Second Sunday of Easter

Second Sunday of Easter

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April 28, 2019

Acts 5:12-16; Psalm 118; Revelation 1:9-13, 17-19; John 20:19-31

The story of Thomas the Doubter helps us to see the mercy God has towards us and it raises questions about our notion of how big our God actually is. We can have empathy with Thomas because he doubts the accounts of the resurrection. After all, we do not have any first-hand accounts of the resurrection. No one really saw what happened with Jesus. Our evidence is the empty tomb and the appearance narratives. It is further testimony that Easter is about reconciliation because Thomas is the only one separated from the community and cannot be reunited with his friends until he is with them again.

St. Paul reminds us that the Resurrection is a cosmic event in which all creation is groaning for its redemption. To show the immensity of God, our Christian artists depict Christ uniting the netherworld with the heavens. As Christ descended into death, he united the departed souls who were awaiting redemption to God the Father. This is a God who can bring about a universal redemption of creation while also helping others achieve personal reconciliation and transformation. Christ’s love is beyond the walls of death and it would be natural for him to seek out his friend, Judas, who betrayed him and handed him over. If Christ’s magnanimous heart will do that, imagine what his love can do for us.

         We have to know above all things that we are already loved by a God whose immeasurable love doesn’t have time or interest in seeing our sins. We have to live in the reality that we are radically loved and are promised a place in God’s kingdom. Remember the words Jesus said to his disciples and then to Thomas, “Peace be with you.” In other words, “Do not live in fear.” Our lessons are to not let fear hold us back or to keep our minds closed. This love of God will open our hearts and minds to love and see the world the way God loves and sees the world.

         When we meet Thomas, his mind and heart are closed, and he will not believe. He is quite stubborn, but the reconciliation Jesus offers him loosens his mindset so that he can accept the friendship of Jesus and the inclusion back into his communities again. Consider a person in your life whose mind is closed to reconciliation. They are separated from the whole community just as Thomas was. Their closed heart keeps them suffering and causes more suffering. Perhaps someone’s honor was tarnished, or they took offense at what was said or done, or they want an apology on their terms before they offer their own apology and consider forgiving the other person. They have taken the place of judgeship, and it is not rightly theirs, but the only way to reach into their closed worldview is through our merciful way of life, when we can understand their struggles and hear about their pain. We are waiting for Christ to breathe his Holy Spirit upon the closed-down person so the reconciliation can begin. Sometimes we are the one who has closed down and shut out others, and we have some heart-work to do. We, who are believers, are the ones to bring the Spirit of reconciliation to others. Christ acting through us can achieve the union that we seek. We can do this because we are already loved by a God who does not do anything else but love us.

         Let us pray for our increased capacity to be merciful to others and to be open to the possibility that our relationships can be restored. We know when our minds and hearts are closed because we won’t talk about an issue or we get angry. We shut down others and ourselves and we hold onto some view tightly without considering that another person has a valid perspective. These are the moments we need to ask Christ to love us more because his love corrects the course of misperceptions and allows us to see another viewpoint. His love takes our fear away, which is proof of the resurrection. Our increased love will helps set things right once again because love unites and stops the progress of evil. It reminds us that our God is bigger than all our concerns, though God remains concerned for our needs, and that God is working to restore our relationships through loving us more fully. Let us be open to receive that love, and then let our openness give new life, new hope, new energy to one who seeks it. Easter’s reconciliation will happen again.

Scripture for Daily Mass

First Readings

Monday: (Acts 4) Peter and John return to their people after being released from the religious authorities. They prayed about their ordeal and the whole house shook and all were filled with the Holy Spirit.

Tuesday: (Acts 4) The community of believers was of one heart and mind and together they bore witness to the Resurrection. Joseph, called Barnabas, sold a property and give money to the Apostles.

Wednesday: (Acts 5) The high priest with the Sadducees jailed the Apostles but during the night the Lord opened the prison doors and the Apostles returned to the Temple area to preach.

Thursday: (Acts 5) The Apostles were brought forth again during their arrest and they were reminded that they were forbidden to preach. Peter said on behalf of the Apostles that they are to obey God, and not men. 

Friday (Acts 5) Gamaliel, the Pharisee, urges wisdom for the Sanhedrin declaring that if this is of God, it cannot be stopped, but if it is of men, it will certainly die out.

Saturday (Acts 6) The number of disciples grew. The Hellenists complained to the Hebrews that their widows were being neglected. The Twelve decided it was right to select seven reputable men (deacons) to take care of the daily distribution while they continued with prayer and the ministry of the word. Meanwhile the number of disciples in Jerusalem increased greatly. Even a large group of priests were becoming obedient to the faith.

Gospel: 

Monday: (John 3) Nicodemus, a Pharisee, a ruler of the Jews comes to Jesus wondering about where he is able to do the great miracles and teachings. He tries to understand.

Tuesday: (John 3) Jesus answered Nicodemus saying, “you must be born from above” to accept this testimony.

Wednesday (John 3) God did not send his Son into the world to condemn it, but that the world might be saved through him.

Thursday (John 3) Jesus explains that he was come from above and speaks of the things that are from above. Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life.

Friday (John 6) Near a Passover feast, Jesus miraculously feeds the hungry crowds as a good shepherd would. He reminds the people that the actions in his earthly life were precursors of the meal that they are to share. They are to eat his body and drink his blood. 

Saturday (John 6) Jesus then departs to the other side of the sea. When a storm picks up, he walks on the turbulent waves and instructs them not to be afraid. He is with them. He has power over the natural and supernatural world.

Saints of the Week

April 28: Peter Chanel, priest, missionary, martyr (1803-1841), is the first martyr of the Pacific South Seas. Originally a parish priest in rural eastern France, he joined the Society of Mary (Marists) to become a missionary in 1831 after a five-year stint teaching in the seminary. At first the missionaries were well-received in the New Hebrides and other Pacific island nations as they recently outlawed cannibalism. The growth of white influence placed Chanel under suspicion, which led to an attack on the missionaries. When the king’s son wanted to be baptized, his anger erupted and Peter was clubbed to death in protest. 

April 28: Louis of Montfort, priest (1673-1716), dedicated his life to the care of the poor and the sick as a hospital chaplain in Poitiers, France. He angered the public and the administration when he tried to organize the hospital women's workers into a religious organization. He was let go. He went to Rome where the pope gave him the title "missionary apostolic" so he could preach missions that promoted a Marian and Rosary-based spirituality. He formed the "Priests of the Company of Mary" and the "Daughters of Wisdom."

April 29: Catherine of Siena, mystic and doctor of the Church (1347-1380), was the 24^th of 25^th children. At an early age, she had visions of guardian angels and the saints. She became a Third-Order Dominican and persuaded the Pope to return to Rome from Avignon in 1377. She died at age 33 after receiving the stigmata.

April 30: Pope Pius V, Pope (1504-1572), is noted for his work in the Counter-Reformation, the Council of Trent, and the standardization of the Roman Rite for mass. He was a fierce conservative who prosecuted eight French bishops for heterodoxy and Elizabeth I for schism. The Holy League he founded defeated the Ottoman Empire at the Battle of Lepanto whose success was attributed to the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

May 1: Joseph the Worker was honored by Pope Pius XII in 1955 in an effort to counteract May Day, a union, worker, and socialist holiday. Many Catholics believe him to be the patron of workers because he is known for his patience, persistence, and hard work as admirable qualities that believers should adopt.

May 2: Athanasius, bishop and doctor (295-373), was an Egyptian who attended the Nicene Council in 325. He wrote about Christ's divinity but this caused his exile by non-Christian emperors. He wrote a treatise on the Incarnation and brought monasticism to the West.

May 3: Philip and James, Apostles (first century), were present to Jesus throughout his entire ministry. Philip was named as being explicitly called. James is called the Lesser to distinguish him from James of Zebedee. Little is known of these founders of our faith.

May 4: Joseph Mary Rubio, S.J., priest (1864-1929), is a Jesuit known as the Apostle of Madrid. He worked with the poor bringing them the Spiritual Exercises and spiritual direction and he established local trade schools. 

This Week in Jesuit History

·      Apr 28, 1542. St Ignatius sent Pedro Ribadeneira, aged fifteen, from Rome to Paris for his studies. Pedro had been admitted into the Society in l539 or l540.

·      Apr 29, 1933. Thomas Ewing Sherman died in New Orleans. An orator on the mission band, he was the son of Civil War General William Tecumseh Sherman. He suffered a breakdown, and wanted to leave the Society, but was refused because of his ill health. Before his death he renewed his vows in the Society.

·      Apr 30, 1585. The landing at Osaka of Fr. Gaspar Coelho. At first the Emperor was favorably disposed towards Christianity. This changed later because of Christianity's attitude toward polygamy.

·      May 1, 1572. At Rome, Pope St. Pius V dies. His decree imposing Choir on the Society was cancelled by his successor, Gregory XIII.

·      May 2, 1706. The death of Jesuit brother G J Kamel. The camellia flower is named after him.

·      May 3, 1945. American troops take over Innsbruck, Austria. Theology studies at the Canisianum resume a few months later.

·      May 4, 1902. The death of Charles Sommervogel, historian of the Society and editor of the bibliography of all publications of the Jesuits from the beginnings of the Society onward.