The disciples in today’s gospel reading were in a locked room, because they were afraid of the Jews. They were no doubt having a discussion about what they could do about their situation. Maybe they felt trapped, afraid for their lives and uncertain about their future or if they even had a future. Would they always be in hiding? Their future looked pretty grim indeed and they may have been afraid it would always be that way.
But, then Jesus just appeared out of nowhere in the middle of a locked room. This has such a wonderful lesson for all of us, right there! There is no situation in our lives that is ever hopeless, no matter how trapped or afraid or despondent about our future we may be. Jesus Christ can enter into every situation in our lives and heal it.
The first thing he said was “Peace be with you.” We say this at mass every Sunday, because of all places in the world this is where we should feel at home, safe and secure. The mass is an oasis of peace in our lives each week. It is where Christ heals the wounds the world sometimes inflicts upon us. It should be an oasis of peace and healing. Where else can we turn but here? Our Sunday mass is the one place where we have a personal encounter with the living Christ. The center of our lives is behind these doors and is the one place we can be sure to encounter not just Jesus Christ himself, but also friends who feel the same way about him and seek peace and harmony with one another as well.
Jesus recognized that we will need this peace and this healing in our lives each week through his representatives, our parish priests. He breathed on the apostles and gave them the Holy Spirit, which is passed down through the generations to every priest through the bishops laying on of hands who are Christ’s representatives here on earth. Through the Holy Spirit our priests were given the power to forgive sins.
This is Divine Mercy Sunday and it is especially important that we truly understand our priests’ power that has been granted to them by our Lord Jesus, to forgive us our sins. It’s hard to accept Christ’s healing forgiveness sometimes. It’s something that can’t be forced on a person and Christ never forces anyone to go to confession either. When Thomas doubted Him, Jesus did not demand that Thomas have faith in Him but he did want Thomas to truly believe in Him. The first words Christ said was again, “Peace be with you.” Remember, we say these words at mass each week too?
Thomas believed the Lord only because he could physically touch him and see his wounds. This too is something the Lord knows we instinctively need as well. It isn’t enough to just pray to God and ask Him to forgive us. Some people pray and pray and pray and still never find peace, never really feel healed of their own shortcomings, their own sins. Jesus gave us our holy priests, in the flesh and blood so that we could see them. They are the physical presence of Christ, testifying to his presence that is truly among us. However, when we go to confession we are not speaking to the flesh and blood person that is present in the confessional. Our confession is to Christ alone. Speak to Jesus the next time you go to confession, even though it is hard. Pray your act of contrition. We are often told to say our act of contrition in the confessional, but to pray it with the intent of praying it directly to our Lord will also help you to feel that you have truly encountered the risen Christ. This is how you tell him that you are sorry to have doubted him by seeking a lesser source of love, a lesser joy in your life than Him.
In the first reading today, the apostles are in Solomon’s portico and the other people were afraid to join them, but we should never be afraid to approach the fount of mercy in the confessional. This is how the priest will assist us, like Saint Peter did with the people of his time, to heal us, to cure us from sin which is the unclean spirits that disturb our own joy.
The second reading today is so beautiful, when John was caught up in the spirit and experienced the living Christ as well. These words are eternally beautiful when Jesus says “Do not be afraid.” He physically touched Peter to assure him of his real presence, that he wasn’t an illusion either. Then he said “I am the first and the last, the one who lives. Once I was dead, but now I am alive forever and ever. I hold the keys to death and the netherworld.” The Lord wants to reassure us, all those throughout the ages that believe in him to have faith that yes, he died but he will live forever and so will we. He rose from the dead for the forgiveness of our sins so that we too, can live in heaven with him forever, because Jesus asked John to record what he has seen and to record the words that we now know is the Gospel of John. These words have been preserved for all generations, including us. The gold sash around the Lord’s waist in this reading is to show us that the treasure of our lives is the Lord Jesus Christ. There is no salvation or eternal life in heaven except through Him. The gold lamp stands that the Lord stood in the midst of, means that he is the light of the entire human race.
Yes, you are Lord Jesus. The light that shines in the darkness.
