Word to the Wise
Sunday, April 15, 2007 - Second Sunday of Easter
[Acts 5:12-16; Revelation 1:9-11A, 12-13, 17-19; John 20:19-31]Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples that are not written in this book. But these are written that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that through this belief you may have life in his name.
These words follow the encounter between Jesus and the apostle, Thomas, in which Thomas is invited to touch the wounds of Jesus and realize that Jesus has truly risen! Thomas simply says, "My Lord and my God!" Jesus responds, "Have you come to believe because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed." In fact, as the phrase above says, the gospel was written to help believers who would never set eyes on Jesus personally. The gospels frankly acknowledge the difficulty experienced by the apostles in accepting the initial announcement of Jesus' resurrection. Jesus himself was to scold them for their disbelief. But what about us? On what witness do we base our own belief? Is it on the scriptural accounts? Is it on the lives and witness of millions of Christians (or one particular Christian) who have gone before us in centuries past? Is it on the preaching and teaching of the Church's ministers? Is it on the personal experience of Christ's mercy in our life, even if we were unaware of it before then? What leads us to say, "My Lord and my God!" ? Truly faith is a gift and truly we must open that gift. It is by God's mercy that we recognize the God of mercy. Our fumbling efforts to open the gift over the period of a life are the subject of that mercy. At Easter we are once more reminded of what Christ has done for us that we may be grateful for that mercy. Alleluia! AMEN
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