2nd Sunday Of Easter, Year C, 2019

 May your active participation in this Eucharistic Celebration lead you into a deeper personal encounter with the Risen Lord, and make your life a healing touch for others to experience the transforming power of resurrection. Happy Easter. +John I. Okoye

DOCTRINE AND FAITH
(Acts 5,12-16; Revelation 1,9-11a, 12-13, 17-19; John 20,19-31: 2nd Sunday Of Easter, Year C, 2019) In the first reading, the disciples like their Master, Jesus Christ before them, were able to work signs and wonders, that is, effect cures simply through their touch. In this reading Peter is singled out and it is stated that miraculous power of God could be transmitted through his shadow alone. This is striking, for even Jesus normally healed through touch. Two exceptions, are the woman who was cured of her ailment by merely touching the fringe of Jesus' garment (Luke 8,44) and the cure from a distance of the Roman centurion's slave (Luke 7,1-7).

The second reading consists of a report of a commissioning vision that the speaker, who gives his name as John, received at an earlier time. The function of his vision was twofold: it clarified the nature of his task, and it conferred divine authority upon it. By referring to himself as a brother to the Christians to whom the letter is addressed, he identifies himself as a Christian as well. Furthermore, as a Christian he is a companion with the others in the suffering they endure for the sake of their faith. The figure in the vision responded to this with the standard declaration of reassurance:Do not be afraid! (cf. Luke 1,13,30; 2,10). He then identifies himself with the classic self-predication: I am (ego eimi)! This is followed by three characterizations that find their origin in ancient Israelite tradition. The mysterious figure attributes to himself the epithet the first and the last: originally claimed by the God of Israel (Isa 44,6). The figure in the vision clearly ap­propriates to himself divine characteristics, while indirectly identifying himself as the crucified and now-risen Christ. In the new order, theophany (the revelation of God) is specifically christophany (the revelation of Christ). The vision is not merely for the seer. Both at the beginning and at the end of the experience, John is told to write down what he sees, both now and what will be revealed to him in the future. The vision is clearly for the churches, not for any individual. 
The gospel reading consists of two resurrection appearances that form a kind of diptych. The hinge that connects them is the person of Thomas. Absent for the first event, he is the central character in the second. The two resurrection appearances have several details in common: both occur on the first day of the week; despite the closed doors, Jesus appears in their midst; he addresses them with a greeting of peace; he calls their attention to his wounds. Each of these details is laden with theological meaning. The closed doors, not only secured the disciples from those who would be hostile toward them, but they also underscore the mysterious character of Jesus' risen body, which is not impeded by material obstacles. The wish of peace, the common greeting of the day, was also a prayer for the eschatological blessings of health, prosperity, and all good things. Finally, by calling attention to the wounds in his hands and side, Jesus showed the disciples that he was really the crucified one now risen. 

According to this account it is on the evening of the resurrection itself that the Holy Spirit is bestowed on the disciples. They are commissioned to go forth, to declare salvation and judgment. The image of breathing life into another is reminiscent of the creation of Adam (cf. Gen 2,7) and the restoration of Israel (cf. Ezek 37,9). This very act by the risen Lord casts him in a creative/re-creative role. Thomas represents the second generation of Christians, those who are called to believe on the testimony of others. The faith required of him is, in a way, more demanding than that required of those who actually encountered the risen Lord. Viewed in this way, his doubt is understandable. While we may judge him harshly for it, Jesus does not. Instead, he invites Thomas to touch him, an invitation not extended earlier to the other disciples. The story does not say Thomas actually touched the wounds, only that he cried out in faith, My Lord and my God. The other disciples recognized that the one in their midst was their Lord. Thomas declared that the risen Lord was God, a profession of faith that outstrips the others. According to Jesus, as profound as was Thomas' ultimate faith, it does not compare with the faith of those who do not enjoy the kind of experience of the Lord described here. Thomas should be remembered not because he was absent or because he doubted but because, like us, he was called to believe on the word of others. And like Thomas, we know how difficult that is.  The readings for the Sundays after Easter all provide mystagogical catechesis for the entire Church, with a special emphasis for the newly baptized. This instruction is meant to help us recognize the presence of the risen Lord in our midst. The overarching theme for the Second Sunday of Easter is the celebration of this presence in several manifestations. We believe in the resurrection, but we would like to have some concrete evidence of its power. Where is it in our lives? We want to touch it, to see it. We would like some kind of material presence. While we might seek some obvious, tangible manifestation, each reading speaks of the presence of Christ in a way we would not expect Christ to be present. He is there in the very throes of sickness, in fear and doubt, in the celebration of the liturgy.The story of Thomas is the story of many Christians. Not content to take the word of others, they seek their own personal experience of the Lord. While in itself there is nothing wrong with such a desire, the disdaining of the word and witness of others can lead to arrogance and lost opportunities. However, the account shows both the patient understanding of Christ and the humble acknowledgment of error on the part of Thomas. It also shows that it was actually in the midst of the community, the place where Thomas least expected to meet the Lord, that the personal experience occurred. Finally, it was not at all what Thomas had expected. He demanded to touch the Lord, and when he was invited to do so, he instead expressed his faith in a gesture of adoration. Mystical experiences are not reserved for extraordinarily holy people. Any one of us can be invited into a deep personal encounter when we least expect it, in the most unlikely places and with effects that overwhelm us. In fact, the risen Christ is always just around the next corner, eager to enter our lives with the transforming power of the resurrection. 

Unlike Thomas, who at first spurned the witness of others, the people who brought their sick to the apostles experienced the power of the risen Lord in the works of the community done in the name of that Lord. It was through the signs and wonders wrought by the disciples of Jesus that others were drawn to join the community of believers. So it is with us. There are people in our midst who serve the needs of others through visiting those who are sick and infirm, helping with the care of children, advocating for the protection of the vulnerable, repairing public roads and facilities, making sure our streets and neighbor­hoods are safe. There are those whose presence is a healing touch, whose smile warms our hearts and whose words of counsel illumine the darkness of our lives. There are people all around us who manifest the presence of the risen Lord if we but open ourselves to the manifestation. We can be these people in the lives of others. We do not have to be ordained ministers to witness to the presence of the risen Lord. We too have our Porticos of Solomon, our supermarkets, our gathering places, our offices and factories. We too can be the healing touch of the risen Christ in a world of suffering and violence. We can be the reason others come to the Lord. Being part of a community of believers in prayer can be one of the most profound religious experiences. It not only transforms the present, it also entrusts us with a vision of what is yet to be, an eschatological hope for a glorious future. This is the essence of the vision found in the reading from the book of Revelation, but it is also the possibility of every single Eucharist in which we participate. The wonder of the Eucharist is that it is present and future at the same time. It celebrates an encounter with the Christ who is with us now and who will be fully revealed in an eschatological future. While it is important that everything connected with the liturgical celebration be done with the utmost care and reverence, the actual encounter with the Lord occurs beneath these exteriors. They can either aid us or act as obstacles, but they themselves are not the actual experience. They are gateways through which we pass into an encounter with the Lord. As we gather to celebrate we must remember that we are entering an eschatological moment in which we will encounter the presence of the risen Lord, glorified before the throne of God. May this be our experience during the Eucharistic celebration of this Sunday, Amen! 

Happy Easter! +John I. Okoye

 (Graphics  by Chukwubike)