Low Sunday: Forgive and Move On

Jesus has been executed by Roman authorities for treason.  He is a traitor because he has allowed himself to be called Messiah (Moshiach, Anointed) meaning a king competing with Caesar, which is not allowed.  According to the earlier gospels, every one of the Master's followers has bailed out at the time of his arrest.  No one to be a support at trial, no one to walk the Via Crucis with him, no one offering comfort at his execution.  No one.  They all go into hiding to avoid prosecution.

Now in our reading [John 20: 19-31], the Resurrected Christ, obviously no longer bound by the limitations of physical existence, appears out of thin air to an assembly of apostles behind locked doors..  What will he do?  Well, if I were he, I would fire the lot, beginning with Peter, the CEO who denied Jesus three times.  Instead, the Christ begins the conversation with "Peace!"  He offers radical reconciliation, unconditional forgiveness.  How amazing is that!  And, he bestows Holy Spirit so that they can accomplish their work.  The very first element of that is when he here passes on to his Church authority to continue his earthly ministry of pronouncing forgiveness of sins to penitent people.  Have you ever known, or ever been, someone who was stuck in the past and overcome with guilt?  Jesus knows that reconciliation with God and others is the first step in getting unstuck and moving forward in life.   Confession is the beginning of the healing.

Then Jesus commissions and empowers them, "As the Father sent me, I am sending you."  We receive that same apostolic commission when we enter the Church family through Holy Baptism and then are commissioned, receiving adult "marching orders" for service through the sacrament of Confirmation. This might be analogized as your "lay ordination" to the work God has in mind for you.   Then you are empowered through proclamation of the Word and administration of the seven Sacraments. And you are strengthened by prayer, study, and service.

Our second vignette is a spoof.  The Johannine community which produced the Gospel of John, is Catholic, agreeing with Mark, Matthew, and Luke that Jesus experienced physical resurrection.  The community bearing Thomas's name did not believe in physical resurrection, only spiritual.  Here the Johannine community, as it always does, portrays Thomas as a fool.  Here Thomas, facing the Risen Christ, refuses to admit he is there until Thomas can actually touch the glorified corpse and only then acquiesces to the Johannine understanding. Then the Christ accepts Thomas;s obeisance and honours those who have not seen him but still believe.  That would include us who step out in faith and, like those first apostles, experience reconciliation, commission, and empowerment, in order to be Christ to the world.