1. Even after Mary Magdalene told the disciples, “I have seen the Lord,” it really didn’t work. In today’s Gospel reading, we see fear is still pervading in the disciples’ hearts. On the day of the resurrection, which is Sunday, they lock themselves in the house out of fear of the Jews. I think two things might scare them. One is that they will die like their teacher, and the other is that they might be accused of stealing the body of Jesus.
Fear threatens their security and safety. It isolates the disciples, and makes them hide behind the locked doors. I also imagine that not only fear locks them in, but also anxiety makes them restless. Fear and anxiety often come together. Fear has a target of what one is afraid of, whereas anxiety has no target. Anxiety is more about uncertainty like standing at the edge of the unknown. The disciples seem to deal with both fear and anxiety. It isn’t too hard for us to join the disciples’ experience of fear and anxiety. In this modern or postmodern era, we constantly suffer from fear and anxiety. Nothing seems safe, secure, permanent, or stable. We all want to lock ourselves into the place where we feel safe enough. In this state of mind, we can’t sense any peace or hope or God’s presence. Considering what happened in Pakistan on Easter Sunday that more than 70 Christians were killed, the situation doesn’t seem to get any better. We question ourselves, “Why is this tragic massacre happening on the most significant feast in the church calendar when we celebrate the risen Christ? Why does God allow this to happen to them? What if it happens to us?” Jesus’ cries of “My God, my God, why have you forsake me?” still continues. I must admit that this year’s Easter Sunday wasn’t the best one for me. There was too much suffering, sorrow, and sadness. It was too dark and bloody. There still is this fear and anxiety that the disciples have to face in today’s Gospel story. It almost looks like the resurrection never happened. 2. But this is not the end of the story. Jesus comes to them, and stands in the midst of fear and anxiety. Then he uses the word that expresses totally opposite from the disciples’ experience. Far from it. He greets them by saying, “Peace be with you.” Jesus seems to remind his disciples what he said before. “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid.” (Jn. 14:27) This peace Jesus gives is realistic. It doesn’t simply remove the disciples’ fear and anxiety. It doesn’t resolve all the conflicts and troubles. It is the “state” that one experiences being in union with God. And Jesus’ presence brings that state of peace to the disciples. They’re united with God who raises the crucified Jesus. Jesus is NOT all talk. He shows his hands and his side. I wonder why he has to show his wounds to the disciples. Can’t they just recognize who he is? I bet they do. William Temple says, “The wounds of Christ are His credentials to the suffering race of men [and women]...Only a God in whose perfect Being pain has its place can win and hold our worship; for otherwise the creature would in fortitude surpass the Creator.” (William Temple, Readings in St. John’s Gospel, p. 366) Jesus’ act of showing his wounds to the disciples and to the world is that only the suffering God can join those who are suffering. God in Christ suffers with the suffering. Simply put, he’s been there, and he is still there! Otherwise, we cannot really proclaim that God is present everywhere all the time. At the same time, we should not forget that this crucified God is also the risen one, the risenness of the crucified. God doesn’t suffer for the sake of suffering. God is not a sadist. There’s this hope of resurrection in Christ as well as in us through him. Jesus’ crucified body is not a dead corpse, but the risen embodiment of God’s love. 3. So far we see how Jesus takes away the disciples’ fear and anxiety by doing two things. First, he brings peace, the state of union with God. He doesn’t merely say the word peace. In his presence, the disciples experience the presence of God. Second, he shows his wounds to them. I believe Jesus does the same thing to us who are gathered together on this Second Sunday of Easter. Now I want us to pause for a moment. Close your eyes. Look into our own hearts. Step back, and see if we have any fear or anxiety in our hearts. If we find it in our own hearts, we’re not too different from where the disciples stand. And we cannot ignore them or get stuck there, being filled with fear and anxiety. Jesus through today’s Gospel reading greets us, “Peace be with you.” This peace doesn’t come from the one who doesn’t know what we’re going through, but the one who himself suffered and died with humiliation, abandonment, and rejection. This peace does not sugarcoat conflicts, troubles, and sufferings we go through. Instead, this peace of Jesus reveals what we suffer from just as Jesus shows his wounds to the disciples. In the wounds of Jesus, we see our own wounds. In his vulnerability, we find our own vulnerability. In his brokenness, we face our own brokenness. In his nakedness, we discover our own nakedness. Our wounds might be still bleeding. They might be well-covered with band aids and patches. We might hide our scars and act as if nothing can hurt us. We smile outside, but we cry inside.We say we are fine, but deep inside we are not. When we’re locked in this state of anxiety, fear, and woundedness, it is utterly impossible for us to see the crucified and risen Christ. And neither can we see those who are suffering. 4. On this second Sunday of Easter, I encourage all of us to face our own fear and anxiety and become vulnerable. What are you most afraid of? What are you most anxious about? What are you telling yourself will happen to you? Do you see the crucified and risen One who brings peace to you in that midst? And what are your wounds that you’re hiding, that need to be healed? Do you see the wounds of Jesus that are healed? These are the two things we ourselves must ask ourselves in order to be neighbors of others who are suffering. We as church carry the wounds of Jesus which reflect our own. This is where we start from to become neighbors of those who are suffering. Walt Whitman expresses much better that me in one sentence, “I do not ask the wounded person how he feels. I myself become the wounded person.” We know that God became that wounded person in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth. Especially at the Eucharist, God comes broken, wounded, and naked to heal all of us and the world. We become one with God. This is the God in whom we believe. May the breath of Jesus Christ bring peace that the world cannot give to the faithful of Holy Spirit Verona. May the breath of Jesus Christ strengthen all of you to carry the wounds of Jesus and heal the wounds of the world. Amen. |
Paul"...life up your love to that cloud [of unknowing]...let God draw your love up to that cloud...through the help of his grace, to forget every other thing." Archives
January 2025
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