1.Acts 5:
12-16
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2. Rev 1:9-11,
12-13,13-17, 17-19
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Gospel: John 20: 19-31
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"Meeting
Christ in Christian Worship"
There was an elderly
pastor who looked over his large congregation on Easter morning and startled
them with this announcement: " My friends, realizing that I will not see
many of you until next Easter, may I take this opportunity to wish all of you a
merry Christmas and a happy New Year!" The difference in the size of the
congregation on Easter Sunday and on the other Sundays of the year is very
noticeable. Many of our Christians, as far as church attendance is concerned,
have indeed become Holy Week Christians: you see them in church only during the
Holy Week. Like a certain man who was criticizing his pastor. " I have attended this church for three
consecutive years, " he says, " and each time the homily is always on
the same topic. Doesn't he have something
else to talk about?" Yes, this man has been attending the church
for three years alright; but he only attends on Easter Sunday and he always
hears a homily on the resurrection of Christ.
We can ask ourselves
this simple question that why are many well- meaning Christians so uncommitted
to attending regular Sunday church services? the answer can be given in one
word: doubt or crisis of faith. People today like people of all times, do have
a hunger for God. They are searching for the meaning of life. But they doubt
whether the answer to these existential questions can be found within the four
walls of the church. It is under this background that they are more disposed to
spend time in social action, in work, and in intellectual pursuit rather than
in church worship. Today's gospel gives us an example of a man who felt exactly
like that, His name is Thomas.
There is a French
philosopher who proposed an argument designed to encourage people to believe in
God. He called it the " Wager Argument." "If I believe in God
and there is no God, I lose nothing. If I don't believe in God and there is
God, I lose everything.
The second Sunday of
Easter is called the day of the ' Doubting Thomas.' The gospel is about Thomas
who doubts that the Lord is raised from the dead. He manifested a lack of
trust. And because of his doubt, the term ' doubting Thomas' was coined to
describe all doubters and skeptics and even pessimists. However, it is good to
doubt sometimes because one saying have this : " Doubt is the key of
knowledge." Those who inquire without hesitation learn best.
What can we benefit
from doubting Thomas? At least he was honest that he did not understand what
was happening. He was just sincere he was not jack-of-all-trade. Unlike us, we
show that we know and yet we are not.
Jesus in today's gospel
refers to His friends who were not present, saying: " Blessed are they who
have not seen and yet believe," ( v.29). In other words, those who have
faith in Him just like us are blessed indeed.
What can we say about
faith? how can we define faith? According to the Merriam-Webster Pocket
Dictionary, faith is defined as, " complete trust and confidence in some
person or thing. For example by allowing an unknown person who is a pilot to
fly us for thousand miles over mountains and seas in an airplane, without
questioning his educational background or capacity or credibility and that is
faith is all about.
Vatican 1 Council had a
very complicated definition of faith- It is a supernatural virtue by which we
believe not because of the intrinsic truth of things, but because of the
authority of God who tells us they were true. Council of Trent said that faith
is absolutely necessary for salvation. Without faith, we cannot please God.
Moreover, St. Paul gave
a very good definition also about faith in his letter to the Romans: "
faith is when we don't have any evidence but we still believe." For
example, out of 100 items in every quiz of Algebra, I got only 55, 42, 35, and
28 in all four quizzes but I still believe I can pass the Algebra subject that
is faith. It is foolish but it is faith.
This faith must bear
fruit. St. Paul said: " The only thing that counts is faith active in
love, " ( Gal 5:6). St. James also said: " Faith without work is
dead" ( Jas4:17). Always remember, faith is always faith in a person and
not in a thing. It is because the person makes faith work and not the thing.
Faith and work must go together.
One factor that hinders
our faith to develop and grow is because of fear. At present most of the lives
of people are dominated by the constant feeling of fear. There is fear of wars,
of disasters and calamities, of terrorism, of outbreak of disease, of economic
breakdown, and fear of all sorts of social problems, of death, of political
chaos, of the unknown and the list goes on and on. And it takes to stand amidst
all these uncertainties. Jesus says to us " Don't be afraid." These
are words of assurance and comfort for
those who trust in the goodness and love of God, for those who can attest that
He is present here and now, He walks with us and is alive.
The words, " Don't
be afraid" occur more than 365 times in the Bible and we have 365 times in
the Bible, and we have 365 days only in a year. This is good reminder that for
every day of the year and more God is with us and He tells us daily not to be
afraid. The Lord does not want to help us overcome our fears. It is we who
often hold on to our fears. Let go and let God. The fact is that our fears and
doubts are oftentimes worse than reality.
Christian faith as
believing is our deep and personal knowledge of Jesus Christ our Lord and God. We can do this through
reading our Bible; reflect on it and the teachings of the Catholic Church. Let
us not put our Bible in the cabinet and let cockroaches or rats eat it.
Lastly, beyond
believing and doing, faith is also entrusting oneself into God's hand. This
trusting faith lives and grows through prayer and worship which finds their
inspirational source and summit of perfection in the liturgy. So let us not
only ask ourselves these questions: What can I know and what should I do but
also what may we hope for.
0 Response to "HOMILY FOR THE 2nd SUNDAY OF EASTER YEAR C"
Chapisha Maoni