23/04/2006 - SECOND SUNDAY OF EASTER (MERCY SUNDAY) - YEAR B
First Reading Acts 4:32-35 Psalm 117/118
Second Reading 1John 5:1-6 Gospel John 20:19-31
Sunday is the first, as well as the eighth day in which Jesus came before His
Apostles, reunited at the cenacle. With His presence, He blessed their coming
together and He consecrated the day after the Sabbath, and set it aside for
their meeting with Him! By living a day of rest, detached from the burden of
work and all other concerns, and living in joyful communion with our brothers
in faith, we anticipate a bit the beatitude of our goal, of heaven! It is a
day of joy! It is a day consecrated to God; not superficiality and selfishness.
It is a day in which the love of the Father, the communion of the Holy Spirit
and the knowledge of the Cross of Jesus shine in our lives! He, who thinks only
of himself on that day, or thinks only of enjoying himself, does not sanctify
the day; instead, he does the reverse and, in the long run, will render it a
boring day. The Church, in its millennial wisdom, tells the faithful that it
is very important for us to abstain from work and take part in the liturgical
assembly. The Church strongly recommends it, saying that those who don't do
it commit a grave fault; in fact, within a short time, they will not know what
it is to be a Christian, they will get away from the community and will lose
all reference to the Gospel. Do you really wish to sanctify the day of the Lord?
Actively participate in the celebration of the Eucharist, schedule some time
for people who live alone and are suffering, nurture yourself in the communion
of your family and in your community. You can even take part in games, fun and
recreational activities, but not alone, and find a short period of time for
religious instruction and for prayer. Already the author of the letter to the
Hebrew said: "Let us consider how to provoke one another to love and do
good deeds, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging
one another, and all the more as you see the Day approaching" (Heb10:24).
The fruit of the Easter of the Lord is a new reality, a new life for those who
believed and listened, as manifestation of God, the death of Jesus and His presence
as One who is Risen! The First Reading, in fact, lets us see the first community
of Jerusalem: those who believed felt like brothers and were serious about this
fact, born form their faith in Jesus. They benefited by finding concrete ways
to express their brotherhood, which united them, even more than family ties.
They sold their goods so that they could meet the needs of the poor in their
community and, in so doing; they enjoyed the mercy of the Father and became
His instruments! And they maintained the Apostles as the centre of every activity.
Certainly this passage is not given to us only as a mere reading; but, through
it, God wants to arouse new life in us. Our Christian communities are in great
need of recapturing a new conscience, to come alive and be concrete and luminous
testimony of the Resurrection of Jesus! This cannot happen if each one of us
is not in complete adhesion to Him! The Christians of Jerusalem, in fact, received
their conscience of fraternity from above: it is the fruit of the Holy Spirit
which is given to us when we believe in Jesus by giving our life to Him!
The Second Reading helps us in this passing: faith which is derived from Baptism
and the Blood of Jesus is the victory that stops the world from making us slaves.
We are easily detained to an earthen level; that is, to satisfy desires of human
egoism, for fear of being, in some way, marginalized, mocked or not appreciated.
We don't have the strength or, perhaps, the knowledge to freely testify to true
love and a determined environment of truth: this wisdom of knowledge and truth
comes from faith!
Faith requires humility. Thomas, locked in pride, is deprived of the joy and
new life which come from the Resurrection of Jesus: pride deprives him of welcoming
the signs of the victory of Jesus over death! Ten men, besides the women, have
changed and are living in peace and joy. How can this be? Thomas wants to see
and touch, because he is sure of himself, of his own senses, but faith cannot
be born from this. It comes from above, when humility is within us! Faith is
a gift from God! Gently scolding Thomas, Jesus tells him that one can believe
without seeing; better yet, those who have faith in God, instead of their own
ability, are blessed; that is, they are in communion with God and His saints!
When Thomas, kneeling, is humbled and begins his journey of faith, he will hear
the words which Jesus said to the other disciples: "Peace be with you!
As the Father has sent me, so I send you!" When we have faith, we are enriched
with the grace of the One which Jesus enriched and adorned His Church! When
we have faith, we begin to take part in the mission of the Church throughout
the world and in its joy to be the home where the Risen Lord is present, a place
from which He wishes to reach everyone with His peace! The gift of faith is
the mercy of God which extends to Thomas, to me and you and all those who kneel
before the Lord, Jesus!