Christ Comes to Us
Gospel Reflection: Second Sunday of Easter - Divine Mercy Sunday
by Teresa R. Albright, Pastoral Associate
John 20:19-31
by Teresa R. Albright, Pastoral Associate
John 20:19-31
In Sunday’s Gospel message we heard the
story of “doubting” Thomas and what led him to believe that Jesus was the
Christ and is risen from death. As I meditated on this story I wondered, why wasn’t
Thomas with the other disciples who were sheltering-in-place behind locked
doors? Was he out making a run for bread and toilet paper? While the others
remained closed off from the world, Thomas had ventured out into the thick of
things...perhaps even risking his own life. Did Thomas volunteer to gather
supplies and food on behalf of the others because he was getting a little stir
crazy cooped up in a single, upper room?
I have always drawn comfort from
theologian Paul Tillich’s words, “the opposite of faith is not doubt – it’s
certainty.” I like to think of Thomas, not as someone to pity for his
disbelief, but as someone to admire for his self-awareness. Thomas knows
himself well enough to know that it will take something other than the word of
his brothers and sisters – who had not seen what he had seen outside their
protective walls – to believe in the Resurrection.
Are those who believe without seeing
happier, as Jesus promises? Yes, quite likely! Haven’t we all witnessed the
belief of another and thought to ourselves, “I wish I could believe as easily
as they do.” But the truth is, belief does come easily to us all. This
is Divine Mercy. Because God wants so badly to be in union with us, God shows
himself by whatever means necessary for each unique individual to believe. For
Thomas, he needed the physical presence of Jesus, wounded and standing before
him. Or maybe it ended up that he only needed to hear the sound of Jesus’ voice
in order to proclaim, “my Lord and my God!” with any sincerity of heart. We
will never know because these things were not written down and recorded in the
book of John.
Q: This week, I
invite you to reflect on times in your life when belief in Christ seemed effortless.
What circumstances have elicited moments of awe and wonder in you? Where have
you witnessed selfless goodness? Which people have nourished and sustained your
belief? Then, be intentional about seeking out those experiences, those moments,
those people. Fill your days with them and surely Christ will manifest himself
before your very eyes!
Portal to Prayer: “Jesus
I trust in you, Jesus I trust in you, Jesus I trust in you!”
An Ecumenical Moment…
Did you know that
there is a community of Christians called the Saint Thomas Christians, also
called Syrian Christians of India, Nasrani or Malankara
Nasrani or Nasrani Mappila? They are an ethnoreligious community
of Indian (Malayali) Syriac Christians from Kerala, India, who
trace their origins to the evangelistic activity of Thomas the Apostle in
the 1st century. The majority of Saint Thomas Christians are in full communion
with the Holy See, while maintaining the ancient rites of their Eastern
tradition. Their culture is largely derived from East Syriac, Hindu, Jewish, and West Syriac influences,
blended with local customs and later elements derived from indigenous Indian
and European colonial contacts. Their language is Malayalam, the
language of Kerala, and Syriac is used for liturgical purposes. (source: Wikipedia)
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