Word to the Wise
Sunday, April 15, 2012 - 2nd Sunday of Easter - B
[Acts 4:32-35; 1 John 5:1-6; John 20:19-31]"Have you come to believe because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed." [John]
"Seeing" and "believing" are words often associated with one another in the Gospel of John. In the case of "Doubting Thomas" the two words refer not just to his personal situation, but to ours as well. Jesus' words, quoted above, are followed by a statement that Jesus worked many other signs in the presence of his disciples that were not written down. The ones that are written down were written for the sake of those who would come later and would not see them personally, but would "see" with the eyes of faith.
We stand on the shoulders of the early preachers and on the words of the scriptural authors who wrote their preaching down! It is through faith that we can have the experience of the Risen Christ. We were not present at the time of Jesus' historical ministry. He is present to us now in the scriptures and the breaking of bread. We continue to hand on the faith personally through our lives (notice the example of the community in the first scripture for today from the Acts of the Apostles) and through sharing the words of the scriptures. In short, we "put skin on" our faith so that those who doubt may have a living example to "see" and thus come to "see" with the eyes of faith. The story of Thomas is meant to remind us of the one whom we "see"with the eyes of faith. He is our Lord and our God. AMEN
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