CLICK VIEW TO WATCH THE HOMILY. Then click “Watch on YOUTUBE,” scroll down and click “more…” if you want to find a specific part of the Liturgy of the Word to watch.
Acts 2:42-47, 1 Peter 1:3-9, John 20:19-31
On Easter night those who had followed Jesus gathered in the upper room remembering the horrible events of the previous few days. The gospel tells us: the doors were locked, where the disciples were, out of fear. They had good reason to be afraid since the one they had relied upon, the one who was their leader, their teacher, their master had been cruelly executed. They were afraid for themselves, anxious about what would happen next, depressed about the future. In addition, one of their number who had been with them for three years had committed suicide. What were they to do? In a way, the apostles’ experience has a strange echo today. A recent column in the New York Times reported on research that nearly 60 percent of teenage girls reported “persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness.” The parental concerns about their teens of previous generations (sex, drugs and rock ’n’ roll) have been replaced by a new triumvirate: anxiety, depression and suicidal ideation. The feelings separated by two thousand years might have different causes but what the individuals were going through is remarkably similar.
What cured the fear and depression of the apostles in that upper room was the encounter with the Risen Jesus. He gave them exactly what they needed to leave behind sadness and enter into joy – his presence. The presence of the Risen Lord in their lives brought with it peace. “Peace, be with you.” I know you are full of fear but when you have me in your life the peace which surpasses understanding will be my gift to you. That is not all. The Risen Lord also gave them power. “Receive the Holy Spirit.” You no longer need to rely on your own strength, your own abilities, you will now have the Holy Spirit of God planted deep within who will empower you to live the life of love which I taught you. Jesus also gave them a purpose. “As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” Your lives from now on are not your own but meant to be lived for others. You have me in your lives so you must share the good news of hope and joy that a life of faith includes. And the Risen Jesus also gave them the potential to pardon. “Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained.” Yes, you have been battered and bruised by what life dished out to you but that past does not get the last word. Genuine pardon, genuine forgiveness, genuine healing of yourself and others is possible because you have me in your lives. Instead of giving a dyed egg or a chocolate bunny, for this particular group of sad and depressed people the Risen Jesus at Easter bestowed presence, peace, power, purpose and pardon. All fear and depression were done away with.
Church, we are gathered here on another Sunday and find ourselves full of fear and sadness, doubt and depression, anxiety and anger. Our hearts are closed and locked because we are trying to protect ourselves from being hurt again. But the Risen Jesus is just as present to us today as he was to those first disciples two thousand years ago. He promises us today the same peace, power, purpose and pardon that he gave in that upper room back then. All we need do is encounter the presence of Jesus in our lives as they did in theirs.
How? How do we encounter the Risen Lord today? We might doubt that such a thing is possible. The gap between me and Jesus is too big. The reality, Church, is that Jesus left us ways to have an encounter which is just as true as the one that happened back in the day. First of all, we have the Scriptures. The words of Jesus are not generic words, out there, meant for the crowds. They are personal words addressed to you and to me. When you say your prayers today hear Jesus say to you, “Peace be with you.” Hear him say to you, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” Hear his say, “I send you” to bring love and joy into the world. Hear him say, “Whose sins you forgive are forgiven.” The past does not control you, the hurts do not define you. In the Scriptures we will encounter Jesus because the words he speaks are intended particularly for you and me to hear.
Second, we encounter the Risen Lord as we gather around this altar and partake of his Body and Blood in the Holy Eucharist. As we hear in next Sunday’s gospel and in the Acts of the Apostles, Christ was recognized as present “in the breaking of the bread.” Jesus left us his real presence in the sacrament so that we would understand that we take his body into our very being and he transforms out bodies into the sacred vessels they are intended to become.
Finally, we encounter the Risen Jesus in others, particularly in those who are hurting. Jesus told us that “whatsoever you do to the least, that you do unto me.” We are encountering Christ every time we reach out someone who is hungry or in need. We can encounter Christ by connecting with the stranger and the immigrant. We encounter Christ by bringing peace into our squabbling families. We encounter Christ in the sick and the imprisoned. All we need to do to encounter Christ is have the willingness to touch the wounds of Christ which are all around us.
That thought reminds us to give a shout out to St. Thomas. He was the first one who doubted that an encounter with the Risen Christ was possible. He might be the patron saint for our skeptical age. But he also showed us the way over our skepticism. Hear his invitation, touch his wounds and feel his presence in your heart. Then we too will shout, “My Lord and my God.”
