We continue to celebrate the Easter miracle: Jesus Christ lives, and because he lives, we live. Have you ever witnessed an Easter miracle? A depressed person resurrected to hope; an alcoholic resurrected to sobriety; a troubled marriage resurrected to renewed love; an angry man resurrected to forgiveness; or a parent/child estrangement bridged.
We can create little miracles for others every day. Think about how. And just do it.
In the book of Acts, the disciples work signs and wonders, and a vibrant faith community is growing by leaps and bounds. That
should inspire us to worship together and share what we have, especially our time and talents in service, as did the early Christian community.
The book of Revelation, which generally highlights the apocalyptic struggle between good and evil, here describes a Christian who has a visionary experience of Jesus risen and alive, the beginning and the end, the conqueror of death. The author encourages readers to persevere in faith despite hardships they may undergo, because good will triumph over evil.
In the Gospel, we have a post-resurrection appearance of Jesus in a Jerusalem house, where the disciples are hiding. Jesus here was not simply a spirit or ghost; nor was he simply resuscitated. The earthly Jesus was transformed into a new kind of spiritual embodiment. It was, as Pope Benedict XVI phrased it, an "evolutionary leap” into a new reality.
The risen Christ bestows upon the disciples the energizing Spirit, the abiding inner peace, and the overwhelming mercy of God. But the skeptical Thomas wasn’t there. Lo and behold, a week later, Jesus appears again. And Thomas makes that awesome declaration of faith “My Lord and my God.”
We know little to nothing about Thomas. His name is a nickname, meaning “twin” in Aramaic. But Thomas the doubter or questioner is easily identifiable with many people today, who say if there's a God, where's the evidence.
Christianity proposes that we were born to be in relationship with God forever. With anything or anyone less than God, we will experience a hunger, a feeling something is missing. St. Augustine, in his autobiography Confessions, captured this simply but profoundly: “Our hearts are restless until they can find rest in you, O God.”
We all need this loving, ongoing relationship. No human relationship will satisfy us completely. Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” True, every human being is made in the image of God. But we also are fallen flawed creatures. Good and bad, generosity and selfishness, light and darkness live within us.
Humans cry out for healing and mercy, which we celebrate today: Divine Mercy Sunday.
We seek God's forgiveness and ask for the forgiveness of one another. And only in Jesus Christ can we be in relationship with God. Jesus, through the mystery of his dying and rising, freed us so we can live with God forever.
Christianity challenges us to live authentically, to be true to the voice within ourselves, to live a life worthy of our calling as sons and daughters of God our Father. The philosopher and theologian Paul Tillich described three of our greatest fears: fear of meaninglessness; fear of death; and fear of guilt. Jesus meets these head-on. God created us for a purpose, gifted us with life eternal, and through Jesus God reconciled us to Himself.
There are all kinds of indicators pointing to God: the order in the 100 billion galaxies in the observable universe presupposes an orderer (just as a watch presupposes a watchmaker, hope presupposes a future, and so forth).
There are also indicators that there’s no God—for example, senseless violence. But faith in God is a calculated risk. Blaise Pascal, a 17th century French mathematician, inventor, and philosopher, captured this in his famous wager:
One doesn't have certainty that God exists.
Not believing in God is bad for one’s eternal soul if God does exist.
Believing in God is of no consequence if God does not exist.
Therefore, it's in my best interest to believe in God.
Think about that bet.
Doubting Thomas concludes, “My Lord and my God.” Yes, Jesus lives, and because he lives, you and I live. Someday this earthly existence of ours, like that of the crucified and risen Jesus, will be transformed, in some unimaginable way, into a heavenly indescribable existence.
At a funeral mass, we hear, “For those who believe, life is not taken away, life is merely changed.” Let us pray that the gift of faith will empower us to proclaim each day, “My Lord and my God.”
