Sunday, 4/12/15
Let’s take the questions stirred by today's Gospel.
The passage of Jesus through the closed doors could make you
think of what Paul said in the First Letter to his Corinthians. Writing about
your glorified body, he said, “It is sown
a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body,
there is also a spiritual one.”
The risen Lord wishes us peace, and for an insight into the
peace of Christ, we might follow St. John of the Cross who wrote, that since we
lose our peace by having our wishes denied, an easy route to peace could come
from disciplining ourselves to keep from wishing: wishing for love, for
beefsteaks, for applause, for anything else.
Since "Holy Spirit" can be translated as Holy Breath, Bill
Feely, a fellow here suffering from shortness of breath, prayed to the Holy
Spirit.
Jesus said, “Whose sins you forgive they are forgiven
them.” I take that as authorizing
our Sacrament of Penance. I feel I am doing what I am authorized to do each
time I raise my hand saying, “By his authority I absolve you from your sins.”
I have a personal interest in the Apostle Thomas, so every
time I hear him called “Doubting Thomas” I have people recall how when the
Apostles wanted to stay safely away from Jerusalem Thomas said, “Let us go over and die with
him.”
Giving us a hint for getting the most out of his Gospel,
John concluded by telling us that all his stories were told to put
across the same three points. First, that Jesus is the Christ (the Messiah,)
Secondly, that he is the unique Son of God. And thirdly, that by believing in
him we have life for our souls.
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