Commentary to the 2nd Sunday of Easter – Year A

THEY REJOICE IN SEEING THE LORD

We wear our best outfits go to church. A popular Portuguese saying goes: ‘Dressed to see God.’ This phrase stems from the belief that the celebrating community comes together to ‘see the Lord on Sunday.’ It is a day of joy because, as at Easter and over the “eight days later” (John 20:19,26), the Risen Lord becomes present again during the gathered disciples. He warms their hearts, opening them to understanding the Scriptures and ‘the breaking of the bread.’ He opens their eyes and makes himself known (Lev 24:31-32).

The evangelists show little interest in chronological accuracy, yet they agree unanimously on one thing: it was on the ‘first day after the Sabbath’ that the disciples saw the Lord. For this reason, the Christian community chose this day to dedicate to listening to the Word (Acts 20:7-12), the celebration of the Lord’s Supper (1 Cor 11:20-26), prayer,and the sharing of goods. Every first day of every week, each person puts aside what is saved (1 Cor 16:2) and presents it as a gift to the community, which in turn distributes it as an offering to the most needy members or sent to the more impoverished communities.

One of the most ancient pieces of evidence is offered to us by a pagan writer, Pliny the Younger. In 112 A.D, he wrote to Emperor Trajan: Christians ‘meet on a fixed day before dawn and sing hymns to Christ as a God.’ It was the day of the Lord—Sunday (Rev 1:10)—the one in which each community celebrated the rite, its faith and life.

• To internalize the message, we repeat: “Like newborn babies, the mother church feeds her children, not with visions, but with the milk of the Word.”

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First Reading: Acts 2:42-47

The community of believers devoted themselves to the teaching of the apostles and to the communal life, to the breaking of bread and to the prayers. Awe came upon everyone, and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles. All who believed were together and had all things in common; they would sell their propertyand possessions and divide them among all according to each one’s need. Every day they devoted themselves to meeting together in the temple area and to breaking breadin their homes. They ate their meals with exultation and sincerity of heart, praising God and enjoying favor with all the people. And every day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved.

The First Reading for all the Sundays of Easter is taken from the Acts of the Apostles. The book tells of the spread of the Gospel in the world and the birth of the first Christian community.

Today’s passage presents a charming picture of the way the community of Jerusalem lives. It is built around Mary and the apostles after Pentecost. It is the reference point for all Christian communities. The pillars on which it stands are listed in the first two verses of the reading (vv. 42-43): fidelity to catechesis, the communion of goods, the weekly celebration of the Eucharist (called ‘the breaking of the bread’) and prayer in common. Let’s look in detail at each of these characteristics.

First (daily) Catechesis

The Twelve do not behave like the rabbis: they do not merely repeat the interpretations received from ancient sages. They proclaim that the end time has come, showing how the scriptures and prophecies are fulfilled in Jesus of Nazareth (Acts 4:33). They communicate the light they have received at Easter so that everyone may understand the meaning of the inexplicable and outrageous death of their Master. Even today, listening to the word is the only sure foundation upon which the community's faith must rest (Rom 10:14-17). Religious emotion, sensation, and ‘personal revelations’ are nothing more than a fragile, palliative, and disappointing withdrawal.

The communion of goods

In many fields of morals, Christians follow principles and options different from non-believers. When it comes to administering assets, they generally behave like other people: trafficking, trading, and accumulating, as if the resurrection of Christ had nothing to do with the management of the economy.

Of course, whoever thinks and acts in this way is shocked by the radical change recorded in Jerusalem's community as of the first Easter. Believers have everything in common (Acts 2:44); nobody says that what he has is his property (Acts 4:32); everything is distributed according to each one’s need (Acts 2:45; 4:35). It is not said that they are more generous than others, give more alms, but that they have renounced all their goods.

The realities of this world are not despised, but the voluntary renouncing of any selfish use is proposed. The Christian ideal is not poverty but a world where “no one is poor”(Acts 4:34). Whoever believes that Jesus is risen from the dead will not submit to slavery to the material world. Sharing shows a complete availability to the service of others.

Wealth is not a bad thing. Instead, enrichment that leaves others in need is bad. Poverty is evil, and as such, it disappears in the Kingdom of God. Poverty cannot exist in a community that practices sharing. Basileus, a father of the Church of the fourth century, explained: ‘If everyone would take just enough for his needs, leaving the superfluous to the indigent, no one would be rich, and no one would be poor.’

The Christians of Jerusalem led a life radically different from that of the surrounding environment. The joy, the simplicity of heart, and the charity they had towards each other attracted the admiration of all the people. People wondered: where does the impulse to an extraordinary form of life come from? The answer was: the resurrection of Christ. The new life of the community was evidence that Christ was alive.

There is an experience that people of every age are entitled to have: to meet a community of entirely different people; a community that lives and proposes alternative values ??to those offered by the surrounding environment. The experience of the community of Jerusalem should not be literally applied to our own community, for while it may solve some problems, it would create others. However, detachment from this world's goods is a prerequisite for anyone who believes in the Risen Christ.

The breaking of the bread

The expression originally referred to the gesture of a householder who, at the beginning of the meal, took bread in his hand, pronounced the blessing, broke it, and distributed it to all at the table (Acts 2:46). It soon came to indicate the celebration of the Eucharist (Acts 20:7,11; 1 Cor 10:16) because the Lord had made this gesture at the Last Supper. In primitive communities, it was preceded by a meal in common (1 Cor 11:17-34).

Eucharist means thanksgiving. It is the apex of the life of the community. It is the time when, before the breaking of the bread, the community is made aware of all the gifts received from the Lord that recall God’s supreme act of love for his people. Seized with astonishment, admiration and joy, the community feels the need to praise him. It could have used the words of the Psalmist: “Blessed be the Lord who has done wonders for me”(Ps 31:22). It could also have exclaimed with Jesus: “I give you praise, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the learned and the clever and revealed them to the little ones” (Lk 10:21-22).

A community that does not celebrate the Eucharist, which cannot express its thanksgiving before the sacrament, lacks an essential element in its life. Unfortunately, this happens in many Christian communities where, for lack of priests, only the bread of the Word is distributed. It is a substantial, sure food, but if not followed by the ‘breaking of the Eucharistic bread,’ the celebration does not reach its apex.

Community prayer

The early Christians continued to behave as pious Jews: they frequented the temple (Acts 2:46) and recited psalms. Then they felt the need to translate into prayer the faith in the Risen One and their new relationship with God. Thus, using expressions captured from the lips of Jesus, they composed the Our Father, the model of every Christian prayer, and the first songs to celebrate the Easter event.

The prayer made in solitude is good and necessary: Jesus commends it. “When you pray, go into your room and shut the door, pray to your Father in secret” (Mt 6:4). But the community is the ‘bride,’ which, as maiden Israel, is loved with “an everlasting love”(Jeremiah 31:3) by his Lord. For this reason, it feels the need to bring together all its members to raise with ‘only one voice’ its love song. In the context of this community prayer, Mary is remembered for the last time in the New Testament: “All in one accord devoted themselves to prayer, together with some women, and Mary the mother of Jesus and with his brothers” (Acts 1:14).

A community based on these four pillars will do wonders, place the foundations of a new humanity, and sign that the Spirit of the Risen Lord is present and active in the world.

Second Reading: 1 Peter 1:3-9

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who in his great mercy gave us a new birth to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you who by the power of God are safeguarded through faith, to a salvation that is ready to be revealed in the final time. In this you rejoice, although now for a little while you may have to suffer through various trials, so that the genuineness of yourfaith, more precious than gold that is perishable even though tested by fire, may prove to be for praise, glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Although you have not seen him you love him; even though you do not see him now yet believe in him, you rejoice with an indescribable and glorious joy, as you attain the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

We are in Rome in the year 80 A.D. The Christians have just introduced the custom of administering baptism during the Easter Vigil. In this liturgical context, the homily to the newly baptized is born. It is contained in the first letter of Peter, which will accompany us over the next few Sundays. The term ‘dear’ with which the preacher interjects his speech (1 P 2:11; 4:12) betrays his emotion in front of the new children of God. He does not introduce theological disquisitions in his moving remarks but congratulates neophytes (1 P 2:7). He reminds them that they were “born again, not of corruptible seed but from an immortal seed, that is, by the Word of the living and eternal God” (1 P 1:23) and exposes the moral consequences that this new birth entails. As we will see over the next few Sundays, his homily is an uninterrupted succession of exhortations and imperatives.

This text was composed at a difficult time for the Christian communities, especially those of Asia Minor. Real persecution was not unleashed against them, but the baptized were easily offended, discriminated against, and unjustly convicted in the courts (vv. 6-7).

The author invites them to reflect on the new life that God has given them in baptism, real life, even if it cannot be experienced with the senses (vv. 3-5). From the awareness of having received a unique gift, joy, serenity, and peace bloom. These inner dispositions liven up the Christian even when facing tribulations, adversity, and persecution (vv. 6-8).

In light of God’s plan, how to interpret the difficulties that many Christians of the late first century are encountering? The preacher uses a biblical image. The Lord is testing his elect, testing them like gold in the crucible (Wis 3:5-6). He makes them pass through the fire to purify them, as is done with silver (Zec 13:8-9). Even precious metals need to be freed from the slag to achieve maximum brilliance.

The last part introduces the reading of the message that will be developed in the Gospel, “You love Christ, although you have not even seen him; and now, without seeing you continue to believe in him” (v. 8). The neophytes of Rome belong to the third generation of Christians. Though still relatively close to the events of Easter, they have not personally met Jesus of Nazareth. They live an experience of faith like ours. They believe the witnesses of the Risen One and meet the Risen Lord, like us, in the celebration of the Word and the ‘breaking of the bread.’ They are blessed because they continue to believe, even though they have not seen him or those who have seen the Lord.

Gospel: John 20:19-31

On the evening of that first day of the week, when the doors were locked, where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst and saidto them, “Peace be with you.” When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained.”

Thomas, called Didymus, one of the Twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples said to him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands and put my finger into the nailmarks and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.”

Now a week later his disciples were again inside and Thomas was with them. Jesus came, although the doors were locked, and stood in their midst and said, “Peace be with you.” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and see my hands, and bring your hand and put it into my side, and do not be unbelieving, but believe.” Thomas answered and said to him, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus said to him, “Have you come to believe because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.”

Now, Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples that are not written in this book. But these are written that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that through this belief you may have life in his name.

Today’s passage is divided into two parts corresponding to the appearances of the Risen One. In the first (vv. 19-23), Jesus communicates his Spirit to his disciples. With that, he gives them the power to overcome the forces of evil. It is the same passage that we will find and will comment on at Pentecost. In the second (vv. 24-31), the famous episode of Thomas is told.

The doubt of this apostle became proverbial. It is often said when we show some distrust, ‘You are a Doubting Thomas.’ Yet, he seems to have done nothing wrong in hindsight: he only asked to see what others had seen. Why demand only from him a faith based on the word? But was Thomas the only one to have doubts? Would the other disciples have quickly and immediately believed in the Risen One? It does not seem that things went that way.

The Gospel of Mark says that “Jesus appeared to the eleven and rebuked them for their unbelief and hardness of heart because they had not believed those who had seen him risen” (Mk 16:14). In Luke’s Gospel, the Risen Christ addresses the amazed and frightened apostles and asks: “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts?” (Lk 24:38). In the last page of the Gospel of Matthew, it even says that when Jesus appeared to the disciples on a mountain in Galilee (therefore long after the apparitions in Jerusalem), some still doubted (Mt 28:17). All, therefore, doubted, not only poor Thomas. How is it then that the evangelist John seems to want to focus the doubt of all on him? Let us try to understand.

When John writes (about the year 95 A.D.), Thomas had already been dead for some time. The episode, therefore, is certainly not reported to portray this apostle in a bad light. If his problems of faith are highlighted, there is another reason. The evangelist wants to respond to the questions and objections that Christians of his communities insistently raised. It is the third generation of Christians, people who have not seen the Lord Jesus. Many of them do not even know any of the apostles. They find it hard to believe; they are struggling amid many doubts; they would like to see, touch, and verify whether the Lord has indeed risen or not. They wonder: what are the things that may lead to belief? Is it still possible for us to have the experience of the Risen Lord? Is there evidence that he is alive? How is it that he no longer appears? These are the questions that we ask today.

To them, Mark, Luke, and Matthew respond by saying that all the apostles were hesitant. They did not get belief in the Risen One right away, nor with ease. The path of faith was also long and tiring for them, even though Jesus had given many signs that he was alive and had entered into the glory of the Father. John's answer is different: he takes Thomas as a symbol of the difficulty that every disciple meets to come to believe. It is hard to know why he chose this apostle, perhaps because he had more difficulty or took more time than others to come to faith.

John wants to teach the Christians of his communities (and us) that the Risen One has a life that escapes our senses, a life that cannot be touched with bare hands or seen with the eyes. It can only be touched through faith. This also applies to the apostles, who have had a unique experience of the Risen Lord.

We cannot have faith in what is seen. You cannot have demonstrations or pieces of scientific evidence of the resurrection. If anyone wants to see, observe, touch, they must renounce their faith. We do not say, ‘Blessed are those who have seen.’ For Jesus, however, blessed are those who have not seen, not because it costs more to believe, thus earning greater merit. They are blessed because their faith is the most genuine and the purest. Indeed, it is the only pure faith. The one who sees has the certainty of evidence and has irrefutable proof of a fact.

Thomas appears two more times in John’s Gospel and never cuts—we would say—a good figure. He always has difficulty in understanding, equivocating, and misinterpreting the words and choices of the Master. He spoke for the first time when he received the news of Lazarus’ death. Jesus decides to go to Judea. Thomas thinks that following the Master means losing his life. He does not understand that Jesus is the Lord of life. Dejected and disappointed, he exclaims: “Let us also go, to die with him” (Jn 11:16).

During the last supper, he talks about the path he is treading, passing through death to be introduced into life. Thomas intervenes again: “Lord, we do not know where you’re going and how can we know the way?” (Jn 14:5). He is full of perplexity, hesitation, and doubt, unable to accept what he does not understand. This is demonstrated for a third time in the episode narrated in today’s passage. It seems that John enjoys outlining the figure of Thomas in this way. In the end, he does him justice. He puts on his lips the highest, the most sublime profession of faith. His words reflect the conclusion of the disciples’ itinerary of faith.

At the beginning of the Gospel, the first two apostles come to Jesus, calling him Rabbi (John 1:38). It is the first step towards understanding the Master’s identity. After a short time, Andrew, who has already figured out a lot more, says to his brother Simon: “We have found the Messiah” (Jn 1:41). Nathaniel’s intuition tells him immediately with whom he is dealing and says to Jesus: “You are the Son of God” (John 1:49). The Samaritans recognize him as the Savior of the world (John 4:43), the people acknowledge him as a prophet (Jn 6:14), the man born blind proclaims him the Lord (John 9:38), for Pilate he is the King of the Jews (Jn 19:19). But it is Thomas who has the last word on the identity of Jesus. He calls him: “My Lord and my God” (v.28). It is an expression that the Bible refers to YHWH (Ps 35:23). Thomas is, therefore, the first to recognize the divinity of Christ, the first who comes to understand what Jesus meant when he said: “The Father and I are One” (Jn 10:30).

The end of the passage (vv. 30-31) presents why John wrote his book. He spoke of the ‘signs’—not all, but sufficient ones—for two reasons: to arouse or confirm the faith in Christ and why, through this faith, we come to life.

The fourth evangelist calls miracles ‘signs.’ Jesus did not perform them ??to impress whoever was there. He even had words of condemnation for anyone who did not believe unless he witnessed a miracle (John 4:48). John does not tell them to impress his readers, to ‘show’ the divine power of Jesus.

The signs are not evidence but revelations about the person, nature, and mission of Jesus. Those who come to believe in a robust and long-lasting way rise to the reality that it reflects. It does not include the sign, like the distribution of the loaves, does not capture and reflect Jesus as the bread of life, or the healing of the man born blind, which does not recognize that Jesus is the light of the world, or the resuscitation of Lazarus, which does not see in Jesus the Lord of life.

In the epilogue to the Gospel, John uses the word ‘signs’ in a broad sense: it means all the revelation of the person of Jesus, his acts of mercy (the healing, the multiplication of the loaves), and his words (Jn 12:37). Whoever reads his book and understands these signs confronts the person of Jesus and is invited to choose. Whoever recognizes the Lord in him will opt for life and adhere to him.

Here is the only evidence offered to those who look for reasons to believe: the same Gospel. There the Word of Christ resounds, and his person shines. There is no other proof outside this same Word. To understand, it is worthwhile to refer to what Jesus said in the parable of the Good Shepherd: “My sheep recognize my voice” (John 10:4-5, 27). Apparitions are not necessary. In the Gospel, the voice of the shepherd resonates. His unmistakable voice for the sheep that belong to him is enough to recognize him and draw them to him.

But where can we listen to this voice? Where does this word echo? Is it possible to repeat today's apostles’ experience on Easter day and “eight days later” (v. 26)? How?

We have noticed that both apparitions take place on a Sunday. We also have seen that those who have the experience of the Risen One are the same (… one more, one less) of the Lord presenting himself with the same words: “Peace be with you” (v.21) and that, in both encounters, Jesus shows the marks of his passion. There are other examples, but these four are enough to help us answer the posed questions.

The disciples are gathered in the house. The meeting to which John alludes is clearly that which happens on the day of the Lord. It is the one in which the whole community is called to celebrate the Eucharist every eighth day. When all believers are gathered together, the Risen One appears. Through the celebrant's mouth, he greets the disciples, as on the evening of Easter, and eight days later: with the words “Peace be with you” (v. 26).

It is the time when Jesus manifests himself as being alive to the disciples. Those who desert the community meetings like Thomas cannot have the experience of the Risen Lord (vv. 24-25). They cannot hear his greeting and his word; they cannot accept his forgiveness and his peace (vv. 19,26,23), nor experience his joy (v. 20) or receive his Spirit (v. 22). Whoever, on the day of the Lord stays home, maybe to pray alone, can experience God, but not the Risen One, because he makes himself present where the community is gathered.

What do they, who do not meet the Risen One, do? Like Thomas, they will have toneed evidence to believe but will never obtain it.

Contrary to what we see depicted in the paintings of artists, not even Thomas has put his hands into the wounds of the Lord. From the text, it does not appear that he has touched the Risen One. He also pronounces his profession of faith after hearing the voice of the Risen One, along with his brothers and sisters in the community. And the ability to have this experience is offered to Christians of all times, every eight days.

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READ: Behind the locked doors, the Lord revealed Himself to the apostles. He breathed on them the Holy Spirit and sent them for the mission. Eight days later, He appeared again, this time with Thomas present, who doubted the first apparition. This time he believed and declared the post-Resurrection belief that the Church holds until now.

REFLECT: Not even the doubts of some disciples, prominent among whom was Thomas, could stop the momentum of Easter. There are things to be done ahead of time. So, the Lord commissioned his disciples to continue his work. There is a transfer of authorship of his mission to the disciples. Their time had come. The Master and Teacher had made a master and teacher to his once fumbling, weak, and slow-in-understanding followers. He could now plan his return to the Father. The mission now rests on capable hands.

PRAY: Let us ask the Lord to fill us with his divine life always—to live in the state of sanctifying grace.

ACT: Today is a blessed day to reflect and see what God wants me to do. Spend quiet time with God to help reorient your life to something meaningful and productive.