Second Sunday of Easter

19th April 2020

Today is the 2nd Sunday of Easter, as we continue on our Easter journey, in today’s Gospel the disciples encounter the first of many appearances

of Jesus.  All the disciples except Thomas are present.  Thomas has his doubts and announces that unless he sees the wounds in His hands and side, he will not believe.

Creating a Sacred Space in your home can help focus on the sense of the sacred

Read the Gospel carefully. 

Read it slowly and then read it twice more.

John 20:19-31

When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you."
After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then 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."
When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit.
If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained."

But Thomas (who was called the Twin), one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples told 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 in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe."
A week later his disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were shut, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you."

Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe."
Thomas answered him, "My Lord and my God!"

Jesus said to him, "Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe."
Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book.
But these are written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name.

Reflection

Jesus appears to his disciples on the first day of the week, a Sunday.  All, but one disciple is present, Thomas.  We know that the disciples are living in fear and are hiding away in a locked room.  After reading the text three times, I invite you to reflect on the following questions.

In John’s Gospel, it is very clear that it was the first day of the week that the disciples gathered, for us Christians this day is Sunday.   In the light of our current situation of isolation what does the absence of this gathering on Sunday as a Christian community mean for you?

Thomas was missing from the initial meeting with Jesus and the disciples.  Think of the things that Thomas missed as a result of his absence;

• He missed the presences of Jesus and his words of comfort….  “Peace be with You”.

• He missed Jesus revealing himself to his disciples and showing them His wounds.

• He missed Jesus commissioning the disciple to go out, just as the Father had sent Him.

• He missed the joy and celebration that the disciples experienced at the realization that Jesus is Alive.

• He missed the moment when Jesus breathed on them and they received from Him the Holy Spirit.

Now think of all the things and opportunities we miss, when we fail to gather as a community or in these unprecedented times cannot meet as a Christian community.  How does this make you feel?

Thomas doubts are natural, when the disciples retell of their encounter with Jesus to him on his return to the room, he couldn’t believe them.  Thomas need to see the Risen Lord for himself. 

Can you think of a time when you had serious doubts regarding your faith? 

Who or What restored your faith?

There will be other times when we will experience doubts regarding our faith and belief in Jesus Christ.  On these more challenging days perhaps we can repeat the words of Thomas and say over and over again…” My Lord and My God”.

Activity

In order that we may deepen our faith and encounter the Risen Lord. 

Reflect on next week’s Gospel (The 3rd Sunday of Easter).  Spend twenty minutes to thirty minutes daily to reflect and pray the Gospel reading, which is Luke 24: 13-35, The Road to Emmaus.

The Glorious Mysteries:

Start by praying the Apostles Creed:

I believe in God,

the Father Almighty,
Creator of heaven and earth,
and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died and was buried;
He descended into hell;
on the third day He rose again from the dead;
He ascended into heaven,
and is seated at the right hand of God the Father Almighty;
from there He will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the Holy Catholic Church,
the communion of Saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and life everlasting.
Amen.

Our Father …….

Hail Mary X 3

Glory be to the Father …….

1st        The resurrection of our Lord from the dead

2nd        The ascension of our Lord into heaven

3rd        The descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles and our Blessed Mother Mary

4th        The assumption of our Blessed Mother into heaven.

5th        The coronation of our Blessed Mother of heaven and earth.

Hail Holy Queen

Hail, holy Queen, Mother of mercy, hail, our life, our sweetness and our hope. To thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve: to thee do we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this vale of tears. Turn then, most gracious Advocate, thine eyes of mercy toward us, and after this our exile, show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus, O merciful, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary! Amen.

Let us Pray

O God, whose only begotten Son, by His life, death, and resurrection has purchased for us the rewards of eternal life, grant, we beseech Thee, that meditating upon these mysteries in the most holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary, we may imitate what they contain, and obtain what they promise: through the same Christ our Lord. Amen