Is seeing the only path to believing?
After his Resurrection, Jesus appears to a variety of people, and he is there in person, but not in the way he had been prior to his death and rising. In John's Gospel, these people do not yet expect to encounter Jesus. Yet Jesus transcends the barriers they have erected to protect themselves from the world – the locked doors, the desolate hearts. Peace be with you, he says. When he appears for a second time, before Thomas, he hopes that Thomas will come to believe, to come to faith, to see and realize the truth of salvation with his heart: do not be unbelieving, but believe! Jesus banks on the power of his love to grow for them, that they might see him present in their midst, and believe. As they will come to learn, belief is an expanding process; we come to faith and, over time, our faith deepens and grows.
Likewise, after Jesus’ resurrection, as the Acts of the Apostles tells us, the disciples manifest the power of Jesus, not in order to claim Jesus’ power, but to make it clear that it is God who causes the healings to occur: Many signs and wonders were done at the hands of the apostles. And great numbers were added thanks to their efforts: some are brave enough, and have faith that is strong enough, to express their belief and formally recognize their faith in public. Psalm 118 calls all who believe to worship: Give thanks to the Lord for he is good, his love is everlasting. Jesus, rejected by the world, has become the cornerstone through God’s extraordinary intervention in human existence.
Not long after the Church was established, it came under persecution from all sides. The Book of Revelation is John’s witness in faith. It is Jesus – one like a son of man – who appears to John on the island called Patmos, a penal colony to which John has been sent because he proclaimed God’s word and gave testimony to Jesus. It is there that John learns from the Lord himself what to write; God is responsible for John’s eyewitness: Write on a scroll what you see. The Book of Revelation was sent so that Christian communities might find hope in spite of persecution and not abandon the faith that has been given to them, but rather, expand upon it. As long as the light of the lampstands is lit, there is hope – they need to keep the lampstands burning and the flame of faith alive.
This post is based on Fr. Pat’s Scripture class.
Image source: www.wordclouds.com
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