To
read the texts click on the texts: Acts 2:42-47; 1 Pet 1:3-9; Jn 20:19-31
The
verses which make up the Gospel text for today may be seen to be divided into
four parts, all of which are interconnected. The first of these is the
appearance of the Risen Christ to his disciples, and this is followed by his
commission to them. The third is the appearance of the Risen Christ to the
disciples when Thomas is present. The
final part is the comments made by the evangelist.
The
disciples did not believe the word of Mary Magdalene that the Lord had appeared
to her and so, they are behind closed doors. However, even closed doors do not
pose a hindrance to Jesus. He comes into their midst. His first words to the
disciples are his gift of peace. This is not merely a wish, but a gift, since
it is with his peace that they will be sent out into the world. This gift
enables them to substitute fearlessness for their fear, courage for their
cowardice, and joy for their sorrow. The manifestation of his hands and side is
to indicate to them that there is continuity. It is not a different Jesus who
appears to them, but the same Jesus, who was crucified, died, buried, and
raised from the dead. He is now, also, the Risen Christ. This manifestation
enables the disciples to see and recognise him. This is the reason for their
joy.
However,
the manifestation serves another purpose as well, which is to send the
disciples on mission. The disciples are sent by Jesus, the Risen Christ, just
as Jesus was sent by the Father. In other words, they are to continue the
mission that Jesus began. As he received
the gift of the Spirit before his ministry, so too, the disciples receive the
gift of the Spirit from Jesus. The breath of Jesus on the disciples makes them
a new creation and readies them for their mission that is to forgive and retain
sin.
While
this has been understood as a basis for the Sacrament of Reconciliation, it
seems, from the text, that the mission is much deeper. The Commission is to
“the disciples”, which, in the Gospel of John, is a much larger group than the
eleven or twelve. It involves the entire faith community. It is the whole
community that is called to continue the mission of Jesus. This mission is not
merely the forgiveness or retention of sins that individuals commit. It is more than that. In the Gospel of John, sin is, more often
than not, a theological failing. It is the refusal to believe that Jesus is the
manifestation of the Father. It is the refusal to believe that Jesus reveals
God as no other does. Thus, when the disciples are commissioned to forgive and
retain sin, what they are really commissioned to do is reveal God to the world
as Jesus did. They will reveal God to
the world by the love they have for one another, and by the love they show to
others. They will make others see that God is, indeed, love. They will, through
their actions, invite others to share in this unconditional love. Those to whom
this manifestation is made are free to accept or to reject it. It is in this
acceptance or rejection that sins are forgiven or retained. Acceptance means
forgiveness. Rejection means that sins
are retained.
This
interpretation is confirmed when we realise that one reason why Thomas did not
believe the disciples when they told him that they had seen the Lord, was
because he was not able to see in their words and actions a manifestation of
the love of Jesus. They were as they had been before the revelation that Jesus
made to them. There did not seem to be any marked change in their behaviour.
They were not able to convince him that the Lord had, indeed, appeared to them.
However, Jesus will use, for Thomas, that way which will bring him to faith. In
this, Thomas is as “doubting” as the disciples and no more so. Thus, in this scene,
the focus of attention is not Thomas, but Jesus. The focus is on the generous
offer of himself that Jesus makes to Thomas, an offer that Jesus made to so
many others, so often in his life time. After his resurrection, Jesus continues
to give. Thomas responds with the most powerful, complete and the highest
acclamation for Jesus found in the Gospels: “My Lord and my God!” Jesus is,
indeed, Lord and God. The words of Jesus to Thomas after the acclamation
include future generations of believers. It is not necessary to have external
sight to come to faith. It is not necessary to touch and to feel to come to
faith. It is not necessary to have tangible evidence to come to faith. We, who
believe without having seen, are invited, like Thomas and the other disciples,
not merely to believe in the resurrection, but to believe in the revelation of
Jesus as the Son of God. We are invited
to believe in his unique relationship with God. We now have life in abundance
because Jesus has completed his work on earth and returned to the Father.
He
is, as the second reading of today informs us, the one who has been raised by
the father. He who was dead is alive forever and it is he who holds the keys of
the kingdom. It is the same Lord who gave Peter and the first disciples the
power to heal and make whole. It is the same Lord who gave Peter and the
disciples the power to reach out in love.
It is the same Lord who gave Peter and the disciples the power to make
him manifest in their every word and action so that others will be brought to
believe.
It
is the same Lord who gives us this power today. What will we do with it?
No comments:
Post a Comment
You may use the "Anonymous" option to leave a comment if you do not possess a Google Account. But please leave your name and URL as www.errolsj.com