SUNDAY REFLECTIONS - SECOND SUNDAY OF EASTER

Acts 2: 42-47; 1 Peter 1: 3-9; John 20: 19-31

(Rev. Dr. Francis Perry Azah)

To make us more conscious of God’s mercy, the Church calls today “Divine Mercy” Sunday, enabling us to celebrate the mercy of God that called us out of darkness. The Church still reminds us of the inexhaustibility of God’s mercy. This mercy confirms our hope in God. In today's Gospel, we read about the risen Lord's appearance to the apostles' assembly on the day of resurrection and a second appearance a week later. The second appearance focuses on Thomas, who was absent from the rest of the apostles when Jesus appeared among them. Where could he have gone? We do not know exactly, but as soon as he returns, the other disciples tell him they have seen the Lord. Could it be that when they heard that Jesus had risen from the dead, Thomas went out on his own to seek him out? Perhaps he went to the houses of Jesus' friends, to the house of Lazarus, Martha, and Mary in Bethany, or to the village where they ate the last supper.

He was seeking Jesus alone while Jesus was with his followers' assembly. Could it be the evangelist's way of telling the reader that an encounter with the risen Lord is something that happens not so much in the privacy of the individual's religious initiative and practice but as much in fellowship with the community of believers? So the following Sunday, Thomas is there fellowshipping with the rest of the community. Jesus appears as usual, and Thomas experiences the desire of his heart and exclaims, "My Lord and my God" (v. 28). Next time around, he would not lightly absent himself from the community Sunday assembly.

Having seen this for himself firsthand, Thomas now believes, and his expression, “My Lord and my God,” is the first direct reference in the Gospel accounts of Jesus being identified as God. This is a very important step because the whole basis of the Hebrew religion was the premise that there was one God, and to change that concept was a heresy of the highest degree. But Thomas now equates Jesus with God. Jesus does not comment on this statement but only notes that those who come to believe without the usual “seeing being believing” are more blessed.

The New Testament has 'double-crossing' Judas and 'doubting Thomas'. The first disciples were nothing if not a diverse crew. As we all know, the Church is made up of the good, the bad, and the mediocre. Yet, whilst Judas is reviled, Thomas is embraced: his doubt seems to have a special appeal for our modern, skeptical world. Thomas is often hailed as a saint for our times, but the truth is he is a saint for all times, because the darkness of unbelief is part of the human condition. We walk by faith, not by sight, and we can only perceive God as in a mirror, dimly (see 1 Cor. 13:11) — in biblical times, mirrors were made of polished metal, which yielded a somewhat distorted image.

Even though faith brings light to our minds and hearts, we often live it out in darkness and are put to the test. The world we live in can seem far removed from the one promised us by faith. So many things in life make faith difficult: the terminal illness of a loved one, failure or rejection in its many hurtful forms, and just the sheer pressure of day-to-day living with all its stresses and strains. What are we to do when we are assailed with doubt or when we question our faith or even God's existence? We are, of course, not alone. Our brothers and sisters who have gone before us, marked with the sign of faith, were not immune from questions and doubts. And God himself understands our temptation, for on the cross Jesus himself cried out, 'My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?' (Matt. 27:46). God is close to us in all our struggles, and in the caldron of our post-modern and in some ways post-Christian world, our faith is often tested and tried.

In our religious practices, many of us are like Thomas. We want God to show us everything, to reveal every mystery to us before we believe. We want to see the Eucharist turn into empirical flesh and blood. We want to see a candidate for anointing of the sick rise up immediately after receiving the sacrament. We want God’s blessings and promises to materialize immediately, etc. But have we ever considered comparing our expectations of God with God’s expectations of us? We expect God to be pragmatic, to be practical, but are we also pragmatic in our relationship with God? Within this period of Easter and beyond, the Church exhorts us to witness to the gospel of Christ’s resurrection not just by mere proclamation by mouth but by our actions.

Today is also the feast of the Sacrament of Reconciliation. In today's gospel, Jesus gives his disciples authority to forgive sins.  It is God who really forgives.  This understanding is still maintained in the formula of absolution that the priest utters during the celebration of the Sacrament of Reconciliation: “God, the Father of mercies, through the death and the resurrection of his Son has reconciled the world to himself and sent the Holy Spirit among us for the forgiveness of sins; through the ministry of the Church may God give you pardon and peace, and I absolve you from your sins in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (C.C.C. # 1449). It is God who gives pardon and peace. The priest, who takes the place of the ‘disciples’ of Jesus today, absolves in the name of the Church, that is, he frees the penitent from their guilt and blame. On this feast then, let us resolve to make frequent confession – good confession, sincere confession, open confession, so that we can experience the profound and infinite mercy of God.