The Gospel
John 20:19-31
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, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you." After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then 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." 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." 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." 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." 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." 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.
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It's the Sunday for picking on poor Thomas. He missed Jesus' appearance on the Day of Resurrection. He was the lone one not locked out of sight in fear. And when his brothers tell him that the Lord is risen, he responded similarly to them when the women told them that Jesus had risen and appeared to them.
There is also that lovely piece in there about forgiveness. It lets Thomas off the hook to. Only it is interesting that there is also a reference to retention as well as forgiveness. It's interesting to note that Jesus, who earlier told the disciples and us, to forgive, leaves here the possibility of retaining sins. We skip right over that. Perhaps we do so because we don't want to be reminded that we are often more inclined to withhold forgiveness than is Jesus, the very one from whom we long generous and abundant forgiveness.
There is in this Gospel also the gift of the Holy Spirit. Jesus breathes the Holy Spirit upon the disciples. And the Holy Spirit is the one who transforms and empowers the disciples to be apostles, to no longer only be believers but proclaimers; heralds of the Gospel!
Father Tim+
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