Eucharistic Readings for the Second Sunday of Easter: Year A
Acts 2:14a,22-32; Psalm 16; 1 Peter 1:3-9; John 20:19-31:
“Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.” (John 20: 29)
Perhaps we have not “seen” Jesus, at least, not in human form as a Palestinian Jew. But we see him in the acts of people who believe in him.
In scripture we see Jesus come to people huddled up in a room as did the apostles. They had their own quarantine so to speak. They were behind a locked door but that did not stop Jesus.
Jesus seems to really get upset about people who have first heard and then did not believe. Jesus was upset with the disciples who heard Mary Magdalene declare “He has risen,” but they didn’t believe her. Jesus reprimanded the two on the road to Emmaus. You see, “In the beginning was the Word! not the sight. I think Jesus is trying to make the point that we should believe the Jesus stories we are told, at least believe until we find out different, (and I don’t believe we ever will).
But we can see the presence of Jesus through the acts of believers today. I saw Jesus in a Doctor at Chapel Hill about ten years ago, who asked if she could pray with us for one of our teenage high school boys who was run over by a school bus. She asked to pray with us before she performed surgery on him. I was so moved by her asking. It is good to witness doctors of faith and the presence of Jesus.
We can see our Lord Jesus in Doctors and nurses and store clerks and truck drivers cooped up in their various environments today in our past “stay at home” Covid requirement. Health care professionals keep wearing themselves out for the healing and care of people stricken by injuries and sickness, making sure we get the provisions and care and the medicines we need. “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.”
Even more blessed are those who have come to see our Lord Jesus in the loving acts of his people. I bid you all, to go and be blessed and be a blessing to others. Tell your own Jesus stories so that others may first hear, and then see our Lord Jesus in our own day.
Please keep up your thoughts and prayers and hopes for Ukraine and Russia and our schools.
As we listen to what the Spirit of God is saying to us, let us live to love and serve, and to teach others to love and serve, while pondering anew what the Almighty can do. John
onewhoponders 