{"id":1800,"date":"2013-08-18T00:52:34","date_gmt":"2013-08-18T00:52:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/buildingontheword.org\/?page_id=1800"},"modified":"2022-01-24T17:24:19","modified_gmt":"2022-01-24T22:24:19","slug":"a-2nd-sunday-of-easter","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/buildingontheword.org\/homilies\/cycle-a-2\/a-2nd-sunday-of-easter\/","title":{"rendered":"A: 2nd Sunday of Easter"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Pope\u2019s Example<\/strong><\/h2>\n
April 4, 2005<\/h5>\n

1 Peter 1:3-9Just a few hours ago our Holy Father Pope John Paul ll took his last breath and brought to a close nearly a quarter of a century of leading the Catholic church.\u00a0 For many days now the world has been in vigil anticipating the pope\u2019s death.\u00a0 Already many commentators have begun to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of his pontificate from political and religious standpoints.\u00a0 But for us gathering today on this second Sunday of Easter in our local parish church, I would like to pose a more fundamental question concerning the life of Pope John Paul ll.\u00a0 This question is one which is not only posed to a pope, but to anyone who is baptized.\u00a0 In what ways did the life of this person reflect the truth of the gospel?\u00a0 Some day each one of us will face that question.\u00a0 How did our lives reflect the good news of Christ and perhaps lead others to follow Christ more closely?<\/p>\n

When you ask that question of someone who has lived as long and as publicly as John Paul ll, there are of course many ways to answer it.\u00a0 But I would like to suggest today two qualities of his life, which truly reflect the Gospel and also open the way to imitation.\u00a0 Both of these qualities flow from what is clearly the predominant theme of his pontificate: the belief in the value of human life.\u00a0 John Paul ll from the time he ascended the throne of Peter began to speak forcibly for the dignity and the sacredness of life. His teaching on life did not neatly attach itself to any particular political agenda.\u00a0 He spoke regularly upon the importance of protecting the life of a child within its mother\u2019s womb. He spoke regularly upon protecting the life of prisoners on death row.\u00a0 He spoke of the value of each human life and how every life had a sacredness that could not be removed.\u00a0 His view of on the sacredness of human life beautifully reflects the words of 1 Peter in today\u2019s second reading. We have an inheritance \u201cimperishable, undefiled, unfading.\u201d Yet John Paul was not about simply teaching these things. He lived them.\u00a0 This leads to the two qualities that I would like to highlight from his life: the example of his happiness and his suffering.<\/p>\n

John Paul ll was a happy man.\u00a0 Those of you who can remember when he became our pope recall that he was described as \u201cthe smiling pope.\u201d\u00a0 We had a number of good popes in the 20th<\/sup> century; Pious Xll, Paul VI, but they were rather grim in their appearance.\u00a0 John Paul ll exuded a joy, a happiness.\u00a0 It might seem commonplace to say so but he loved his job.\u00a0 He loved being the one who could give voice to the presence and love of Christ in the world as the leader of the Catholic Church.\u00a0 It was that happiness in his work that moved him to visit as many countries as he did throughout the world proclaiming the joyous nature of being a follower of Christ.\u00a0 Joy is something we can undervalue as a superfluous addition to life.\u00a0 But true joy is an indisputable sign of the presence of God.\u00a0 John Paul was as successful as a pope because people knew he was happy with his life, happy as a follower of Christ.<\/p>\n

That joy of the pope is a challenge to us.\u00a0 It testifies to the truth that God wants us to be happy.\u00a0 Sure there will be trials and troubles in life, but fundamentally being a Christian is being one who is called to joy.\u00a0 Therefore, if you find yourself in chronic sadness whether in your marriage, your job, or in your relationships, the testimony of John Paul ll challenges you to recognize that something is wrong.\u00a0 God is not calling you to sadness, to depression.\u00a0 God is calling you to happiness, to joy.\u00a0 When we find ourselves in a continual state of sadness, the Gospel calls us to change\u2014to change something in ourselves, to change something in our circumstances.\u00a0 Our God calls us not to sadness, but to joy, and the witness of John Paul ll gave testimony to that truth.<\/p>\n

His life also gave witness to suffering.\u00a0 In his latter years we all watched as the Parkinson\u2019s disease and the aging process took its toll.\u00a0 A once vigorous and active pope became more and more frail and feeble.\u00a0 There were some people who called for his resignation saying it was time for him to step down in light of his sickness.\u00a0 That request would have made a good deal of sense were the pope simply an administrator, a CEO of the Catholic Church.\u00a0 But John Paul ll saw his role as more than an administrator. He saw his mission to give witness to what it meant to follow Christ.\u00a0 Therefore, as his health failed, as his life became more difficult, he chose not to hide that deterioration but instead to display it to the world.\u00a0 This flowed from his belief that life, even when reduced by aging and sickness, still had value in the eyes of God.\u00a0 This truth challenges us all. We will age and will have to deal with sickness and diminished vitality.\u00a0 If we truly appreciate the gift of life, we will understand that that diminished life does not rob us of our sacredness or dignity.\u00a0 We will understand that we do not need to hide or apologize because we are less of the person than we were 30 or 40 years ago.\u00a0 We still have value because we still have the life that is God\u2019s gift to us.\u00a0 Moreover, those of us who are younger and who still have our health should examine our attitude to those who are aging and sick.\u00a0 They are not people we should hide away or neglect, but rather cherish and support. However diminished, they still carry God\u2019s sacred gift of life within them.<\/p>\n

For the next few weeks the eyes of the world will be on our church as we say farewell to John Paul ll and choose his successor.\u00a0 There is a sadness in leaving a man who so forcibly showed the example of the Gospel.\u00a0 But even as we mark his passing we should be thankful for what he showed us about life and its value.\u00a0 John Paul II showed us the importance of being happy in what we are called to do and the value of our life even as we cope with sickness and age.\u00a0 We entrust the holy father to the Lord\u2019s care and we believe that he is now in the presence of the God whom he served. We can do nothing more to honor his memory than to follow his example\u2014to live our lives committed to the joy of the Gospel and always believe that no matter what sickness or trouble we might attack us we retain the sacredness and dignity of being daughters and sons of God.<\/p>\n

A Body to Touch<\/strong><\/h2>\n
March 30, 2008<\/h5>\n

John 20:19 – 31<\/h3>\n

I would like to focus today on just one aspect of this dramatic passage from the Gospel of John: that curious invitation by Jesus to Thomas to take his finger and place it in the nail marks of Jesus\u2019 hand and to take his hand and place it into the gash of Jesus\u2019 side. Why would Thomas want to do this? Why would Jesus invite him to do it? What is the significance of this strange and gruesome action?<\/p>\n

Now to answer that question we need to remember that each of the Gospels tells the story of Jesus in the context of the events of its own community. At the time that John\u2019s Gospel was written there was a significant debate going on in the early church\u2014a debate about who Jesus was and what our salvation entailed. There was a certain group of early Christians who did not believe that Jesus had a physical body. They did not believe that Jesus was human as we are human. These early Christians believed that Jesus was a spirit and that he only appeared to be human, he only seemed to have a physical body. Now tradition has called this group of early Christians \u201cDocetists.\u201d The word comes from the Greek word Dokeo <\/i>which means \u201cto appear\u201d or \u201cto seem.\u201d The word is appropriate because this early Christian group believed that Jesus only appeared or seemed to have a human body. Once we realized that a debate over Jesus\u2019 body was going on at the time of the writing of John\u2019s Gospel, it becomes very likely that Jesus\u2019 invitation to Thomas is the way that the Gospel chooses to disagree with the Docetists. By having Jesus ask Thomas to touch the wounds in his hands, the Gospel is emphasizing that Jesus had hands, that he had a physical body. By asking Thomas to put his hand in Jesus\u2019 side, the Gospel is asserting that Jesus\u2019 wounds were not just spiritual wounds, but were actual physical wounds in a body of flesh and blood.<\/p>\n

Thus this invitation by Jesus to Thomas in the Gospel of John is the way this Gospel asserts that Jesus was not some elusive spirit but human as we are human, that Jesus had a physical body which shared in the glory of His resurrection.<\/p>\n

Now why is this important? Why should we care that Jesus had a physical body? It is vitally important, not only because it tells us something about Jesus, but because it also tells us something about our salvation and our mission in following Jesus. You see the Docetists refused to believe that Jesus had a physical body because they were influenced by a certain trend in Greek thought that considered the body, and all physical things, all of creation, as valueless. In this Greek way of thinking the only thing which was valuable in the human person was that person\u2019s spirit, the soul which all of us possess. Therefore for this Greek way of thinking salvation was escaping from the body, leaving creation and all physical things behind, and moving towards a state of pure spirit with God in God\u2019s presence.<\/p>\n

Now the Gospel of John and the majority of early Christians disagreed with this Greek way of thinking. They disagree with the Docetists. They insisted that creation is good and that physical things including our physical body have value. Therefore they insisted that Jesus had a physical body and his body was raised up on the third day. They insisted that we who follow Jesus will have our bodies raised up as well. Our salvation involves the physical world. Being saved does not simply mean going to heaven, even though at the time of our death our soul goes to be with God. Our mission is to bring God\u2019s will into this physical world, to see that God\u2019s kingdom comes to this earth. This is very important for all of us who would follow Christ, because it means the goal of our faith is not getting to heaven but bringing heaven to earth. We are called not to escape the evil of the world but in fact to change the world so that it would be less evil, less unjust.<\/p>\n

We like Thomas are called touch Jesus\u2019 glorified body as a reminder that every body, every person, all of creation is destined to share in the glory of God. We like Thomas are called to touch Jesus\u2019 wounds as a reminder of how many real physical wounds continue in our world\u2014wounds of sickness and violence, of prejudice and sexism, of poverty and war. Our mission is not to escape the world but to confront the evil of the world and to bring God\u2019s love and kingdom into the lives of the flesh and blood brothers and sisters with whom we share this planet.<\/p>\n

We do not believe that Jesus was simply a spirit, that he only seemed to have a physical body like ours. We believe that Jesus was human and that he was like us in all things but sin. We see God\u2019s raising up Jesus from the grave as God\u2019s commitment to heal the brokenness of our physical world, the actual human woundedness of all of us. We who follow Jesus commit ourselves to work until that day when God\u2019s will be done on earth as it is in heaven.<\/p>\n

The Saving Wounds of Easter<\/b><\/h2>\n
April 30, 2011<\/h5>\n

John 20:19-31<\/h3>\n

Peace be with you\u2014I just lost my job.\u00a0 Peace be with you\u2014I worry about my daughter’s relationship with an abusive boyfriend.\u00a0 Peace be with you\u2014my spouse and I do not even talk; we lead parallel lives.\u00a0 Peace be with you\u2014I\u2019m flunking English.\u00a0 Peace be with you\u2014I\u2019m not feeling well and I’m beginning to worry.<\/p>\n

Three times in today’s Gospel, Jesus addresses his disciples with the greeting, \u201cPeace be with you.\u201d \u00a0\u00a0It is a way of promising life, healing, and joy. We desire these gifts.\u00a0 But very frequently Jesus’ greeting of peace is at odds with the worries and the troubles of our lives.\u00a0 As these worries and troubles press in around us, it is understandable why we might question:\u00a0 Can we believe in Jesus’ greeting?\u00a0 Is there reason to hope in the promise of peace?<\/p>\n

Now, this is a very serious question.\u00a0 Many people who criticize religion would suggest that faith is only a denial or an illusion\u2014a way of pretending that things are fine when they really are not.\u00a0 \u00a0From this perspective, Jesus’ greeting might come across as a string of empty words.\u00a0 But there are more than words in today’s Gospel.<\/p>\n

Immediately after Jesus greets his disciples, he follows it with an action.\u00a0 He says, \u201cPeace be with you,\u201d and then he shows them his hands and his side. There is not even a breath space between the greeting and the scars.\u00a0 Jesus unites peace with woundedness.\u00a0 He does this to show us that woundedness is not to be hidden but to be shared.\u00a0 When we share our woundedness, it leads to compassion which, in turn, leads to peace.<\/p>\n

Now, Jesus is not telling us that we should go around dumping our pain on everyone who we meet.\u00a0 We all know someone who uses their misery as a way of manipulation.\u00a0 But Jesus is telling us is that in relationships of friendship and\u00a0 love, we can sometimes serve the other person not only with strength but also with weakness.\u00a0 When someone we care for is worried, fearful, or in pain, our immediate response is to fix the problem. But in so many circumstances, that ability is not given to us.\u00a0 We cannot always take away that which threatens the one we love.<\/p>\n

What we can do\u2014and what Jesus invites us to do\u2014is to display our weakness, to let the person whom we love know that we too have fears, worries, and pain. When we share our weakness, we say to the one we love, \u201cYou are not alone. I understand. I will be with you.\u201d<\/p>\n

All of us are wounded.\u00a0 All of us have fear, pain, and worry. Today’s Gospel tells us that our woundedness is not to be hidden but to be shared.\u00a0 Our struggles are not to be denied but used to bring healing to others.\u00a0 For when we share our weakness, it leads to compassion, which in turn leads to peace.<\/p>\n

The risen Jesus still bears the scars of his passion.\u00a0 He uses his woundedness to bring Thomas to faith, to bring the disciples to joy.\u00a0 He does this as an example for us.\u00a0 We should never be ashamed of sharing our woundedness with those who we love. In doing so they can see in the truth and honesty of our weakness someone who stands with them. That sharing of weakness opens the door to the peace and joy of the risen Christ.<\/p>\n

So We Do Not Have to Touch<\/strong><\/h2>\n
April 27, 2014<\/h5>\n

John 20: 19-31<\/h3>\n

Some American Indian tribes employ a rite of passage to initiate their members into adulthood. The details of the rite are secret and carefully guarded. On the longest night of the year, a young boy of 12 or 13 years is taken to a tree in the forest. There, alone, and without provisions or weapons, he is told to stand still until the dawn. The young boy must face the threat of wild animals, the darkness of the forest, and the terrible fear of the unknown. You can imagine how happy he must be when at last he sees the rays of the dawn. But then, he sees something else that makes him even happier, because at dawn, out from one of the trees nearby, steps his father. Although the boy thought he had been alone, his father was watching and guarding him all through the night.<\/p>\n

The experience of the disciples in today\u2019s Gospel can be compared to that of this young boy. Their story, like his, took place at night. They too were alone and afraid. They were alone because Jesus, to whom they had pledged their lives, had been brutally crucified. All their dreams of serving in his company had been brought to an abrupt end. They were afraid because the power of Rome that so efficiently brought Jesus to his death could at any time be turned against them. So they gathered behind locked doors and trembled in fear.\u00a0Then, suddenly, Jesus steps into the locked room and offers them peace. Everything changes in that greeting. The apostles now see that Jesus is alive. They realize, as did the young Indian boy, that although they thought they had been alone, Jesus had been watching them and guarding them. Now they could see and hear him. Now Thomas was invited to touch him. Jesus\u2019 presence was obvious.<\/p>\n

But the most important lines in today\u2019s Gospel are the lines that Jesus says to Thomas: \u201cHave you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.\u201d We are the ones that Jesus is blessing in those lines, because we have not seen his risen body and yet we have faith. You see, the reason the disciples saw the risen Christ was so that we do not need to see him. The reason that Thomas touched the risen Christ is so that we do not need to touch him. If we believe in the witness of the apostles, we can believe that Christ is near even when his presence is not obvious.<\/p>\n

When we have to face a crisis in our life, when we lose someone that we love, are hurt by someone that we trusted, have to face the consequences of a terrible mistake, we want to see Jesus. We want the assurance that he is with us. But Easter tells us that even when Christ is not visible to us, we are visible to him. When we have to face decisions about our future\u2014what school should we attend, who should we love, what career should we follow\u2014we want to touch Christ. We want the confidence of knowing that he is with us to help us make the important decisions in our life. When we face sickness, when we begin to realize that our life is coming to an end, we want to hear Christ say to us, \u201cPeace be with you,\u201d so we will know that he will be there to greet us when our life is through.<\/p>\n

The apostles were allowed to hear those words so that we do not need to hear them. If we cling to their witness, then we will know that Christ is truly risen. And with that faith we will not need to be afraid. Although at times it may seem like we are standing alone, Easter faith will tell us that Christ is watching and guarding us all through the long dark night.<\/p>\n

A Second Greeting of Peace<\/strong><\/h2>\n
April 23, 2017<\/h5>\n

John 20: 19-31<\/h3>\n

When the risen Jesus appears to the Apostles in today\u2019s gospel, the first thing that he says to them is, \u201cPeace be with you.\u201d There\u2019s nothing strange about this greeting. After Jesus\u2019 horrible death, the disciples imagined that they would never see him again. So when he appears to them unexpectedly, and even though the doors were locked, they needed some reassurance. Jesus\u2019 greeting of peace is his way of saying, \u201cYes, I am really here. Believe your eyes. I love you still.\u201d The greeting of peace makes perfect sense.<\/p>\n

What is peculiar is that Jesus repeats this greeting a second time. After the disciples have seen him, after he has shown them his hands and his side, after the disciples have rejoiced, Jesus says again, \u201cPeace be with you.\u201d Why does he repeat this greeting again? Why is not one expression of reassurance enough? Perhaps Jesus repeats this greeting, not because the disciples are sad, but because they are happy, not because they are distraught, but because they are overwhelmed with joy. In the very minute that they realize that Jesus is risen, Jesus is with them, there might be a part of them that begins to worry: What will we do if he leaves us again? A part of them might conclude this is simply too good to last. So Jesus repeats a second time, \u201cPeace be with you.\u201d And, thereby he directs them to leave their worries to the future, center on the joy that they have today, and leave the rest to God.<\/p>\n

Sometimes in our moments of greatest joy, sometimes when we are truly overwhelmed with our blessings, we can begin to think, \u201cWhat will I do if this changes?\u201d In that moment Jesus reassures us and again gives us his peace. When you look at a newly born son or daughter and you are overwhelmed by the bliss of new life and the love that you have, even in that joy, there can be part you that begins to worry: \u201cWhat if he or she develops health problems, makes a bad decision, is unable to find happiness in life?\u201d In that worry, Jesus says to us again, \u201cPeace be with you. Embrace the blessing you have today and rejoice.\u201d When you find yourself in an ideal work situation, when you enjoy what you do and the people you are doing it with, even in that happiness there can be a part of you that begins to wonder, \u201cWhat will I do if someone leaves or business turns negative?\u201d In that worry Jesus says to us again, \u201cPeace be with you. You are blessed today, be productive and thankful.\u201d If you are fortunate to enter retirement with security and a partner who loves you, even as you enjoy the blessings of leisure, it is possible that you begin to think, \u201cHow long will this last. How long before I have to face sickness and say good bye?\u201d In that worry, Jesus comes to us and says, \u201cYou have the person you love now. Do not let the joy slip through your fingers. Embrace that joy and be thankful.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jesus gives the greeting of peace to his disciples a second time so that they can focus on the joy they have today and leave the rest to God. Jesus\u2019 greeting of peace is effective, because that greeting is not just a matter of words. Jesus\u2019 peace is connected to his person and to his presence, and he is always with us. So Jesus greets us with peace today that we might rejoice, and he promises us that he will be with us in the future to offer us peace again, no matter what kind of challenges we will need to face.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Pope\u2019s Example April 4, 2005 1 Peter 1:3-9Just a few hours ago our Holy Father Pope John Paul ll took his last breath and brought to a close nearly a quarter of a century of leading the Catholic church.\u00a0 For many days now the world has been in vigil anticipating the pope\u2019s death.\u00a0 Already … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5879,"featured_media":0,"parent":584,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buildingontheword.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1800"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buildingontheword.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buildingontheword.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buildingontheword.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5879"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buildingontheword.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1800"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/buildingontheword.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1800\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5643,"href":"https:\/\/buildingontheword.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1800\/revisions\/5643"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buildingontheword.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/584"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buildingontheword.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1800"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}