“…My Lord and my God!” (John 20:28)
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In some places this Sunday is called ‘Low Sunday’ after the ‘High’
of last Easter Sunday. In some traditions, this Sunday may also be referred to
as ‘Divine Mercy Sunday’ marking a special celebration of Jesus’ mercy.
A NOTE ABOUT TODAY’S READINGS
COI
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RC
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SERMON NOTES (1,480 words)
The reality of living faith in today’s world is complex. We
are caught up in that world whether we are regular church goers or not.
Recently, a senior Irish church figure cited a book entitled ‘Haunted
by Christ: Modern Writers and the Struggle for Faith’ by Richard
Harries. Harries considers the work of 20 poets and writers and their struggles
to believe and to express it in their lives and writings.
‘Thinking’ and ‘believing’ go together. However, since the
age of enlightenment people have pushed the boundaries of thinking and human
reason to a point where, in the fullness of time, and here in Europe belief in
a supernatural being has been relegated to the domain of private opinion and
choice. This is a pity because ‘reason’
and ‘faith’ can and do complement each other. The act of, and will to, believe
that Jesus rose from the dead and is now alive among us and within the hearts
and minds of each one is central to Christian belief and practice. Without this
cornerstone our faith would be in vain and we, of all people, would be most to
be pitied (1
Corinthians 15:19).
The evangelist, John, is about to finish his book with a
bang. In the space of one half of the second last chapter we hear about the
resurrection, the primary role of women in witnessing and telling of the
resurrection, the struggles of doubting Thomas, the call to mercy and a
ministry of forgiveness, the sending out on mission, the few words spoken by
Jesus in the period after his resurrection and, finally, the statement of
purpose in this gospel of John:
Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book. But these are written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name.
‘that through believing’ we might have life in the name of
Jesus. That’s it. Grace, Response through faith and eternal life in the time to
come as well as here and now. Very simple! But, does any of this make sense in
a 21st century world, someone might ask?
Among many of my friends, colleagues and acquaintances there
is a marked reluctance to talk openly about matters of faith. Indeed, there
appears to be a growing trend towards open and self-declared agnosticism or
atheism. The code phrase used is ‘O, I am not religious’. Sometimes, the phrase
‘but I have a spirituality of my own’ is added. Far be it for me or anyone else
to peer into the soul of another. The wells of knowing and experiencing are
deep indeed and each of us has rarely gone deeply down under in our own souls
let alone those of others (and I will not define, here, the term ‘soul’!).
Making sense of if today
We need to enter into a respectful and learning attitude
towards the world that has, in many ways, moved beyond the core beliefs and
practices of orthodox Christianity (taking the word orthodox in its widest
application to all Christians who profess Jesus as both Saviour and as
God). We are, after all, asked to love
God with all our faculties including our minds (Luke
10:27):
You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbour as yourself.
With all our mind and not just part of it …. Tragically,
some Christian folk distrust the mind as something separate and subordinate
along with that other untrustworthy thing called the body. Yet, all of these
faculties, which form part of the whole are to be cherished and used lovingly
to bring glory to God and freedom to humanity. Instead we fall into the trap of
incomplete human development. A form of this is a type of belief and practice
that is born out of fear and ignorance. When confronted with a world of ideas,
relationships and evidence we may retreat into the ‘certainties of our age’.
Now the certainties of our age can take many forms. I will refer to only three
of them that seem particularly relevant to this Sunday’s reading:
- Scientific reductionism
- Biblical literalism
- Absolute and unqualified ecclesial infallibility across the board.
Ecclesial infallibilism
Let’s get the third one of the way first. Finding solace and refuge in religion many a
‘convert’ elevates ‘mother church’ or some leader in same to a pedestal and
status that is not consistent with faith as a living, growing and personal
relationship. Put another way, ‘the
church teaches’ or ‘the pope says’ are convenient ways of avoiding painful,
sometimes bitter but always fruitful struggles on the part of thoughtful and
grounded disciples. The hard work of thinking through, reviewing, changing,
adapting but above all listening to others and to one’s heart and mind does not
come easy for some of us.
Biblical literalism serves a very similar role to that of ecclesial infallibilism – it elevates
some version or other of sacred scripture to a position of exact, legal and
rational interpretation that admits of no living tradition, experience and
depth. Everything is set in stone (sometimes literally) so that each one must
follow a blueprint and believe in the exact same formulations. Now, unity of
doctrine and practice on the ‘essentials’ is a good and necessary thing any
time in the history of church. However, we need to go back to the sources with
informed minds and open hearts. Even ‘the devil can cite scripture’ as William
Shakespeare has it in The Merchant of
Venice. The sad reality, today, is
that this insight of Shakespeare is very true. Of course, any serious scholar
will quickly spot that the biblical literalists are selective in which passages
or extracts they cite to advance their particular theological project or
schema.
And, then, there are the scientific reductionists.
These come in different forms and guises from the half-informed scientist or
would-be-scientist as well as the people who live and move in a very incomplete
world lacking in trust and imagination.
In many ways classical scientific reductionism is dead and along with it
20th century ‘scientific socialism’ (the very term insults both
socialism and science). Thanks to
science we are, perhaps, more aware than was the case in previous generations
that our knowledge is limited and that there is much that we do not know or
cannot know.
One characteristic binds together the ecclesial infallibilists, the biblical
literalists and the scientific
reductionists is fear and deep insecurity masquerading as certainty. They know they are right (and by inference
others are wrong) because they have it on high authority from a book, a
pronouncement or a some scientific tract – or simply themselves. However, the
pretenders to certainty remain locked behind closed doors as the 10 disciples
were (where was Thomas?) because they had not still met the Risen one and had
not yet been fully baptised in his Holy Spirit.
A 21st century Thomas
In a way Thomas – who was chided for lack of faith – was a
very pre-modern character for us today.
He didn’t take the word of his ecclesial comrades because he wanted to
‘see the evidence’ for himself. Neither was he prepared to entrust himself to
some biblical certainty in the prophets.
Ultimately, it was for Thomas a personal encounter with the living
Christ – but crucially in the company, life and mutual love of others – that made all the difference. And though we
may not be able to see or touch or reason in the way our ancestors in faith did
we are no less vulnerable to the challenge of faith in a world crying out for
the risen life of Jesus. Grounded in the
here and anchored to the present moment we, too, can taste this risen life to
such an extent that we cry out ‘My Lord and my God’. There, we will find that
peace (v. 19), that joy (v. 20) and that freedom (v. 23) that stands out in
this story of the resurrection.
As much as formal, organised and outward religion is in
rapid decline in most modern western economies and societies there is a curious
rise in minority expressions of interest and attachment. This can take many
forms from fanatical adherence to cults – benign or otherwise as well as ‘back
to basics’ movements where religious faith is largely reduced to certain doctrinal
statements and particular ritual practices. On a more positive note we see the
rise of various local or transnational fresh expressions of the Holy Spirit
especially among lay people called and consecrated to serve in and to the
world. Authenticity of source and communion of living and practice are the
cornerstones of new expressions of Christian spirituality. Thank God for that.
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SOME IDEAS FOR INTERCESSIONS
Praise to our God in Jesus Christ truly risen. We are a
people called in his name. Together with all peoples throughout the world we
pray for:
- True freedom of conscience and expression in society…..
- Those suffering the effects of sectarianism, war and terror…
- The people of Sri Lanka at this time …
- The communities in which we live and work…may we extend a genuine and warm welcome to those who seek truth and love….
- The Christian churches … that we may hold to the true faith of Christ and the gifts of the Holy Spirit entrusted to us…
- One another….
- Other named persons ….
- Remembering with thanks those who have gone before us….
- … praying in silence….
Loving God accept gather up our prayers – those spoken and
those unspoken in the depths of our hearts. In the places we live, work and
communicate, may we be channels of peace and reconciliation in a tormented
world.
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A PRAYERFUL WALK THROUGH JOHN 20:19-31
v.19 Jesus Christ Risen among us
When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews.
Fear is the overwhelming emotion as the disciples are bolted
in on the evening of the Day of Resurrection. The full significance of what had
happened had not fully dawned on the apostles. Were they in denial or were they
waiting for a further sign? Either way, they were scared for understandable
reasons.
v.20 Peace and joy
After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord.
On seeing the Lord’s face the disciples were filled with
joy. ’This is the day that the Lord; we will
rejoice and be glad in it’ (Psalm 118:24). When we greet one another at the
Eucharist or in our daily lives do we mean what we say and do? Do we really
mean peace and well-being to the other?
v.21 The apostles are sent
Jesus said to them again, ‘Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.’
This was an important moment in the resurrection story. The
disciples would not be mere spectators. At this sacred time power would be
given them to announce the good news to all of humanity. We, too, are sent (apostolos).
And the gifts of peace, joy and healing that we have received in the course of
our lives is there for the quiet and discrete witnessing. Let us not be afraid.
v.22-23 The mission of reconciliation
When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.’Empowered with the Holy Spirit the apostles were not only given power to announce the good news but to impart a ministry of healing and forgiveness. This retaining and releasing is entrusted to them as is indicated, also, in Matthew where Jesus specifically addressed Peter (Matthew 16:19).
In the Gospel of John, resurrection, ascension and the coming of the Holy Spirit are very much brought together in what looks like the concluding chapter of the Gospel. The following chapter, number 21, looks like an addendum. In true Johannine tradition, the ‘Signs’ of Jesus point to outward things effecting and signally inward change. Herein lies the mysteries of Christ to use an Eastern expression or the sacraments of Christ to use a Western term. Baptism, the coming of the Holy Spirit, the forgiveness of sins and the Eucharist emerge from what is happening in the Passover of the Christ.
v.24-25 Doubting Thomas
But Thomas (who was called the Twin), one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples told 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 in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe.’The story switches gear by jumping forward to the one apostle who happened not to be present when Jesus appeared to the disciples. Perhaps he was on an errand for the company of disciples. Here, we enter a new phase in the resurrection story. Thomas stands for those who would follow the first direct witnesses. He saw and he believed. However, before seeing he was put to the test.
It is poignant that the first explicit designation of Jesus as not just Lord (Kyrios) but God (Theos) was by a doubter - Thomas.
The reference to the mark of nails and the wounds in the side of Jesus are the only explicit Gospel references indicating crucifixion by nailing and not by hanging.
v.26 Jesus repeats his message of peace
A week later his disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were shut, Jesus came and stood among them and said, ‘Peace be with you.’Jesus appears again and again to greet his friends with a message of peace. Peace is the first and the last message of the Risen Christ who remains with us today just as he did two millennia ago.
v.27-29 Surrender in faith
Then he said to Thomas, ‘Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe.’ Thomas answered him, ‘My Lord and my God!’ Jesus said to him, ‘Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.’
These words – ‘blesses are those who have not seen and yet
have come to believe’ (v.28) are a source of comfort to us in this age of doubt
and indifference if not outright hostility.
v.30-31 The so what of this Gospel
Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book. But these are written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name.
Scripture is the rock foundation of what we believe and say.
Yet, the evangelist John reminds us that there is much that Jesus did and
taught that was not written down in this book. Indeed, John concludes his
gospel as follows:
But there are also many other things that Jesus did; if every one of them were written down, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written. (John 21:25).
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