Where There's Darkness, Bring Light

Caravaggio's Doubting Thomas

Jesus Christ lives, and because he lives, we live.

We continue to celebrate the Easter miracle.

And we can help create little miracles for others. A depressed person resurrected to hope; an alcoholic resurrected to sobriety; a troubled marriage resurrected to renewed love; an angry man resurrected to forgiveness; an estrangement bridged; an alienated person brought back to faith and kindness. Make miracle an action verb.

In the book of Acts, the disciples work signs and wonders, and a vibrant faith community is emerging and growing. That should inspire us to worship together and share, especially our time and talents in service.

The book of Revelation describes a Christian’s visionary experience of the God-man Jesus, risen and alive. The author encourages readers to persevere in their faith despite hardships, because good ultimately will triumph.

In the Gospel according to John, we have a post-resurrection appearance of Jesus in a Jerusalem house where the disciples hide behind locked doors. Jesus 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. Thomas then makes that awesome declaration of faith “My Lord and my God.”

Thomas the doubter is easily identifiable with many people. They're doubters, questioners; they demand to see compelling evidence that there's a God.

Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” Every human being is made in the image of God. But we are fallen or flawed human beings.  And that is why we cry out for healing and mercy.

We seek God's mercy and forgiveness, and the forgiveness of one another. Jesus, through the mystery of his dying and rising, freed us from death and nothingness so we can live with God forever. God created us for a purpose; gifted us with life eternal; and reconciled us to Himself.

There are all kinds of indicators pointing to God: the order in the universe presupposes an orderer (e. g., a watch presupposes a watchmaker); hope presupposes a future; moral outrage presupposes a judge; and so forth.

Of course, there are also indicators that there’s no God—for example, evil or senseless violence. But faith in God is a calculated risk. The 17th French mathematician, inventor, and philosopher Blaise Pascal captured this risk in his famous wager or bet.  The bet goes like this:
One doesn't have certainty that God exists.
Not believing in God is bad for one’s eternal soul if God indeed does exist.
Believing in God is of no consequence if God does not exist.
Therefore, it is in my interest to believe in God. Think about that bet.

At a funeral mass, we hear the words, “For those who believe, life is not taken away, life is merely changed.” Let us pray that the gift of faith will empower us, like Thomas, to proclaim every day, “My Lord and my God.”

God's Mercy Outweighs Our Sins

Rio's Christ the Redeemer

According to a Grand Jury Report in Pennsylvania, over a 70-year period, about 2% of clergy committed despicable crimes of abuse, and bishops covered them up.  Two-thirds of those accused are dead; but allegations against them were deemed credible.

For the past sixteen years, policies and protocols are in place to safeguard children and vulnerable adults, and these protocols require regular review and improvement.

These incidents are but one reminder that the community of disciples is also made up of sinners. We must continually – each and every one of us -- ask for God's grace and forgiveness, be “doers of the word,” and rebuild community.

In the Gospel according to John, Jesus challenges the disciples to make a choice: believe in him as God’s holy One. What do the disciples do? Some walked away. Others stayed, acknowledging, “…to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.” (John 6:68)

Eternal life is ultimately a gift from God. But Jesus says that we have to struggle to enter through the narrow gate into the kingdom of God.

Many people struggle during the cycle of human development. God is with us through the narrow gates of life. Our faith can sustain us.

Our faith fosters a healthy self-image. We are made in the image and likeness of God, and through baptism, God lives within us, and we live within God.

Our faith satisfies our longing for happiness. Within every human being there is a subconscious quest for the ultimate, the all-good. St. Augustine wrote, “O God, you have made us for yourself and our hearts are restless until they rest in you.” Our primary purpose is to be in relationship with God and one another forever, and in that relationship our yearnings for happiness are completely satisfied.

Our faith gives us a sense of belonging, linked together by a common bond of faith in Jesus Christ, with heroes and heroines who inspire us, saints who encourage us in our pursuit of God and God’s pursuit of us. God gives us each other to support and protect each other.

We gather to thank God, to acknowledge our absolute dependency upon God as our Creator, and to ask God in the Our Father prayer to satisfy our basic needs. These encounters with the triune God are wrapped up in the mystery of the sacraments. God in particular gives us sacraments of healing, service, and grace. Jesus assures us that God’s mercy outweighs our sins.

Finally, God provides us with a guide with the best news ever: how God offers each one of us salvation through Jesus. The Bible demonstrates God’s unconditional love. As we go through narrow gates of life, with fears and weakness at times, embracing our faith in Jesus Christ will sustain us so that we can eventually enter safely through that final gate into the kingdom of God.