C Cycle – 2^nd Sunday of Easter 25

Jn. 20:19-31

They had to be confused and concerned about their future.  They believed Jesus was the coming Messiah but His death and now His body had disappeared.   The scriptures tell us they believed but did not yet understand the prophesies which said He must rise from the dead.  So, they went away, confused, wondering where His body was.  That morning as those two disciples stood staring into with the empty tomb is replayed each day in our lives and the lives of everyone who says they believe.  There are things we believe but do not fully grasp the importance of acting on that belief and the opposite which is ignoring it because we do not understand.

It had to be a long day and a frightening day for the disciples. Imagine what was going on in that room as they huddled together.  Fearful for their own lives and future.  Trying to reconcile what they saw with the story Mary Magdaline was telling them about her encounter with Christ.  She saw Him but did not recognize Him, until He said her name.  This is a moment we all must experience to be able to stand firm in our faith and our belief in Jesus Christ. Her response is what God desires from all of us.  She announces to the disciples “I have seen the Lord.”  Those words are the first proclamation of the gospel and something we all must experience and then proclaim. This is what God desires, our transformation from practicing Catholics to discipleship.

Conversion is the process of changing from one form to another form.  For a conversion to begin there is always a catalyst that ignites the process. For the Mary Magdala it was her confusion and uncertainty followed by seeing and hearing Jesus speak to her.  After a long day of discussion, speculation and confusion, the disciples have their own moment of conversion.  It is no longer Mary’s words it was them seeing what they saw and hearing what she heard.  

Jesus’s appearance to them fulfills His promise to rise from the dead.  It also is the beginning of their conversion as He breathes the Holy Spirit upon them. For them and for us this outpouring of the Holy Spirit begins an internal conversion preparing them to boldly stand firm in all the promises of God.  Remember during the last supper Jesus told them He would send them the spirit and the Spirit would teach them the truth about sin and condemnation – forgiveness.

Forgiveness of our sins and the loving embrace of God as we are the prodigals welcomed back as heirs to the kingdom of God.  For God so loved the world that He sent His only son so that those who believe in Him may not perish but have eternal life (Jn.3:16).  This encounter between them and Jesus caused them to rejoice but it did not end their confusion. The scriptures show us how they failed to understand but remained hopeful.  Conversion can be instantaneous, but most stories of conversion are just like the journey the disciples between His rising and Pentecost. If we are honest with ourselves, we would admit we live our lives hopefully. Instead of believing and being motivated by a bold confidence. 

The encounter between Jesus and Thomas is interesting because of his declaration of unbelief in the story the disciples were telling.  It begs the question about how effective our ability is to convince anyone to believe in the new life offered us by Christ.  Do we have a story to tell about our conversion?  Remember the disciples had many stories to share about miracles, probing teachings, and parables.  But they had not experienced a conversion until Pentecost.    

There is a strong message for us in the gospel today.  We hide in places where we feel safe just as the disciples did.  We easily say we believe but remain in a safe place, protecting ourselves from unbelievers.  What would happen if we began to tell our stories of encountering Christ?  We will meet more doubting Thomases than we will Mary’s.  We must encounter Christ and face our doubts.  We must stand before the empty tom and admit its significance and the reason it is empty.  God wants to roll back the stone covering those areas of our hearts and expose our lack of belief.    

Between now and Pentecost we must allow the Holy Spirit to achieve within us what God desires for everyone, a transformed heart. God promised that very thing hundreds of years before Christ lived and died.  God desires us to conform to the image of Jesus Christ.  For the disciples it began while they were hiding in that upper room.  They were seeking understanding and for them and us it begins with confusion, fear of the unknown, doubt in their abilities and a desire to become what Jesus called them to become.  It was to be a journey complete dependance on Christ.  

Why did Jesus wait a week to have His moment with Thomas.  We will never know but perhaps the excitement of the disciples who saw Jesus in that upper room was the catalyst that prepared Thomas for his own personal encounter.  Over the next weeks as Pentecost approaches, I invite you to pray for an encounter with Christ. Pray for a growing hunger to stand before as He invites you to touch Him and hear Him empower you to tell your story.  Allow Jesus to fill you with joy – hearing Jesus call you by name and feel His gentle touch as He embraces you, breathes the Spirit into you.