2nd Easter
John 20: 19-29
On the evening
of the first day after the Sabbath, the disciples were together with the doors
locked for fear of the authorities. Jesus came and stood in their midst and
said,
“Peace be with you!”
And while he said this, he showed them his hands
and his side.
Full of joy the disciples
recognized the Lord. And again he said, “Peace be with you. As the Father has
sent me, so I am sending you.”And when he said this, he breathed on them and said, “Receive Holy
Spirit through
which the world will receive healing. From now on you shall work in human destinies
with spiritual power, so that they shall have the strength to wrest themselves
free from the load of sin, and at the same time to bear the consequences of
their offences.”
Now Thomas, one of the twelve, called the Twin, was not there with them
when Jesus came. Later the disciples said to him, “We have seen the Lord.”But he replied, “If I do not see in his hand the marks of the nails, and
do not put my finger in the place where the nails were, and place my hand in
his side, I cannot believe it.”
Eight days later, the disciples were again gathered in the inner room
and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood in
their midst and said, “Peace be with you.”Then he said to Thomas, “Stretch out your finger and see my hands, and
stretch out your hand and put it into my side. Be not rigid in your heart, but
rather feel and trust in my power in your heart.”Then Thomas said to him, “You are the Lord of my soul; you are the God
whom I serve.”And Jesus said to him, “Have you found my power in yourself because you
have seen me? Blessed are those who find my power in their hearts, even when
their eye does not yet see me.”
2nd Easter
April 7, 2013
John 20: 19-29
Our breath is in two parts: we
inhale. We take in not only life-giving oxygen, but also moods, atmospheres,
inspirations. And then we exhale. Our spent breath nourishes the plants. We add
our own moods and inspirations to the atmosphere.
The disciples had been holding
their breath in fear and sorrow. The locked door was an image of their hearts,
closed in fear. But Christ enters anyway. He breathes on them. After his own
ordeal, imprinted into his hands and his side, he exhales an atmosphere of joy
and peace. His healing breath, the loving exhalation of his spirit, gives us
the strength and power to work in a positive way with destiny. He gives us all
the strength to do the work of repair.
Thomas is not wrong to want to
experience Christ directly himself. Christ only warns him against being rigid
of heart. When Thomas has satisfied his healthy skepticism, he opens his own heart,
so that Christ’s healing, loving power can enter.
Since His resurrection, Christ’s
power is available in every breath we take. For He inhabits the earth, the air,
as His body. As the poet says:
It's not
magic; it isn't a trick.
Every breath
is a resurrection.[1]
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