Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, cycle C

Luke 10:1-12, 17-30

In the gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke, there is a scene where Jesus sends out his apostles two by two to preach and proclaim the kingdom.  In Luke, that’s in chapter 9.  Today’s reading is only in Luke, and it’s chapter ten, shortly after the commissioning of the apostles.  So who are these 72 that he sends out?  Jesus wasn’t thinking about missionaries as such, people who dedicate their lives to spreading the gospel.  His 72 were people who had been following him and had taken his message to heart.  These 72 are you and I.

Notice also that he sends them to where he intends to go.  We baptized and confirmed Catholics have an advantage over the 72; we are part of the Body of Christ; where we go, He is already there with us.  

And there is an urgency; we are to get moving.  I had a friend who was a presbyterian minister.  He told me a presbyterian minister joke, namely that when they went to found a church, they had to wait for the railroads to be finished, because only then could they bring along their libraries.  The methodists, on the other hand, stuck a  bible in their saddlebags ind got going.  And when the presbyterians finally  arrived at their destination, they usually would find an active methodist congregation.  

Jesus understands human nature; he tells us we will b e like lambs among wolves.  IF we are going to be in that much danger, it follows that we might as well take nothing with us, and depend on God alone.  To me that means that we should be prepared to evangelize at any moment -- you never know when an opportunity will come.  Now there is an important point to be made;  evangelization is not the same thing as catechesis.  Catechesis is teaching the truths of our faith -- the ten commandments, the creed, the Our Father, the seven sacraments.  You can spend a lifetime learning these truths; they are mysterious, and the more you know, the more you want to know.  Large books have been written about the Trinity, the Eucharist, and in fact every truth of our faith.  Even theologians don’t know it all.  

But evangelization is very different. Each of us can grasp this right away;  The Greek word for this is Kerygma, which means “proclamation”.

When we evangelize we tell someone that God loves them and has a plan for their life; that sin will destroy your life; that Jesus died to save us from sin, death and hell, and that they are called to repent (which means change the way you think) and believe this.  In our own words we disciples of Jesus are supposed to be proclaiming this to everyone we meet.  That doesn’t mean we go around making those statements; pretty soon no one would want anything to do with us.  But we keep in mind the goal of the encounter --- to get people to recognize that Jesus is the answer.  And the sad thing is, despite our efforts, most will not listen -- at least this time.  But a seed has been planted.  In the gospel Jesus predicts that there will be some who are really open to the proclamation, and others who will be hostile.  Fine.  You’ve done your part, you’ve told them something about the fact that the kingdom of God is at hand.  Now move on.  

Jesus sends his disciples in pairs.  I grew up around Mormons and I always admired the fact that they consider it an obligation to go on mission.  Mission can take many forms, but the one we are most familiar with is to meet two young men, or nowadays, a young man and a young woman, or two young women, knocking at our door.  It’s a lot easier to evangelize with a companion.  Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we Catholics took this commission of Jesus to heart, and devoted some time to  door to door ministry?  Doors would be slammed in our faces, or course, but now and then we’d come across someone ripe for coming into a relationship with Jesus.  But married couples can be very effective evangelists to their children and to their friends.  

Jesus has given us power, just as he gave his disciples power.  We all know people who make us feel better about ourselves.  That’s a power.  We respond to holiness in others.  

And if we study today’s gospel, we see a really good reason to be evangelists -- our names will be written in heaven;  Don’t you want that for yourself?

So evangelize.  It’s not rocket science.  I know a young lady who has a great way of evangelizing;  she sits in a public place and says the rosary.  Now and then someone comes along and wants to know what she’s doing, or says “I’m a Catholic also”. And a conversation starts, and she eventually works in some simple truth, like “God loves you” in the conversation.  No instant conversion, just a little push; and maybe a soul is saved.

Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, cycle C

 Solemnity of Saint Peter and Paul

Matthew 16:13-19

This is one of the most familiar passages of scripture and sometimes we just pass over it.  But Jesus asks two very important questions, and there is a third that comes from those two.

Jesus and his disciples have moved north and are on the way to Caesarea Philippi.  He has been preaching and working miracles of healing.  He’s gotten in trouble with the Pharisees and Sadducees.  And he and his band are in a largely pagan land.  Now when we hear the words of Jesus we can’t help but see them  in our own context.  We’ve been told that this is the place where Peter becomes the first Pope.  We hear about the gates of the netherworld -- we used to use “hell” here, but that isn’t really what Jesus means.  In fact, Jesus may have been very near a natural formation called “the gates of Hades” which was a deep pool that overflows its banks now and then and used to be used to sacrifice infants.  

The first question is “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” The Son of Man was a title the prophet Ezekiel used about himself; but the prophetic book of Daniel refers to the Son of Man who will usher in the last age and set up God’s reign on earth.  Daniel was a very popular scripture in Jesus’ time, because it seemed to predict a bright future for the Jewish people, one which was almost here.  And Jesus is probably referring to himself when he uses these words.  And it’s a good question today.  Because most people have some sort of opinion about Jesus. The Qaran mentions Jesus many times, but he’s not as great a prophet as Mohammed.  Jews usually have an opinion about Jesus -- good or bad.  He’s either a wise prophet who started out founding a Jewish sect, or he started a religion which has been proclaiming antisemitism for 2000 years.  And in secular America, there are a large number of people who don’t consider themselves religious at all, and to them Jesus is just another irrelevant figure from the distant past, like Cicero or Aristotle.  What do the people you know think about Jesus?  

The second question is “Who do you say that I am?”  The apostles are put on a spot. They confidently answered the first question -- some say John the Baptist -- because a lot of people thought John would return, including if you remember, Herod, who suspected Jesus was John reincarnated.  Some say Elijah, because it was believed he would return; he had been taken up to heaven in a fiery chariot, after all; he hadn't really died.  And some say Jeremiah or one of the prophets.  A number of the prophets had been martyrs.  We have hints in scripture and in later writings of Jewish scholars.  Jeremiah, Isaiah, Zecharia, and Ezekiel were all thought to have been martyred, and it stood to reason that they would be saved from permanent death because they had been devoted to God.  But who do you say that I am?  And Peter, with the help of the Holy Spirit, answers, “You are Christ the Son of the living God”.  Faith is a gift of the Holy Spirit.  It’s not something you can get on your own.  If you have a little, pray for more; if you have a lot, be thankful.  

And Jesus commends Peter, and commissions him to be the first Pope, right?.  But our Protestant brothers don’t see it that way; they say everyone who has faith will be part of God’s church, and those who are will have authority to speak and act in Jesus’ name.  We can agree that professing our faith in Christ is central to being a Christian; as Saint Paul said, “if you will confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”

But there is a third question that Jesus doesn't ask:  Who do others say that you are?

In my case, some people know me as a retired doctor; others as a deacon; some people call me father, or grandfather, or if she could talk, great grandfather.  I’m known as brother and cousin.  My wife knows me as “hey, you!”  But seriously, if I’m blessed with faith that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, I better be known as someone who makes a difference in the world, someone who ushers in the kingdom of heaven.  My life needs to be such that people who know me in some way recognize Christ in me.  Remember when Jesus said “Many will tell me on that day, “Lord, didn’t we prophesy in your name and cast out demons, and do many mighty works?” and the Son of Man will tell them “I never knew you; depart from me, you evildoers”.

If you aren’t in a state of sin, you are empowered to be another Christ.  A good way to open up those channels of grace that come to you to be given to others is to remind yourself how what you do carries on the work of Jesus.  Think about that; if you are a lawyer, you seek justice for someone; if you are a nurse or a physician, you carry out Jesus’ healing work.  If you are an accountant you help people take care of their resources.  A parent, like Jesus, is a teacher and a shepherd.  A spouse is a sign of Christ’s love for his church.  And so it goes.  

Who do others say that the son of man is?  If the answer is not  Peter’s answer, who is going to set them right?

And if I truly believe he is the Christ, the Son of God, then if that belief doesn’t somehow inform all my words and actions, something is wrong.  

Who do others say that I am?  At the end of the day, we hope to live so that they will answer “another Christ”.  

Trinity Sunday cycle C

John 16:12-15

Several weeks ago Joan and I attended the first birthday of our youngest grandson, John Joseph.  I’m pretty deaf and hearing aids aren’t very helpful when there is a lot of background noise, so I was sitting silently trying to look like a wise old patriarch instead of someone who was clueless as to what was going on.  One of my grandsons pulled up a chair and sat down next to me. I never had much of a conversation with him before so this was very unusual.  

“Do you think you have to believe in God to be a good person?” he asked.  “Of course not,” I replied.  “Because I don’t think I really believe in God,” he went on. “When you read the stories in the bible, God seems to be cruel, forgetful, get angry for very little reason, and then he sends people to hell.  I have a hard time believing in that god.”  

I thought for a few moments and replied, “To tell you the truth, I don’t believe in that god either.”  I tried to explain that for me, the Bible is full of stories written by human beings whe have encountered something of God, which they try to put into words.  The bible is inspired, of course, but we need a guide.  And for Catholics, the guide is the Church, but the Church only draws us back to Jesus over and over again, so the real guide to the scriptures and the nature of God is this person Jesus.  Is this logical? No.  Can I prove it? No.  The issue is not whether or not you  believe in God, or what kind of God you believe in or want to believe in.  The issue is how you understand this person Jesus.  Because You don’t begin with Adam and Eve and the serpent.  You begin with the person who said, “Philip, if you have seen me, you have seen the Father.”  and the person who spoke about the Spirit who will guide you to all truth; and the person who proclaimed that “I am the way, the truth and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me.” 

There have been many attempts by great minds to explain the Trinity.  It can’t be done.  In fact there is a whole subdivision of theology that points out why such explanations are wrong.  Saint Patrick was to have held up a shamrock and explained the Trinity, comparing the three leaved plant to the three persons.  That was actually a heresy.  Thomas Aquinas said the Trinity is like a person generating a perfect image of himself which he loves, and it loves him back, and the love is the Holy Spirit.  I’m not sure if this is a heresy or not but I’m not sure I understand it either.  There are attempts to say the Trinity is like water -- solid as ice, liquid as water, and gass as steam.  Nope.  Likewise, it’s like the Sun, which generates a sunbeam, which warms something.  No.  A recent book by a priest from Stockbridge said it’s like this; we humans are all members of the species “homo sapiens”.  The three persons of the Trinity are members of the species “God”.  He’s wrong.  And I could go on, but the point is that if you try to explain the Trinity, you are missing the point.

This is not an explanation for the Trinity.  But I think if we look at how other religions see God, we might get a little breakthrough.  If you are Muslim, you believe in a God who is completely other, completely sufficient in himself, completely happy, powerful, knowing -- and the list goes on.  But why on earth should such a God create anything?  He needs nothing, He desires nothing.  He’s totally complete.  The God of our forebears, the Jews, gets involved with the human race, which he creates in his image and likeness.  Why he creates at all is not clear, but he does so and recognizes that what he made is good.  We then have thousands of years in which he draws out from the human race the Jews, who are supposed to be an example to the nations of how to render proper worship.  But still, the question is “Why”.

That’s where the Trinity comes in.  If I love someone, I like to give them things; and if the one I love loves me, she gives things to me as well.  God is perfect love, and for all eternity has the Son to give things to -- and the Son gives back to the Father.  The power to give out of love is the Holy Spirit.  That’s why we have a universe, that’s why humans exist, that’s why Jesus died on the cross to give himself completely to the Father.  And all we can do is look at this loving God who loves everything into existence and plans that all will work together for good, even death and sin.  He weaves this into a gift for the Son who gives it back through the Spirit.  And we imitate this at Mass, this loving movement, when we offer God our bread and wine and he gives us back the Son, through the Spirit that brings about this transformation.

Don’t wrestle with the Trinity.  Just remember, the Trinity means that God is Love, completely, and you are loved, and others are loved through you because the Spirit spills over into each of our lives.  Happy Father’s Day.  

Seventh Sunday in Easter, cycle C

John 17:20-26

The passage we just read is from the prayer that Jesus prayed at the Last Supper.  After this the next prayer will be when he begs the Father to take the cup from him.  Then he goes on to his passion and death.  So this is a really important prayer and what does He pray for?  Not for us to be more holy, not to have us pray more; not even to have us go to heaven, although that is implied, obviously because if we are one with Jesus the Father will never let us go.  What Jesus does pray for is unity, that his followers consciously seek to become one with each other and with Jesus himself.  And we don’t do a very good job of it.

Jesus wants unity for four reasons.  The first reason is that we may be one just as the Father and Jesus are one.  Second, that we may be brought to perfection by receiving the glory given to Jesus.  Third, that we will show the world through our unity so that everyone will know that the Father has sent Jesus into the world.  Fourth, that we will be where Jesus is, so that the love the Father has for Jesus will embrace us as well.  

That’s quite a list. The gospel reading is one which you should go back to, maybe at the end of Mass or at home, and read slowly and thoughtfully.  It tells us in summary form the whole purpose of why God became man, suffered and died for us, and left us the Church.  It tells us that we have a God who created us as free creatures, then gave himself entirely to us through Jesus; and waits expectantly for our response.  It reminds me of a marriage proposal, in which one of the lovers puts everything on the line and waits to hear the response of the other.  And the other, by the way, is not you, not me.  The other is you and the people of God, me and the people of God.  Jesus is praying for all those who believe in him through the words of his apostles, words which continue to be put out there for the whole of mankind, two thousand years later and counting.  

I read an essay this week about the transhumanist movement.  As you may know, technology billionaires like Elon Musk, Tim Cook, who runs Apple, Sundar Pichai, who runs Google, and several others, are all pursuing ways to enhance human beings.  You may have heard of neuralink, a technology which can translate brain waves into print, so that people who are disabled from things like Lou Gehrig’s disease can communicate again.  And many of these people are looking for a way to replace cell phones.  Brain implants, eyeglasses, tattoos --- they have several interesting and scary ideas.  And we can’t forget artificial intelligence.  They have come up with one that can converse with you like a real person, only without misunderstandings or misinterpretations of your words.  

But Jesus started a transhumanist movement a long time ago.  The Father invites us to become one with Jesus, who is God and man.  The Father through Jesus invites us to share in his divinity.  When we achieve this, we will have gone as far as possible for human beings to be enhanced; we will be divine by adoption.  

Jesus wanted a way for people to become one in him.  During his time on earth, he participated in many meals.  When you look at the Gospels, Jesus frequently accepts invitations to parties, to suppers; and even after the Resurrection he shares in meals with his disciples.  Eating together is a very human thing.  Birds in our backyard fight over birdseed.  Our two cats push each other out of the way to get at their food.  But for people, eating together goes along with being civilized, building family values, and growing in our humanity.  So, Jesus left us instructions about the meal which brings us to divinity, that makes us one, the Holy Eucharist.  And being God, he made it possible for us to consume his body and blood, and through this act, receive the grace to become more and more like Jesus, and united more and more with each other.  The Eucharist, of course, is the tip of the iceberg, the Church, through whose sacraments God continues to make us divine.  

So please, again, meditate on this gospel and listen to Jesus’ prayer for you, for me, for his church.  And when you come to Mass look around and see the people God has given to Jesus so that Jesus can continue the work of making us into divine beings.  

Sixth Sunday of Easter, cycle C

John 14:23-29

The reading from the Acts of the Apostles represents a profound step in  the life of  the church.  Circumcision of men was a common custom among people living in the near East over many hundreds of years.  It wasn’t something unique to the Jewish people.  However, the Israelites made circumcision a religious act, and Nobody thought to question this.  When the Church began enrolling gentiles, circumcision became a controversial issue.  On the one hand, it was  obvious that the gentile converts were truly incorporated into the church.  They manifested the marks of the holy spirit.  On the other hand, they were not following the Jewish law, which included circumcision.  And in today’s reading we see the Church prayerfully reflecting and making the decision that the Gentiles  would have the same status as the Jewish Christians.  In other words, the Holy Spirit, even after Jesus had ascended into heaven, was guiding the Church as it faced new challenges.  

And that's what Jesus means when he tells his disciples that the Holy Spirit will teach them everything and remind them of  all he has  already told them.  Jesus promises that as new things happen,  as new challenges  arose, the Holy Spirit will be there guiding the Church.  

That’s a difference between Protestants and Catholics.  Our Protestant brothers and sisters have  read the same scriptures  we read, and yet if you  go  around the world  and count the different protestant denominations, I think the last time I looked that up  there were about 3000 of them.  You would find that although  some denominations are very dogmatic about belief and practice, the vast majority hold to a watered down Christianity which makes no hard and fast rules.  But look again at the reading from the Acts of the apostles.  The early Christians were very serious about remaining a united body while they faced these divisive  questions.  They undoubtedly remembered that their Lord had prayed that all might be one.  

Jesus makes an incredible promise in the gospel.  If we love him we will keep his word, and the Father will love us and Jesus and the father will come  and dwell in us.  That’s an awesome promise, but it means that loving Jesus is not a feeling, it’s the conscious effort to keep his word.  And of course that means we need to know what he tells  us.  Because Jesus, as promised, is  present in our midst, and will  be until  the end of time.  How is he present?  First, he is present in the Eucharist.  None of us can really understand this mystery, but we know by faith that it is Jesus we receive when we receive communion.  Jesus assures us that he wishes to become one with us, he seeks to dwell in us together  with  the Father, from whom he cannot be separated.  Jesus  loves our bodies and our souls, that’s why he feeds himself  to us.  

The second way Jesus is present is in each other..  He promised that he would live in us, and so he does.  When you look at another person you need to presume Jeus is united to that person, that Jesus lives in that person.  This should stir up love  for each other and the desire to bring peace to that person in whatever way we can do  so.  In  the Eucharist God shows that he loves us; in  the other person, God calls  us to go out of ourselves and love each other in whatever way we can.  Love is action, of course, not a feeling.  

The third way Jesus is present is in the scriptures and the teachings of the Church which ultimately elaborate on what is in  the  scriptures.  Long ago in a manner similar  to  the decision to allow gentiles  to be full members of  the Church  without circumcision, the Church decided which among many writings showed inspiration by God.  The Church leaders trusted that the Holy Spirit was with them, and the outcome was the Bible -- the word of God.  The Church continues to rely on the Holy Spirit.  Revelation continues and so we have various doctrines like the Trinity, the fact that Jesus is both God and man, the teaching that Mary was conceived without original sin, that she was taken up to heaven body and soul -- and of course the teachings of the Popes and the councils of the Church -- all of which cannot contradict scripture,  but can elaborate on those ideas. 

Someone said that those of us who are baptized and who are in the state of grace are closer to Jesus and the Father than the apostles ever were during Jesus’ lifetime.  So let us continue to grow in love for each other and in continuing to study what he has revealed to us so that we can keep is word.  The Holy Spirit is with the Church, but dwells in each of us as well.  

Third Sunday of Easter, cycle C

 John 21:1-19

If you were to read the four gospels, there is an interesting thing that stands out. It has to do with the chief of the apostles, Peter. The gospel writers refer to him consistently as “Peter” or “Simon Peter”. John seems to prefer “Simon Peter”. The other gospel writers are not so consistent.

We all know how the fisherman Simon got the name of Peter. It was at that moment when Jesus asked, “Who do you say that I am?” The apostles had various guesses, but Simon said, “You are the Messiah of God” or words to that effect. And Jesus answers, “Blessed are you, Simon, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but my Father in Heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church”. The so-called synoptic gospels all tell the same story with slightly different words. In the Gospel of John, though, it is when Peter’s brother Andrew introduces Peter to Jesus, that Jesus looks at him and says, “You are Simon, son of John, You will be called Cephas *(which is translated as Peter). Because Cephas means rock, and so does Peter.

But that is literally the only place that Jesus calls the leader of the apostles by a name other than Simon, and the writer of John’s gospel takes pains to translate the term Cephas, so as near as we can tell, according ot John, at least, Jesus never addresses him as Peter; it’s always “Simon” or Simon, son of John”. And yet, John the gospel writer freely uses the name Peter, or sometimes “Simon Peter” when he is telling his story. And so here we are at the end of John’s gospel, as he describes the last encounter Jesus will have with his apostles, before his ascension into heaven. And Jesus only uses the name “Simon” in the last conversation he will have with Peter.

The conversation is recorded in today’s gospel. If we heard it in Greek, it might sound something like this: “Simon, do you love me enough to die for me?” Because Jesus uses the greek word “agape”. And Simon replies “Lord, you know that I love you like a brother” because Simon uses the word “phylia” which means “to love like you would love a brother.”. Jesus askes the same question a second time, and Simon replies the same way. Finally Jesus asks the question a little differently: Simon, do you love me like a brother?” and that is when Simon gets distressed and replies, “You know I love you like a brother”.

Peter has been Jesus’ disciple for three years; he’s followed him up and down the roads of Galilee, and finally to Jerusalem. Peter has more than once spoken from his heart about his love and loyalty to Jesus. But when it comes down to proving his loyalty and love, Peter claimed that he never heard of Jesus, not once but three times. And in all the appearances Jesus made after his resurrection up till now, he never speaks directly to Peter. And I wonder what was going through Peter’s mind. Guilt, sure. Regret, most likely. But Peter has been tested, and failed the test. And he knows it. Remember how this scene at the lake started? Peter said to his fellow disciples, “I am going fishing”. Did he decide to go back to his old way of life because he felt that Jesus would never forgive him?

And then Jesus speaks to him. He calls him “Simon” not Peter. In doing so he brings Peter back to the time they first met. And in his question, Jesus is asking about the depth of Peter’s love, about it’s quality. And Peter can only answer, not as much as I should, not as much as I want to. I love you as much as I can, but not as much as you want. And in Jesus’ third question, he accepts what Peter has to offer. Jesus accepts that Peter’s love is not complete, not enough to die for him. And yet Jesus doesn’t take away Peter’s position as the leader of his church, in fact, he reinforces it in front of the other apostles. Feed my lambs; tend my sheep; feed my sheep. And Jesus promises that a day will come when Peter will love him enough to die for him; they will stretch out his hands and dress him and lead him to where he does not want to go -- a reference to Peter’s crucifixion, when he dies like his master. To me this scene on the shore is consoling. It tells me that Jesus accepts my imperfect love, and despite all my imperfections and lack of boldness, he will continue too love me and use me, a very imperfect instrument. And while I live I can hope to grow in my love for Him.

Jesus names Simon Peter, which means “Rock”. But the name Simon has a meaning as well. It means “the one who hears”. Let us all hear those words, “Do you love me?” and let us respond, “As much as I can, Lord”.

Second Sunday in Easter 2025

 Second Sunday of Easter 2025

John 20:19-31

Our gospel tells us that when Jesus made his first appearance in the locked room Thomas was not with them.  We don’t know why.  We do know that the apostles were afraid for their lives because of their association with Jesus -- Maybe that was Thomas’ motivation.  Or maybe he was like those disciples on the way to Emmaus -- he’d given up when Jesus was crucified; he was heading home trying to beat the traffic.  In any event he is there now, listening to his brother disciples telling him with great excitement that Jesus is alive again.  They are talking about how the Lord gave them authority to forgive sins, authority to spread the good news.  And they were very afraid when this first happened but now their courage has returned, and they are essentially proposing that Thoams take their claims on faith.  

Thomas comes across in the few places we meet him as someone who asks questions -- When Jesus tells them he is going away but one day they would follow him, he exclaims, “Lord, wew don’t know where you are going; how can we know the way”?  And in another palace when Jesus gives his prediction that he will suffer and be crucified, Thomas says, “Let us go and die with him.”  Thomas has speaking parts in the scriptures, but he clearly isn’t one of the favored three -- Peter, James and John; and he isn’t one of the favorite five -- those three plus Andrew and Philip.  And yet during Jesus’ life Thomas is faithful.  But Jesus is dead, Thomas thinks, and the apostles are blowing smoke.  But when I hear Thomas’ words, “Unless I put my fingers in his hands and my hand in his side, I will not believe” it may sound like doubt, but I think there is some anger there as well.  If Jesus has appeared to the ten, why did he leave Thomas out?  

And I feel like that sometimes.  I read about great saints and small saints, and how the Lord worked miracles in their lives.  Some saints were holy almost from birth; others were great sinners.  But when you read their biographies, it’s as though they were given a special privilege -- an apparition; a miracle of some sort; an impossible healing -- whatever it was, it kick-started them on the way to become saints.  Even Mary, his mother, saw an angel who assured her that she was full of grace, beloved of God, destined to be remembered for all time.  I sympathize with Thomas.  I think he is angry and hurt.

In the time after the crucifixion Jesus was betrayed.  Peter swore that he did not know the man.  The other apostles were nowhere to be found when Jesus drew his last breath, except the apostle whom Jesus loved.  His mother and a couple of other ladies that followed him were there at his cross, but the vast majority of his friends were gone.  From 2000 years later and from all the Easters we’ve celebrated personally we can’t possibly appreciate the emotions those apostles experienced when they met the risen Christ.  So why does Jesus return to these men and women who betrayed him, who didn’t believe him, some of whom witnessed impossible miracles, some of whom heard the voice of the father at the transfiguration.  

That’s kind of what Mercy Sunday is lal about.  Jesus loves us so much that despite our failures, despite our doubt, our betrayal, he wants to form a loving relationship with each one of us. And that’s a message that comes through loud and clear in the post resurrection stories.  He is so changed that many don’t recognize him at first.  But he calls Mary’s name, he breaks the bread, he cooks a fish on the fire by the lake and in those moments he is recognized.  That is the first step towards forming that relationship, and Jesus takes that step.  It’s no different with Thomas.  Jesus says, in effect, “if that’s what it will take for you and I to have this relationship, then so be it.  “Put your fingers in my hands, your hand in my side, and believe.”

And that’s one of the reasons this is Mercy Sunday.  Sister Faustina, whose writings so influenced John Paul II, had a mystical insight.  She writes that at death Jesus calls the soul to himself not once but three times.  If the soul remains unresponsive, God grants it a final grace, a special light by means of which the soul begins to understand God’s effort.  The soul knows this is a final grace, and if it shows even a flicker of goodwill, the mercy of God will accomplish the rest.

The writer of the fourth gospel refers to Thomas, also called Didymus.  Thomas is a nickname in Aramaic which means “the twin”.  Didymus in Greek means the same thing.  Maybe the gospel writer means for us to see ourselves in Thomas, our twin, who doubts, who is hurt, who is angry.  But the Lord’s great mercy overcomes all of that in order to call Thomas to himself -- and he calls you and I to himself as well, and will do so as long as there is any effort on our part, however poor and weak our effort is.  His mercy has no limits and that’s what we celebrate today.