Gospel Lectio Divina, Second Sunday of Easter Sunday of Divine Mercy
Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created. And You shall renew the face of the earth.
O, God, who by the light of the Holy Spirit, did instruct the hearts of the faithful, grant that by the same Holy Spirit we may be truly wise and ever enjoy His consolations, Through Christ Our Lord, Amen.
READ
On the evening of that first day of the week, when the doors were locked, where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, “Peace be with you.” When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained.”
Thomas, called Didymus, one of the Twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples said to him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands and put my finger into the nailmarks and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.”
Now a week later his disciples were again inside and Thomas was with them. Jesus came, although the doors were locked, and stood in their midst and said, “Peace be with you.” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and see my hands, and bring your hand and put it into my side, and do not be unbelieving, but believe.” Thomas answered and said to him, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus said to him, “Have you come to believe because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.”
Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples that are not written in this book. But these are written that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that through this belief you may have life in his name.
MEDITATE
the doors were locked, where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews
I lock my front door every night. I would be lying if I said it wasn’t out of fear. I do many things out of fear, in fact. It isn’t a good motive for doing anything, really. Fear clouds our judgment. It makes us lose perspective. Probably worst of all though, it’s selfish. Fear, ultimately, is about being scared of what may happen to us. We may fear that a loved one will get hurt or even die, but even then we can’t deny that we fear the pain we would feel just as much as what they would feel. Fear can control our lives. It can keep us locked up inside, causing us to miss many opportunities to live. It makes us feel helpless. That is how the disciples felt. Without Jesus, they felt helpless and vulnerable. They could have gone out into the world and risked being arrested. They could have accepted whatever fate came to them for following Jesus. But they did not have their Lord, so their courage was gone.
“Peace be with you”
Without Jesus, the disciples lacked peace. Jesus gave them peace, and everything changed. Now they have the courage to go out into the world. They would do just that, and they would all be martyred–except John, who would die in prison. When we have the peace of Jesus, we can accept whatever suffering comes to us because we know it is suffered in his name for him, and he suffered as well for us. The disciples knew what would come of them for following Jesus, but they feared that fate. Now, seeing the Resurrected Lord, they no longer fear. Meditate on the peace Jesus offers when we invite him into our Upper Room, the confines of our hearts. How does his friendship help you face the hardships of your everyday life?
Thomas answered and said to him, “My Lord and my God!”
Not just Lord, but God. A lord is obeyed, possibly loved. But God is worshiped. People may not notice, but the belief that Jesus was God may not have been held by Thomas before this moment. It took Jesus’ conquest over death to convince him. This begs the question: Would the other disciples have believed if they had not seen Jesus resurrected? Last week’s Gospel said when Peter saw the empty burial cloths he believed. Before this, when asked “Who do you say that I am, he answered Jesus, “You are the Christ, the son of the living God.” And this is why Jesus made him the head of the Church. What kind of evidence do we require to believe?
Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples that are not written in this book.
I love this verse because it implies the historicity of John’s account of the Resurrection. If it were just a story, he wouldn’t have bothered adding that Jesus did many other things after he rose from the dead. It’s as if he knew people would doubt, so he gave the events that proved it all happened. If it were just another story, it would make no sense to add this line. A fictional story is contained within the author’s words. A true story, however, goes beyond the telling. It is not confined to the writer’s words. It has its own life and reality. So our imaginations can run wild when we think about what other signs Jesus performed in the presence of the disciples. Imagine the joy of the disciples during those 40 days. Let’s celebrate and meditate on that this Easter season
PRAY
Jesus,
I invite you to come, although the doors are locked. I invite you to break into the parts of my heart, my soul, and my life that I keep closed. You are my Lord and my God. Nothing compares to the peace you have to offer. Even though I search for something else everywhere else, nothing satisfies me like you. You are the Risen Lord and you show the way to paradise. Help me to follow you. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.
LISTEN
Jesus’ introductory words to the disciples when he met them after his resurrection were, “Peace be with you.” This peace quelled the storm of fear the disciples were experiencing. Our hearts are restless until they rest in God, said St. Augustine. I now think of this scene in the Gospel when I hear that quote. The disciples were restless, then Jesus came and they had peace.
Kilby is a freelance writer from New Jersey and managing editor of Catholic World Report.
