THEME OF THE READINGS “Christ the Living One.”
This is how he is “seen” by the visionary of
Patmos, this is how he introduces himself to the disciples
closed up in a house for fear of the Jews,
this is how he is experienced by the early Christians
of Jerusalem. “I am the Living One, I was dead
and look - I am alive for ever and ever,”
says the human figure to St. John in a vision
(Second Reading). The Living One appears to the fearful disciples
to pour peace into their hearts, to entrust the mission
to them and grant them the Spirit (Gospel). The Living
One continues to work signs and miracles among the people
through his apostles (First Reading).
DOCTRINAL MESSAGE The Living
One surprises all. If there was something that the disciples
did not expect it was that Jesus Christ would come
back to life and appear to them without losing his
identity with the Crucified One. The Gospels emphasize this striking
surprise, which led Thomas to be so bold as to
ask for evidence. It surprised the women who went to
Jesus’ tomb and found it empty, it surprised the two
disciples on their way towards Emmaus, it surprised the disciples
gathered in a house. So many surprises at the same
time on this first day after the Sabbath! Why are
they surprised, if they believed in the resurrection from the
dead? Why are they surprised, when they had seen Jesus
bring back Lazarus, Martha and Mary’s brother, from the dead?
Why are they surprised, if Jesus had foretold it on
several occasions during his public ministry? They are surprised because
what their eyes see is astounding. As good Jews, educated
by the Scribes and Pharisees, they believed in the resurrection
of the dead, but not in time; rather, at the
end of time. They are surprised because Jesus’ historical Resurrection
is a unique case and absolutely different from that of
Lazarus, from that of Jairus’ daughter or of the son
of the widow of Nain. Jesus is alive, but his
life is no longer exactly the same as ours; it
is a different life, a new and greater life. They
are surprised because it is one thing to listen and
to hear, but experiencing something is a totally different matter.
The disciples do not hear that Jesus is going to
rise from the dead on the third day, they see
him and hear him once he has risen, they experience
him as he who has overcome death, as he who
lives forever. Lucky is the man who is permanently surprised
by the living Jesus Christ!
The gifts of the
Living One. What does the Living One give his disciples?
1) He gives them peace, his peace. They needed it
because they were weak with fear. They needed it, to
put their minds and hearts at rest in the present
and for the future. He gives peace to all those
who are present, not just to a few privileged ones.
A peace that no one will take away from them
from now on, nor will trials or death. 2) He
gives them his own mission: “As the Father has sent
me, so I send you.” For three years, they have
grasped Jesus’ mission and his way of fulfilling it. Now
Jesus asks them to continue his work in Judea, in
Samaria and to the ends of the world. 3) In
order for them to fulfill his mission with courage and
inner freedom, he gives them the Holy Spirit. The Holy
Spirit is inseparable from the mission of Jesus Christ, and
will continue to be inseparable from the mission of the
apostles. He shall make their apostolic work fruitful, and in
a century’s time they will have conquered the largest areas
of the known world. 4) He gives them his power
to forgive sins. Since only God can forgive sins, they
will forgive them only in the name of Jesus Christ
and by virtue of God’s power. This forgiveness is something
all people feel the need for, because if they are
sincere, they will realize that they are guilty. 5) He
gives them his obliging love, as happens with Thomas, so
as to steady their faith. “Put your finger here; look,
here are my hands. Give me your hand; put it
into my side. Do not be unbelieving any more but
believe” (Gospel). This understanding that the Living One has of
our misery is wonderful. 6) He gives them the power
to build up the Church through prayer and preaching, by
working many signs and prodigies, especially by healing in the
name of Jesus (First Reading).
PASTORAL APPLICATIONS The Christian
outcry for life. How many people die a violent death
each day in your country, in the world: in wars
or conflicts, in prisons, in homes, in hospitals, in city
streets, on highways? Jesus Christ, the Living One, has come
in order for people to have life. And God is
the only Lord of death and life. Why are there
so many men and women who believe that they are
the lords of life, and give it and take it
away according to their own interest? The outcry of Christians
in favor of life must first of all be raised
to heaven, to the Living Jesus Christ, in order for
him to open the minds and hearts of men and
women to the value of every life, from conception until
natural death, and in order for him to give people
the clear and firm consciousness of the fact that they
are the administrators and not the lords of life. The
outcry of Christians in favor of life will also be
addressed to state and public institutions, in order for them
to defend vigorously and constantly all forms of human life,
in order for them to protect the life of citizens,
especially the innocent and powerless, and in order for them
to promote love for life in a responsible way. The
outcry of Christians for life will resound in their hearts
so that, in spite of so much violence and so
many murders, they never lose sight of the divine origin
of life, the primordial value of existence, and the dignity
of all human life. Christians cry out for life, yes,
for earthly life in its value and contingency; but they
also and especially cry out for the life of grace,
that is, for the presence of the living Christ in
the soul. The clamor for eternal life, the victory over
death and the ineffable experience of a new life, in
eternal closeness with God and all the saints.
Do
not pass through life: live it. Life is a task
for responsible people. God did not give us our life
so that we could pass through it, as one passes
through a fair or an amusement park. One arrives, sees
what’s going on, has fun and leaves... God gave us
life so that we could live it according to our
human and Christian dignity. God did not give us life
so that we could spend it well, but rather so
that we could spend it doing good; not to stroll
through it like tourists, but to build a better and
more Christian world; not to step on everything that comes
our way, but to love all, especially the neediest. This
notion of living life holds true especially for youngsters, who
are looking at it in the face and still have
almost all of it before them. It is so beautiful
that it would be a pity for them to lose
or waste it! It also holds true for those that
have already entered the age of maturity or even old
age, for every day of life is a blessing, a
task, a goal to achieve. Blessed are those who can
live their life until the end, loving God and mankind
with joy. Is there a better way to live this
life? Is there a better way to prepare for the
life that awaits us? May Christ the Living One be
the lit torch that guides us in our steps through
life, so that we may truly live it.
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