this is very different from our doubting
Thomas and very different from those who genuinely struggle to comprehend the
message of salvation.
In the breath of Jesus is
life. Although there are logical and
rational reasons for faith, when all is said and done, spiritual life is a gift
that is accepted as simply and as innately as breath. When we breathe we don’t
actually think about it, but without it we have no life. Likewise the message
of our salvation is not complete/ not alive, without the receiving of the Holy
Spirit – there is a most important link here.
We are made in the image of
God. God who is the father, the son and
the Holy Spirit, is a triune being. So
are we. We are body, soul and spirit. Spiritual life is when we receive the Holy
Spirit. But wait – there is more to
this;
Our breath informs our body to
live beyond the womb. Likewise, the Holy
Spirit informs our life to live beyond the grave, but also to live that life
now. The difference between a group of
frightened, fractured disciples and those brave preachers who stood before the
council and high priest is that they had received the Holy Spirit. They operated, walked and worked in God’s
life breath.
In this time, between
resurrection and Pentecost, we realize that we need more than mere belief – we
need to respond to this post resurrection message of Jesus and receive the Holy
Spirit. As we go, we are called to enter into the story of faith, touching
wounds. But in our own strength we are frightened, fractured and
powerless. The Gospel is incomplete and
has no life unless we all heed the call of Jesus as he breathes on us today and
says, “Receive the Holy Spirit”.
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