THERE IS IN TODAY’S SCRIPTURE READINGS a marvellous summary of the whole Christian experience.
We begin with the source of that experience: the resurrection of Jesus as Lord. It is not something Jesus’ disciples seem to have anticipated, still less “rigged”. As the Gospel opens we can almost feel the air of despondency and fear which overwhelms them as they sit huddled together behind locked doors in that house. They were collaborators with Jesus, the executed rabble rouser, and it is not impossible that they will meet a similar fate. A potential rebellion must be nipped in the bud.
Suddenly, he is there
Then, all of a sudden and totally unexpected, Jesus is there before them. In case there is any doubt he shows them his hands and side which had been pierced with nails. At the same time he says, “Peace with you“. It is both a statement and a wish. On the one hand, it is the normal Jewish greeting of ‘Shalom’. On the other hand, it is the fulfilment of a promise made at the Last Supper. He said he would give them a peace which no one could take away from them whatever trials they might meet in being his followers. That promise extends also to us. Whenever Jesus is truly with us and we are with him, there will be peace.
The disciples are overcome with joy. The unbelievable has happened. Jesus is still with them. This also is a promise made at the Last Supper. “In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me” (16:16)… “I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy” (16:22). Their joy, like their peace, will be enduring.
The mission
Then comes the mission. “As the Father sent me, so am I sending you.” Two things are being said here. Firstly, the mission that was given to Jesus by his Father is now being passed on to them. They are to do exactly the same work as Jesus did, proclaim the same message, announce the same vision. And they will do that by the way they live their lives as a group. It is essentially a corporate mission.
Secondly, that mission is an essential part of their discipleship. They are not only to live like Jesus, they are to draw others to share their own experience of knowing and loving Jesus and being loved by him. It would not be enough for them to live such a life for themselves, for their own future with God. Thanks be to God they carried out that mission and that is why we can be together today to celebrate in this Eucharist.
Confirmation
He then “confirms” them in their mission. He breathes on them, saying: “Receive the Holy Spirit. For those whose sins you forgive, they are forgiven; for those whose sins you retain, they are retained.” It would be wrong to see here simply the “institution” of the Sacrament of Reconciliation. There is a wider meaning here. They are to be filled with Spirit, the life of God. This is the significance of Jesus breathing on them. It is reminiscent of God breathing life into the mud of the earth and forming the first human being. Here there is a new creation. The Christian is called by Paul a “new person“, a “new creation“. This new person is one in-spired by the very spirit of God and so become trans-formed with a new vision and a new energy, a vision and energy to be passed on to others.
Total reconciliation
The forgiveness that Jesus speaks of is not just the juridical wiping away of sins but a deep reconciliation of people with God and with each other. This is the disciples’ mission: to bring people together as brothers and sisters and children of one God. This is the goal of the Kingdom. This is what makes the Kingdom.
The missing doubter
We are told that, for some reason, one of the disciples, Thomas, was not present on this occasion. The reason is not important. What is important is his encounter with the Risen Jesus. He refuses to believe that the Lord has been among his companions. He wants to see with his own eyes irrefutable proof. And so, eight days later, that is, today, the Sunday after Easter, they are all assembled together, again behind locked doors. Suddenly there is Jesus with them wishing them Peace.
Doubt no longer
He immediately addresses Thomas telling him to examine as much as he likes. “Put your fingers here; look, here are my hands.” And then the admonition: “Doubt no longer but believe.” Thomas is overcome with emotion. He falls to his knees in worship, “My Lord and my God!” This is, of course, the supreme act of faith. No one in the whole Gospel has addressed Jesus like this. The irony is that Thomas’ words come not from seeing but from faith. He could see Jesus but he could not see God. “Happy are those who have not seen and yet believe.” The words are addressed less to Thomas himself than to all those who never knew Jesus before the resurrection. And indeed from now on, these disciples too will only know Jesus by faith. But they will never lose the conviction that Jesus lives, that he is with them in all they do, that he is the source of their peace and joy through all their trials and tribulations.
Birth of the Church
It is in that background that the Church is born. We will celebrate its birth at Pentecost. But we may now ask how are we to make real that mission that Jesus gave to his disciples on that day? The answer comes beautifully to us in the First Reading, from the Acts of the Apostles. The essence of our lives together in Christ is summed up in four inseparable elements: Remaining faithful to a. the teaching of the apostles; b. to the brotherhood; c. to the breaking of bread; and d. to the prayers. This is as true now as it was at the earliest stages of the Church’s life.
Faithful to the teaching
a. We do need to remain true to the teaching of the apostles. This is the Tradition that has come down to us principally through the writings of the New Testament but also in the context through which they were communicated and interpreted for us over the centuries. The Scriptures were not created in a vacuum; in fact, it was the Church which produced them and not the other way round. Yet they are God’s Word to us to form the basis of all our living.
A shared life
b. The brotherhood or fellowship (Greek, koinonia). The Christian disciple is essentially part of a group of brothers and sisters in Christ. The individual Christian is a contradiction in terms. “By this will all know that you are my disciples, that you have love for one another.” It is in this mutual loving that we give the most effective witness of the power of Christ in our lives and that we draw others to share that love. As a Christian, I can only go to God through people around me. There is no short cut, no direct route.
Breaking bread together
c. The breaking of bread. What we now call the Eucharist. The Eucharist is the central act of the community. The quality of our Eucharist is the measure of how we are living a and b above. A poor community cannot have a good Eucharist and vice versa. In the Eucharist, we give thanks to God for all that Christ has done for us and in us, especially through his death and resurrection. We also celebrate our fellowship together in Christ by breaking the Eucharistic bread. It is for us the Body of Christ which we ourselves are.
Common prayer
d. The prayers. For the apostolic Church the prayers consisted primarily of the Temple prayers or the prayers of the synagogue. The concept of prayer has deepened and widened over the centuries. It now includes anything from the simplest vocal prayers to the deepest contemplation and mystical experiences. There can be no Christian life without prayer as an essential element of each day. And we need both individual and community prayer.
The guarantees
Finally, in the Second Reading from the First Letter of Peter we are reminded of the guarantees that come to us because of all that God has done for us in Jesus Christ. “We have a sure hope and a promise of an inheritance that can never be spoilt or soiled and never fade away… Through your faith God’s power will guard you.”
We are to remember these promises even though on the way we are likely to experience all kinds of trials. In the end, our great trust in God’s Word will be rewarded. “You did not see him, yet you loved him; and still without seeing him, you are already filled with a joy so glorious, that it cannot be described, because you believe; and you are sure of the end to which your faith looks forward, that is, the salvation of your souls.”
The “salvation of your souls” may now be a kind of cliche, yet it speaks of our deepest dreams and longings: to be made completely whole as persons wrapped in the arms of a loving God.