Second Sunday of Easter C Joh 20, 19-31

Introduction.

He said to them: “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I also send you.” When he had said this, he breathed on them and spoke to them: “Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive will be forgiven; whose sins you retain will be retained” (Jn. 20:21-23).

Sermon.

In the week after His resurrection, Jesus met with several people through whom He left us essential truths for our salvation. The women from the empty tomb announce the first resurrection to the disciples. Christ did not rise from the dead just for the elect. Just as he died for all sinners, so all – who believe in his resurrection – have the hope that they too will be raised to eternal life. Upon receiving the announcement that the tomb is empty, the apostle’s Peter and John rush to the grave. John wrote of himself: “The other disciple also went in, he who came to the tomb first, and saw and believed. For they did not yet understand the Scripture, that he should rise from the dead” (Jn. 20:9). The implication here is that Christ requires personal initiative on our part. Faith is a gift that we are to earn. Next, Jesus appears to the disciples on the road to Emmaus in the afternoon. Recognizing him, they confess, “Did not our hearts burn within us as he talked with us on the road and explained the Scriptures to us?” (Lk 24:32)? Jesus indicates the importance and necessity of opening our hearts to the Word of God. The call is addressed to all people. Jesus wants them to desire him and reward their desire; he promises that they will not only know him and experience him, but he will also change their lives. We must not forget that the disciples who went to Emmaus came to know Jesus by breaking the bread. Receiving Christ’s body and blood is a moment of grace. We are united with Christ, receiving the grace of greater love and knowledge of our God in our neighbors and ourselves. On that same day, Sunday, Jesus appears to the apostles, “… when the disciples were gathered behind closed doors for fear of the Jews” (Jn. 20:19). Fear plays a severe role in faith. By putting himself amid the fearful apostles, Jesus is saying that he will take care of those who believe in him and turn their fear into joy. We know from the history of the Church about the fear of popes, bishops, priests, and the faithful, but when it came to the duty of confessing faith in Christ, they did not betray. Remember the great multitude of martyrs and confessors from every state, age, and station. Eight days later, He appears again to the disciples, among whom Thomas is present. Thomas was not present at the first encounter. So in his pain, his grief, his disappointment at the events that had taken place around the Master, he expressed to the disciples that they had seen the Lord, “Unless I see the marks of the nails in his hands, and put my finger into the nail wounds, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe” (Jn. 20:25). In this encounter, he no longer repeats his condition and responds to the call of Christ, who recounts his words: “My Lord and my God.” (Jn 20:28). Christ’s love teaches, explains, forgives, lifts gives hope… The events of the first week after the Resurrection speak of this. Jesus conditions this with words of peace. Already at his birth, the angels addressed people of goodwill. Jesus died for our sins, which are the restlessness of the soul. In their encounter, the apostles receive the promise of the Holy Spirit, who, after Jesus’ ascension, will remind them of all they have heard and received from Jesus. They receive the Holy Spirit for the forgiveness of sins, to grant forgiveness and peace through the ministry of the Church. Apostles receive the power to forgive and the power to withhold sins.

With its historical events, the past week addresses us to be responsible with our lives for the duties and tasks that Jesus entrusts to us. In purity of heart, in peace with God, we are to develop our relationship with Him. It is not enough that we have been present at the celebration of the Resurrection; we also have the duty, arising from our baptism, to live and carry Christ’s words into the world as the most important message of human history. Even today, many do not know God, Jesus Christ. Two-thirds of the people in the world are. There are disagreements among Christians. The movement of ecumenism plays a significant role among them. It is an effort to unite Christians. We Catholic Christians must be concerned about our beliefs’ habitual, superficial, and indifferent attitudes. The name Christian obliges us to follow Christ in our lives. We are not to seek evasions from duty, make light of obligations, undervalue the Beatitudes, or fail to observe the Ten Commandments. Thus, we do not respond to Christ’s first address after His resurrection, “Peace be with you.” (Jn 20:19). Easter is a tough time for us to prioritize the values that God has determined, that Jesus has reminded us of and that the Church teaches today.

We are offered many guides. One of them advises:
1) Rather than getting angry, I first lift my gaze to heaven and remind myself that my place is to be earned.
2) Then, I will fix my gaze on the earth and reflect that the day will come when I will be dead.
3) And only after such reflection will I look around and consider whether there are not still many people in the world who are far worse off than I am. After such reflections, I conclude that it is necessary to be silent if there comes any cross, difficulty, or setback. Again, with a smile, without grumbling and bumbling forward.
Perhaps we have tried and tested ways of achieving peace of mind. We need to work on our sanctification, strengthen ourselves in love for Christ, extend love to our brothers and sisters, and be more protective of our peace of mind. For this, the Lord Jesus promised us the Holy Spirit after His resurrection. And our response to this year’s feast of the Resurrection of the Lord Jesus? The Easter Alleluia belongs not just to one day, one week, but to the whole year. We need one another to be strengthened in the faith that leads us to eternal life in the Kingdom of God.

We can take encouragement from the experience of Mrs. Arsenevna, who found herself in a secret police prison in Moscow. My cellmate whispered to me one evening, “Do you know what tomorrow is? Tomorrow is Easter.” “Is it Easter already?” I sighed. “Easter brings joy to all humanity. Only we are excluded from that joy.” I walked hopelessly around the cell. A loud cry suddenly broke the disheartening silence, “Christos voskrese!” “Who dared to shout the Easter greeting?” I looked at my companion. Her large eyes shone on her pale face. The answer began to echo from every cell, “Voistinu voskrese!” The guards were clueless. They pounced on the young girl and dragged her away with them. After four days, she returned to her cell. Her face was haggard and worn. She had to spend Easter cold and hungry. “Yet I managed to communicate the Easter message. Everything else is unimportant,” she said, her eyes glistening.
In that prison, it was worthy of admiration, of courage. What did this young Christian woman feel in her heart? She overcame her fear, and the joy of the Easter message prevailed. How much courage she must have had! How many she gave hope, courage, strength in a brutal prison. She confessed her faith and awakened, perhaps, the faith of others.

We are not in prison, yet it is a challenge to us! How many people have forgotten the resurrection of the Lord after just one week? They have forgotten the holiday custom of attending liturgy, the Easter ham, the bathing, the visiting, and perhaps they no longer have the headache of noise, more alcohol. These people and we need to experience something not on the outside but the inside. We need to experience the peace of Christ. We realize that we need peace in our hearts, our families, our workplaces, and our nation. We received forgiveness at Easter confession, and perhaps we have forgotten it too? Let us believe Christ because that is what Jesus is telling Thomas about: “Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.” (Jn 20:29). The remembrance of Christ’s resurrection is that we receive, live, and pass on peace. And this we cannot and do not want to have removed from our hearts. That would be a great betrayal of the risen Christ. For us, faith is not a scientific hypothesis or conjecture, for it would have died long ago or been trampled underfoot by violence. For us, faith is not a superstition or a fabrication of men, for science would long ago have banished it. Faith is not an invention of exploiters to enslave people; it would have lost itself long ago when social justice and equality prevailed. We realize what St. Augustine said, “Unsatisfied is the human heart until it rests in God.” The Feast of the Resurrection has revived these thoughts that Christ wants us to be full of himself. Our clear response is that we want to be Christ.

Let us give thanks in the depths of our hearts for the events we have been reminded of during these days. This is what St. John wrote about in today’s Gospel: “But all this was done so that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God and that by faith you may have life in his name.” (Jn. 20:31).