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| John 20:19-31 |
Happy Easter from the Office of Religious Education!
We are an Easter people and our song is ALLELUIA! (St. Augustine)
Sunday Gospel Reflection (John 20:19-31)
4 take-a-ways from today’s Gospel:
1. Jesus meets us where we are at
“When the doors were locked, where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst”…they were terrified and in hiding, Jesus can get past any door or wall we put up or hide behind if we are open to seeing Him.
2. Jesus sends us forth
“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.’”…Jesus has a plan for each one of us and sends us forth…do I believe that I am sent by God to do something amazing? Do I live my life as if I am sent forth? What am I sent forth by God to do?
3. Jesus sends us His Spirit so that His presence might always be with us in a concrete way
“And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained.’” …it is from this passage (and many others) that we understand that: (I). Jesus gave us the Holy Spirit to always be close to us and that (II) the Sacraments are the unique ways that Spirit is made present in our lives as we do the things that Jesus did/commanded i.e. The Sacrament of Reconciliation/Confession is given to us by Jesus. He speaks through the Bishops and Priests who Jesus Himself tasked to do this…we didn’t just make it up!
4. Jesus accepts us even when we are weak/confused/doubting
“Then he said to Thomas, ‘Put your finger here and see my hands, and bring your hand and put it into my side, and do not be unbelieving, but believe.’"…we all have Thomas moments and Jesus still loves us. We want proof and want to see but are reminded by Jesus that “Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed." We have to retrain ourselves in an exclusively scientific world to remember that there is another reality, the Spirit/spiritual. This reality is similarly true but can only be seen with eyes of faith, the eyes of our hearts. Science isn’t built to measure this and so it says it doesn’t exist, but not using the right tool is a bad argument to ‘prove’ it doesn’t exist.
Religious Education Website: RE.mountcarmelmv.org
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