SECOND SUNDAY OF EASTER 2006 April 23, 2006

Acts 4:32-35  Psalm 118 1 John 5:1-6 John 20 : 19-31

1. Some of you who are popular never celebrate your birthday with a single day. There are a couple of dinners before the day, a couple after with special friends. The day itself is celebrated with “general friends” who sing “Happy Birthday to you.” the Church in her wisdom also realizes that big feast should be celebrated with Octaves or Eight days to enjoy and benefit by the graces of the Feast. Easter is one such feast. We should celebrate it without distractions - good as they may be. We tend to fill this out with devotions: Life in the Spirit Seminars, First Communions, Divine Mercy Novenas, Confirmations. We miss out on the two big graces of this Octave: The Grace of our Church and the Grace of Our Faith expressed in the Renewal of Our Baptismal commitment. Through the year we have walked with the RCIA candidates. They were baptised at the Easter Vigil. They will take a whole life time to get used to this momentous step - but at least we should try walk with them through this Octave of Easter. We should take time to look at the Signs or Marks of our Church, and what is our faith that we express through our Creedal statements when we say: “I BELIEVE.”

2. Our first reading and the first part of our Gospel gives us the picture of Our Church. The reading from the acts of the Apostles 4:32-35 gives us the highlights or identifying marks of the Church.

•  they were a group of believers who gathered to pray
• the would break bread in individual house: that is celebrate the Eucharist
• they held their property in common. The true and authentic communism
• no one was in need.

This picture is repeated in two other chapters of the Acts of the Apostles. Chapter 2: 43-47 and again in Ch. 5: 12-16. The identifying marks of the Church are still the yardstick by which we can measure or assess our Church today. These are : The Eucharist, Detachment from Worldly goods and values, a care for the needy and a spirit of prayer.

3. Our Gospel has two appearances of Jesus. In both cases he appears to the Apostles who are frightened and have hidden themselves behind locked doors. Jesus appears to them. All the circumstances are similar, the purposes of both appearances are different.

The First appearance of Jesus is for the sake of the Church. This Epiphany or Manifestation of Jesus is

to strengthen the Church. It is

to give them the gift of peace. It is

to bestow on them the treasure of forgiveness, “whose sins you forgive, they are forgiven.

It is through these gifts that “we though many parts, we are all One Body and the gifts that we share” will bind us together in love.

4. It is also a challenge to us to understand and treasure what is really at the heart of our church and what is accidental.

Story: A Visitor walked into a church, wearing clean and tidy clothes. His shirt was plaid, his pants were jeans; his boots were well worn and he carried a well worn bible in his hand. As he took a seat in the pew in this upscale church, the people moved away discreetly. They were dressed in three piece suits, and the women had hats and gloves.

After the service, the Pastor quietly said to the visitor, “sir you are most welcome to come to our church. But before you come, would you pray to God and ask guidance on what is appropriate to wear in Church.

Next Sunday, the scene was repeated. The visitor once again had clean and well pressed clothes. But he had a plaid shirt and jeans. Once again they congregation quietly put distance between themselves and him. The Pastor with a forced smile said, “Ah I am glad to see you are with us again. Did you pray to God on what is the proper Dress Code.” Yes, said the visitor with his genuine smile. I did pray to God. And what did God say asked the Pastor. Ah, said the visitor God said, he did not know what is the proper dress code in this Church. You see God has not visited this Church before.

5. Our Church consists of members who profess the same “Faith” - the same “I BELIEVE” as Thomas did in the Second appearance of our Gospel. It is not just a set of doctrines to which we can sing, “We believe, we do believe.” Rather it is a way we live out the commitments made by our parents for a large majority of us. In our second reading from the Letter of John, we have a set of “I believe” or set of Creedal statements.

 In the time of the Apostles, the Church was persecuted from outside: the Romans and the Jewish Authorities. The church is still persecuted today in places like Pakistan, Afghanistan, Palestine, Iraq. If you are a Christian you can be beaten, jailed, even put to death.

 By the time the First Letter of John was written, the trouble and persecution was within the church. It was internal. There were fights, dissensions and squabbles as to what they believed. Hence the Letter sets out a set of doctrines and dogmas. It sets out a Creedal statement to which the Christians were to say, “I BELIEVE.”

6. The Second Appearance related in the Gospel was connected with the faith. Thomas lays down the conditions: “Unless and until I see the marks of the nails and can put my finger in his side.” Unless I see the Mark of the Crucifixion, I cannot agree to believe.

As we celebrate the Octave of our Church and Our Faith, we are challenged to stop and stake stock, “What are marks of my church today and here at our Lady of Lourdes.” I know we have a mission statement posted at the door of the Church. It is a long and thorough one, but how would YOU express it to your little child at home. What would say to a child is the Mark or the sign of our Christian Church. Has God visited it and what would God say is the proper attire in this Church. Like Thomas, I have to ask myself, what are the conditions I want to put before I can say, or sing, “We believe, we do believe.”