On the evening of that first day of the week,
when the doors were locked, where the disciples were,
for fear of the Jews,
Jesus came and stood in their midst
and said to them, “Peace be with you.”
When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side.
The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord.
Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you.
As the Father has sent me, so I send you.”
And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them,
“Receive the Holy Spirit.
Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them,
and whose sins you retain are retained.”
Thomas, called Didymus, one of the Twelve,
was not with them when Jesus came.
So the other disciples said to him, “We have seen the Lord.”
But he said to them,
“Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands
and put my finger into the nail marks
and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.”
Now a week later his disciples were again inside
and Thomas was with them.
Jesus came, although the doors were locked,
and stood in their midst and said, “Peace be with you.”
Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and see my hands,
and bring your hand and put it into my side,
and do not be unbelieving, but believe.”
Thomas answered and said to him, “My Lord and my God!”
Jesus said to him, “Have you come to believe because you have seen me?
Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.”
Now, Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples
that are not written in this book.
But these are written that you may come to believe
that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God,
and that through this belief you may have life in his name.
Second Sunday of Easter
Prayers of the Faithful
Let us pray that a shadow of healing and faith may flow over those who struggle to believe in Christ Jesus in this uncertain time of COVID-19. May the resurrection open the door to faith and peace.
We pray to the Lord
Let us pray for the weak and tired, that the mercy of the Risen Christ may find a home in the bruises and suffering of our friends and families. Let us rely solely on the Holy Spirit.
We pray to the Lord.
Let us pray for the courage to touch the suffering of the Body of Christ on earth, those without homes and comfort, those without hope for a decent education, and people without sufficient food. We pray for Divine Mercy upon people most in need of hope.
We pray to the Lord.
Let us pray for the Universal Church, that we may touch the wounded Christ on earth so to reveal the hope of his resurrection for the weary and outcast. Let us break out from fear and doubt especially in this time of financial uncertainty and widespread disease.
We pray to the Lord.
Let us pray that we may build our parish on fidelity to Christ’s new life and the courage to work among people who live in fear and darkness. Let us proclaim Christ’s peace.
We pray to the Lord.
Let us pray for our family members who have died in these past weeks. For salvation for the dead, especially the unclaimed bodies in Potter’s Fields. For healing among those who grieve.
When Jesus had risen, early on the first day of the week,
he appeared first to Mary Magdalene,
out of whom he had driven seven demons.
She went and told his companions who were mourning and weeping.
When they heard that he was alive
and had been seen by her, they did not believe.
After this he appeared in another form
to two of them walking along on their way to the country.
They returned and told the others;
but they did not believe them either.
But later, as the Eleven were at table, he appeared to them
and rebuked them for their unbelief and hardness of heart
because they had not believed those
who saw him after he had been raised.
He said to them, “Go into the whole world
and proclaim the Gospel to every creature.”
Jesus revealed himself again to his disciples at the Sea of Tiberias.
He revealed himself in this way.
Together were Simon Peter, Thomas called Didymus,
Nathanael from Cana in Galilee,
Zebedee’s sons, and two others of his disciples.
Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.”
They said to him, “We also will come with you.”
So they went out and got into the boat,
but that night they caught nothing.
When it was already dawn, Jesus was standing on the shore;
but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus.
Jesus said to them, “Children, have you caught anything to eat?”
They answered him, “No.”
So he said to them, “Cast the net over the right side of the boat
and you will find something.”
So they cast it, and were not able to pull it in
because of the number of fish.
So the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord.”
When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord,
he tucked in his garment, for he was lightly clad,
and jumped into the sea.
The other disciples came in the boat,
for they were not far from shore, only about a hundred yards,
dragging the net with the fish.
When they climbed out on shore,
they saw a charcoal fire with fish on it and bread.
Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish you just caught.”
So Simon Peter went over and dragged the net ashore
full of one hundred fifty-three large fish.
Even though there were so many, the net was not torn.
Jesus said to them, “Come, have breakfast.”
And none of the disciples dared to ask him, “Who are you?”
because they realized it was the Lord.
Jesus came over and took the bread and gave it to them,
and in like manner the fish.
This was now the third time Jesus was revealed to his disciples
after being raised from the dead.
Today we peer into the locked room where the disciples huddled in fear. We can relate to this moment in the scriptures during this time of self-quarantine. The COVID-19 virus has us locked down in fear. Some of our friends have died. Others are frightened about the future with job loss and questions about how to pay the rent. Others are suffering emotional and mental ill health after spending these past weeks alone. Today, Jesus stands in the center of our fear as well and offers us peace.
This gospel from John 20: 19-31, invites us to acknowledge our own fear after Jesus’ death. The Resurrection of Jesus unfolds with profound insight in this Easter season. Slowly, gradually, we come to terms with what the Resurrection of Christ Jesus means for our own lives. This text reveals to us that fear is useless.
We view the disciples behind locked doors. I can imagine how they felt, struggling to make sense out of those past days. They encountered his suffering and their own grief. Their expectations of following him exploded in their faces. I imagine that room filled with body heat and fear, with few words floating in the tension. Their anguish roused silence and heightened hearing. Every move and sound must have brought fear to a deeper level.
Then a miracle happened. From the blackness of fear, Jesus appears to them. Without a key to the room, or hearing his footprints, he appears before them. Jesus mutters with great assurance the first words of the Resurrection, “Peace be with you.” Those words have echoed down the centuries into our liturgies. I wonder if we ever reflect on the way those disciples first heard those words with their heightened hearing and beating hearts. Peace, I am sure, must have seemed impossible.
Jesus reveals himself. He showed them he was the real deal. His redeemed wounds, his scars on his hands and feet, teach them that he is the same person from before but now incredibility different. They are following him into new spiritual territory. He becomes divine; he enters their hearts with profound hope.
Then John’s account of Pentecost happens. Jesus sends them out the door. He breathes on them offering the Holy Spirit. I can’t imagine this moment. There are many missing paragraphs it seems. Their bodies were weak with fear, and then in an instant they were sent into the world with a new vision. This is intense. There is so much to deal with from the disciples’ perspective. Pentecost soars within hours of the Resurrection in the Gospel of John.
Thomas was not in the room at the time. He shows up a week later. Thomas is unable to put all the pieces together. I don’t blame him. Who could have seen this coming? So Jesus returns and Thomas touches Jesus’ redeemed wounds with his own hands. He puts his finger into the nail marks on his hand. He probes the mystery of the wound in his side. I want to feel what Thomas felt. How I wish I could have been with them in this encounter. From the depths of Thomas’ soul, from his gut, he just can’t keep it inside of him, he proclaims, “My Lord and my God!”
This particular gospel from John is proclaimed every year on the Sunday after Easter Day. Thirty-seven years ago, I preached on this text at my First Mass in South Bend, Indiana. Unfortunately, the priesthood ordinations of our men this year have been postponed to September because of COVID-19. Please pray for our men who so looked forward to being ordained on the usual Saturday after Easter. I never imagined thirty-seven years ago, that a virus would have such an impact. Life is really changed.
This profound encounter between Jesus and Thomas invites us into deep faith. Every believer touches the mystery of Jesus’ presence in various ways. We grow into touching the wounds of the Body of Christ in our service among people. We touch human suffering every day. We probe the mystery of the wounded and redeemed Body of Christ when we experience human suffering. Love changes us. Love enables us to proclaim on our lips, “My Lord, and my God!”
The disciples of Jesus recounted what had taken place along the way,
and how they had come to recognize him in the breaking of bread.
While they were still speaking about this,
he stood in their midst and said to them,
“Peace be with you.”
But they were startled and terrified
and thought that they were seeing a ghost.
Then he said to them, “Why are you troubled?
And why do questions arise in your hearts?
Look at my hands and my feet, that it is I myself.
Touch me and see, because a ghost does not have flesh and bones
as you can see I have.”
And as he said this,
he showed them his hands and his feet.
While they were still incredulous for joy and were amazed,
he asked them, “Have you anything here to eat?”
They gave him a piece of baked fish;
he took it and ate it in front of them.
He said to them,
“These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you,
that everything written about me in the law of Moses
and in the prophets and psalms must be fulfilled.”
Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures.
And he said to them,
“Thus it is written that the Christ would suffer
and rise from the dead on the third day
and that repentance, for the forgiveness of sins,
would be preached in his name
to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem.
You are witnesses of these things.”
That very day, the first day of the week,
two of Jesus’ disciples were going
to a village seven miles from Jerusalem called Emmaus,
and they were conversing about all the things that had occurred.
And it happened that while they were conversing and debating,
Jesus himself drew near and walked with them,
but their eyes were prevented from recognizing him.
He asked them,
“What are you discussing as you walk along?”
They stopped, looking downcast.
One of them, named Cleopas, said to him in reply,
“Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem
who does not know of the things
that have taken place there in these days?”
And he replied to them, “What sort of things?”
They said to him,
“The things that happened to Jesus the Nazarene,
who was a prophet mighty in deed and word
before God and all the people,
how our chief priests and rulers both handed him over
to a sentence of death and crucified him.
But we were hoping that he would be the one to redeem Israel;
and besides all this,
it is now the third day since this took place.
Some women from our group, however, have astounded us:
they were at the tomb early in the morning
and did not find his Body;
they came back and reported
that they had indeed seen a vision of angels
who announced that he was alive.
Then some of those with us went to the tomb
and found things just as the women had described,
but him they did not see.”
And he said to them, “Oh, how foolish you are!
How slow of heart to believe all that the prophets spoke!
Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things
and enter into his glory?”
Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets,
he interpreted to them what referred to him
in all the Scriptures.
As they approached the village to which they were going,
he gave the impression that he was going on farther.
But they urged him, “Stay with us,
for it is nearly evening and the day is almost over.”
So he went in to stay with them.
And it happened that, while he was with them at table,
he took bread, said the blessing,
broke it, and gave it to them.
With that their eyes were opened and they recognized him,
but he vanished from their sight.
Then they said to each other,
“Were not our hearts burning within us
while he spoke to us on the way and opened the Scriptures to us?”
So they set out at once and returned to Jerusalem
where they found gathered together
the Eleven and those with them who were saying,
“The Lord has truly been raised and has appeared to Simon!”
Then the two recounted what had taken place on the way
and how he was made known to them in the breaking of the bread.
Mary Magdalene stayed outside the tomb weeping.
And as she wept, she bent over into the tomb
and saw two angels in white sitting there,
one at the head and one at the feet
where the Body of Jesus had been.
And they said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?”
She said to them, “They have taken my Lord,
and I don’t know where they laid him.”
When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus there,
but did not know it was Jesus.
Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?
Whom are you looking for?”
She thought it was the gardener and said to him,
“Sir, if you carried him away,
tell me where you laid him,
and I will take him.”
Jesus said to her, “Mary!”
She turned and said to him in Hebrew, “Rabbouni,”
which means Teacher.
Jesus said to her, “Stop holding on to me,
for I have not yet ascended to the Father.
But go to my brothers and tell them,
‘I am going to my Father and your Father,
to my God and your God.’”
Mary went and announced to the disciples,
“I have seen the Lord,”
and then reported what he had told her.
Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went away quickly from the tomb,
fearful yet overjoyed,
and ran to announce the news to his disciples.
And behold, Jesus met them on their way and greeted them.
They approached, embraced his feet, and did him homage.
Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid.
Go tell my brothers to go to Galilee,
and there they will see me.”
While they were going, some of the guard went into the city
and told the chief priests all that had happened.
The chief priests assembled with the elders and took counsel;
then they gave a large sum of money to the soldiers,
telling them, “You are to say,
‘His disciples came by night and stole him while we were asleep.’
And if this gets to the ears of the governor,
we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble.”
The soldiers took the money and did as they were instructed.
And this story has circulated among the Jews to the present day.
Let us pray that our Universal Church may radiate joy in our fragile world this day, that we may offer hope and inspiration through prayer, poetry, art and loving service to people who are fragile and worn down by society. We pray for people surviving isolation and illness during this period of COVID-19.
We pray to the Lord.
Let us pray for people lost among grief and hardships among our families and neighborhoods. Help us all proclaim new life in the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus’ compassion toward all people.
We pray to the Lord.
Let us pray for our own lives within the Catholic Church as we welcome our new members in joy who will be baptised, confirmed and received Holy Eucharist at a later date, and for those who will receive sacraments in the Easter Season or beyond.
We pray to the Lord.
Let us pray for those who live without hope this Easter Day, for those trapped in ill health, unemployment and fragile marriages, that we may offer Easter hope to people in our families and those in need.
We pray to the Lord.
Let us pray for all members of our parish community this day that we may be inspired by the Holy Spirit to pray more fervently and to serve others even beyond our expertise.
We pray to the Lord.
Let us pray for our beloved dead this Easter morning. For our loved ones and parishioners, that they may find their eternal home in the promise of the resurrection of Christ Jesus.
We pray to the Lord.
Bulletin Column:
Dear Believers in the Christ,
I never imagined I would say this to an empty church, “Happy Easter!” We are reading this on line and viewing recordings of Easter Mass. Some are watching live stream from churches across the globe. Some people are praying at home alone and others are praying with their children. Some people may have even forgotten that today is Easter. Our lives are incredibly different. The way we express our faith today is unprecedented.
Nevertheless, Easter is here! So, I still invite you into the most incredible miracle of faith. This is the core of our faith even though we are not together to proclaim a new, “Alleluia!” Please know of my concern for you in this fearful and uncertain time. News about COVID-19 changes every day. We will continue to communicate to you about the parish and our future together. Here is a reflection on today’s gospel.
We proclaim John 20:1-9 on this Easter morning. I love this gospel. Mary Magdalene comes to the tomb unsure about what just had happened to Jesus. Her inner turmoil kept her awake. She must have come to the tomb feeling empty. She was exhausted. Her inner loss and grief filled the night. I wonder how she found her way, stumbling on the path as the dawn cracked the sky.
Mary Magdalene was first to discover the empty tomb. History has not given her enough credit for this find, this spiritual encounter. She is called, “The Disciple to the Disciples”, for this very discovery and then telling the men. I can imagine she wiped the weariness from her eyes and still could not imagine such a finding. She panics. The emptiness filled her imagination about who took Jesus from the tomb. She needed another set of eyes to comprehend such an event.
Mary’s news to John and Peter caused alarm. They ran to verify the words of Mary. John arrived first to the place where Jesus was buried. John saw the cloths but could not bring himself to enter the tomb. His grief must have been overwhelming. Peter entered the tomb. He overcame his fear of what the tomb would reveal.
The tomb revealed the cloth that had covered Jesus’ head. Had someone moved the body, that cloth would still surround the head of Christ. Instead, it was rolled up, tucked in the corner of the tomb. It seems that Peter was still not making all of the connections. John saw the cloth and he believed. Something clicked in the heart of John. He knew Jesus had risen. He knew that through all of the turmoil, something new was happening.
Today, we are grateful for the lives of Mary Magdalene, Peter and John, for their willingness to enter the tomb. Their courage speaks to us today. Their inner turmoil gave way to centuries of hope for many people. Today, we celebrate that fear does not win. Today, we journey to the tombs that we have built from our own fear, discouragement and hopelessness. Jesus overwhelms the darkness with his light. Love has the last word.
We build our lives on Jesus’ resurrection. This is the core of our faith. We celebrate the resurrection at each Mass. This is the story we share at every Eucharist. I realize that so many areas of our human lives have yet to experience hope. Every day we are surrounded by grief at the death of a loved one. We lose hope as we face the dark issues of Church including sex crimes and infidelity. We find only discouragement when we do not live up to our potential or when we discover others have not lived up to their commitments. Life is really tough. Easter does not gloss over heartbreak. Easter invites us realize we share the crosses of life. As we encounter myriads of deaths, God is with us.
Our link to Easter is our second birth in baptism. We are born again in Jesus’ resurrection. God is among us. Hope is alive. Love pierces even our darkest pain. Our commitment to one another in baptism is the way in which we live out Easter morning. The virus has ruptured our common life. The Church and all of society will never be the same. Our life of worship will change in ways we still do not understand. Yet, our life together in baptism will challenge us to be prophetic witnesses of life and hope for many people. I wait in great hope this Easter morning that I will stand on the floor of Sacred Heart Church an preach an Easter message viewing your faces.
The white garment tucked away in the corner of the tomb is essentially the white garment given to us when we were baptized. We are clothed in glory, given a share in the hope of the empty tomb. We shall proclaim this message like prophets and bring people together like sages of the past. We shall witness our faith in good times and in bad. Alleluia!!
“For they did not yet understand the Scripturethat he had to rise from the dead.”
For integrity, love and hope within our Universal Church on this most holy night, that we may learn to pray fervently in the Holy Spirit so to serve the least among us.
We pray to the Lord.
For all believe in the love of Christ Jesus, that we may stir up our own baptismal commitments during this holy night even though we are not assembled to welcome new members to the font of the Holy Spirit.
We pray to the Lord.
For people who long for our new found hope this night, our terminally ill, our desperate poor, our beloved in the streets, people surviving in our jails, for families who live in cars and under bridges. We beg God to show us the compassion of the Risen Savior.
We pray to the Lord.
For all members of our parish community, that we may be unified in our holy search for God and remember our call to serve from the depths of our baptism. We pray that our future may be guided in the Holy Spirit.
We pray to the Lord.
For our loved ones who have died since our last Easter Vigil, that God may receive our friends, parishioners and family members in the everlasting Kingdom of Heaven. For all who have died in our world during these months of COVID-19.
Broken But Not Divided 