Just a word before we go...Second Sunday of Easter...April 24, 2022
Our gospel today highlights Thomas’ famous struggle with the resurrection of Jesus. But far from being an obstacle to belief, Thomas’ doubt did not keep him from joining his companions. On the contrary, it was that very doubt that provided the opening for Jesus to reveal the face of God in a new way, one that set the stage for the gathered disciples to more fully comprehend the mystery of Jesus’ dying and rising. Invited to touch and see the wounds, Thomas refrains; instead, he recognizes the transformed yet still apparent wounds, as God’s being vulnerable, leading him to proclaim. “My Lord and my God!” Thomas was able to intuit that the disciple’s relationships with Jesus remained intact, despite the crucifixion. Through his doubt, Thomas was able to discern the deeper reality for those gathered and gave credence to what we proclaimed in the Exultet at the Vigil last Saturday evening, “God’s mighty love is stronger than death!”
In our parish community, we also have the opportunity to help one another to more fully appreciate and reflect upon the Paschal Mystery—what it meant for Jesus, and what it prefigures for all of us. We do that in many ways...through kindnesses to one another, through service to the parish and the greater community. We have recently done so through our participation in the celebrations of the Sacred Triduum and Easter Sunday, when we gathered together with all our concerns and let’s face it, sometimes our doubts, to remember what our faith is all about. And that coming together as a worshipping community sends a palpable message of hope and joy, a message that radiates through our church and beyond.
The crowds this past weekend were a sight to behold; many parishioners returned to church for the first time since COVID first struck; many guests were present as well, and not only in church. The analytics from our streaming were a testament to the breadth and depth of the audience; Holy Thursday had 227 views; Good Friday had 137; the Vigil garnered 176 views. 175 viewers watched the Easter Sunday 10 am Mass. Those who tuned in were from 15 different states and two countries. Comments from those present, within the church and beyond, included such descriptions as marvelous, most amazing, joyful beyond words, made me weep, totally uplifting...one woman at the Vigil stopped me to ask if all our celebrations were as fabulous as this!
As joyous as last weekend was, the soul-searing news from Ukraine, and our personal problems and worries, can make it difficult to live our Easter joy. But that is where community comes into play, for it is precisely in community that we are able to laugh and to cry together; to support one another in good times and in bad; to celebrate our shared tradition and to seek forgiveness as we try to make our way together on our journeys of life. It is in community, near and far, where we can help one another remember what we all need to embrace, that “God’s mighty love IS stronger than death.”