Second Sunday of Easter - 16 April 2023 Homily




My dear friends on this Second Sunday of Easter the readings take us deeper into the mystery of the resurrection and its implication in our life.

In the first reading taken from the Acts of the Apostles, we are given a picture of the life of the early Christians. There are four fundamental elements to which this believing community was continually devoted. First, apostles’ teaching: This was the fundament on which all the other elements are built. The content of this teaching was the Gospel message about resurrection. The second is fellowship or koinōnia: The reading tells us that they “had all things in common”. They sold their possessions and goods and distributed the proceeds to those in need. A point to keep in mind is that contrary to the common perception of there not being any private property at all, the text only asserts that when there was a need then the properties were sold and distributed. Thus, there was no total common ownership of goods. Giving up the private property was not a condition for the members to belong to the community. The third element is the breaking of bread. This ritual was practised in their respective homes which is then accompanied by a common meal. The relation of the breaking of bread to the meal experiences with the Risen Lord which we see in other portions of Acts and Luke makes this activity the sign of the presence of the Risen Lord and the continued communion with him. The last element is Prayer. At times attached to the breaking of bread and at times referring to community prayer, prayer formed an essential element in the life of the early Christian community. These were in a way the four main pillars on which the structure of the community rested.

A community is formed by families and therefore paying attention to our family life is important. Are our families today a reflection of the early Christian communities? Is the Bible an important part of our family life? Do we as a family undertake activities which reach out to those who are less fortunate? Do we participate in the Eucharist together as a family? Do we have at least one meal a day together as a family? And lastly, do we pray together as a family? A strong building requires a strong foundation and these four elements are the pillars of our Christian family and community life which we need to pay attention to. It is easy to separate from the family or abandon members of a family but that is not the Christian vocation.

The second reading taken from the first letter of Peter gives a message of hope to a community undergoing persecution. The writer reminds us that we have been given a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Ours is a living hope because of Jesus’ resurrection—he is a living Lord and Savior. His resurrection paves the way for our resurrection at the end of time. Peter assures an unfading inheritance to those who withstand the faith-testing persecution and remain faithful to Christ. Unlike Peter and the other apostles, these Christians were not privileged to see Jesus in person, however, because of their faith God will give them joy beyond expressing and will fill them with glory. The reward that these Christians can expect to receive for their faith is the salvation of their souls.

In the gospel taken from John we get a glimpse into the life of the first disciples of Jesus immediately after the resurrection. The disciples of Jesus had locked themselves up in a room out of fear of the Jewish leaders. It is in this setting that Jesus comes and stands between them and says something quite amazing, he says “Peace be with you”. The Hebrew greeting “shalom,” implies more than just surface-level peace – it is a deep and holistic sense of well-being. Isn’t peace something that we all are seeking? The young and the old, men and women are all in search of Peace. The only difficulty is that we end up searching for peace in the wrong places. We will try out exotic meditation practices or go for a vacation abroad or buy a bigger house or car or the latest I phone perhaps. But this inner peace always eludes us. The source of peace is Jesus himself. And while Jesus' gift of peace is always available to us, somehow we do not experience it. The main reason for this is our distance from God caused by our sins. Imagine you are talking to a friend. When you are standing close you can hear him or her clearly. Now as you keep moving farther away, your friend’s voice will continue to get fainter and fainter to a point where you won’t be able to hear your friend. This is what sin does to our relationship with God. God’s voice, his peace keeps growing fainter as we keep going farther away from him and it is here that the Sacrament of Reconciliation comes in. The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches us that Jesus has given the power to His disciples to forgive sins, by giving them the Ministry of Reconciliation (CCC 1444). The gospel gives us one of the classical texts for the institution of the sacrament of Reconciliation:

“Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained” (Jn 20:22)

However, many people today avoid going for confession for fear of judgement. Just imagine what must be going on through the minds of the disciples as they faced the risen Lord. A majority of them had deserted Jesus, their leader even denied him 3 times. Yet, when Jesus comes to them he does not say any words of reproach or punishment but rather only “Peace be with you.” Confession is not a place of judgement but one where we can meet the ever-loving and forgiving God who is waiting for us.

In the second part of the gospel, we have the narrative of doubting Thomas. Almost as a response to Thomas's doubts, Jesus shows up again one week later to provide exactly what Thomas needs. And Thomas responds with not only a theological statement but also one of trust and love: “My Lord and my God!” (20:28). Jesus’ response to Thomas is not so much a scolding, but rather a blessing for all those who will come to believe without having had the benefit of a flesh-and-blood encounter with Jesus which is the precisely the purpose of the gospel.

Thomas missed out on the risen Lord as he was absent from the community, again emphasising the importance of our family and community life. Also, another message for us is that it is Ok to have doubts regarding religion and faith. We cannot contain the knowledge of God in our finite minds and language and therefore we must always strive to learn more about our faith, clarify our doubts and more importantly spend more time in prayer asking God to reveal himself to us and answer our doubts.

Let us spend some time this week introspecting our family and community life and make an effort to reconcile ourselves with God and with each other. And instead of being a doubting Thomas let's strive to be an inquisitive Thomas. May God bless us all.

 

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