2nd Sunday of Easter (Cycle B, Year I)
Community Word: Followers of the Resurrected Christ seek what is above.
Theme: We seek what is above when we believe in Jesus, though have not seen Him.
Promise: “You may come to believe that Jesus is the Christ, the son of God, and that through this belief you may have his name.” (Jn 20:31)
Reflection:
Nowadays, it is common for people, even when there are tons of information available in the market of ideas, to doubt something that they only heard about or haven’t seen. This was the predicament of many of the Jews even after news of the resurrection of Jesus had spread like wildfire in Jerusalem. And today more than 2,000 years later, we are still caught up in our own doubts and or indifference that prevent us from establishing a more concrete relationship with God that is rooted in humility and obedience. Why? Because the world we are in actually is preventing us from doing so as it offers us a comparative view of both dimensions.
On one hand is the material world where we live in, the fast-paced search for comfort and luxury; anything that would bring us fame, prestige and wealth have kept us glued in this mundane world. On the other is the eternal life that was promised to those who will believe in him. Such belief, however, is premised on our subservience to God’s Holy Will and a life that is anchored on sacrifice and suffering. This last part is what makes people think because most often we want to reap the promise of eternal joy but without the pain and sacrifice attached to it.
But has this connectivity contributed to forming Christians to become a replica of Jesus in all aspects of his life? From the time we received Jesus in our baptism – whether sacramental or para-liturgical – have we allowed the Holy Spirit to take control of our entire persona? Have we become forgiving of one another especially now that we are celebrating the Feast of the Divine Mercy? Or do we persist in our unbelief, doubt and meaningless pursuit of what we perceive to be a joyful life. And how many of us demand a physical evidence before we will believe. “Unless I see I see in his hands the print of the nails, and place my finger in the mark of the nails, and place my hand in his side, I will not believe.” (V.25)
It is not that the people do not really believe that Jesus Christ is Lord, but the circumstances of our present lives cause people to dwell in their unbelief. The economic difficulties that people experience nowadays are also a factor that contributes to the estranged relationship between God and the people He has created. When Jesus appeared to his disciples he offered proofs of his resurrection by showing them the wounds of his passion, his pierced hands and side. He calmed their fears and brought them peace, the peace which reconciles sinners and makes one a friend of God.
Today, this has not changed as Jesus still is offering the same proof at the table of the Paschal sacrifice each time Mass is celebrated. This should serve as a memorial for us that God already took our sins and sufferings to the cross and the peace that He offered to his disciples in the Upper Room is the same kind of peace he is offering to us now. This is what the Feast of Divine Mercy is all about. But in us there will always be a Thomas who will doubt not because we love the Lord less but because we simply lack the courage to stand with Jesus and share his passion and crucifixion. Jesus came back and appeared to his disciples not only to prove he had resurrected from death. He came back because he needed his disciples to establish his Church. In the same way, his disciples and we who now comprise the Church also need Jesus. As we are being sent to make disciples of all nations, we need someone to send us and without Jesus we have no message to bring to all the nations. This means that as Jesus is dependent on us to keep his message alive, we also need Jesus to equip us and empower us by His Holy Spirit.
There are times when differences and disputes arise within the Church that move us to leave and there will be times we will experience some low points in our life and we find ourselves going back to God. But why wait for the light to run out of our lives before we will believe and realize that all we need is the light that comes from God. When Thomas recognized his Master, he believed and exclaimed that Jesus was truly Lord and truly God! The gift of faith infused in us at our baptism should move us to also proclaim Jesus as our personal Lord and our God. He died and rose that we, too, might have new life in him. And today, the same Jesus who appeared to Thomas is offering each one of us a new life in his Holy Spirit that we may know him personally and walk in this new way of life through the power of his Resurrection. We only need faith to believe that Jesus had indeed resurrected from the dead and we have the Scriptures and the Church as it stands today as permanent proofs of his passion, death and resurrection.
The one thing to remember is that Jesus needs the Church to keep the fire burning and we need Jesus because he is the message that we only need to know and bring to others. As God sent Jesus to the cross, so Jesus is also sending us now and no one can truly understand why unless we come to realize that the relationship between God and Jesus is premised on Jesus’ obedience and love. And so it must be with us. For us to develop a truly meaningful relationship with Jesus we need to humble ourselves and go down from our pedestal and obey whatever He tells us to do but this subservience to His will must be anchored on love for God and neighbor.
Reflection Questions:
1. How are you living your life to show that you truly believe in Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior?
2. Do you received Jesus regularly in the Eucharist and continue to be nurtured in the Holy Scriptures?
This Week’s Daily Mass Reading Guide:
April 12, 2015 (Sun) Acts 4:32-35/Ps 118:2-4,13-15,22-24/1Jn 5:1-6/Jn 20:19-31
April 13, 2015 (Mon) Acts 4:23-31/Ps 2:1-3,4-7,7-9/Jn 3:1-8
April 14, 2015 (Tue) Acts 4:32-37/Ps 93:1,1-2,5/Jn 3:7-15
April 15, 2015 (Wed) Acts 5:17-26/Ps 34:2-3,4-5,6-7,8-9/jn 3:16-21
April 16, 2015 (Thur) Acts 5:27-33/Ps 34:2,9,17-18,19-20/Jn 3:31-36
April 17, 2015 (Fri) Acts 5:34-42/Ps 27:1,4,13-14/Jn 6:1-15
April 18, 2015 (Sat) Acts 6:1-17/Ps 33:1-2,4-5,18-19/Jn 6:16-21
“Ignorance of the Bible is ignorance of Christ. Read your Bible daily!”
