2nd Sunday of Easter [A]

 


SECOND SUNDAY OF EASTER [A]


Christianity represents something new within the Roman Empire. It’s new and it’s also growing very rapidly (see Acts 2:47). When you join a movement like this, it means that you are being born anew (see 1st Peter 1:3). But what about the period that follows? Is it going to be all glory, all the time? Will the momentum be completely positive? Or will the positive, at some point, switch to negative? Actually, it depends. Do you have good people around you? Do you spend time engaged in the practice of prayer? If so, then your momentum will be primarily positive. Still, it’s always possible that you might drift into a pattern of isolation. You’re isolating yourself and you’re no longer dedicating time to the discipline of prayer. 


One wonders: could this have been the root problem for Thomas? Typically, we focus upon the issue of doubt. The problem with Thomas is that he is such a doubter!  Be careful, however, not to overlook what is being described in John 20:19. His fellow disciples are gathered together, supporting one another. And, for whatever reason, Thomas is not in their company (vs. 24). They get to have their “Jesus moment.”  Meanwhile, Thomas misses out. He only hears about the “Jesus moment” after the fact. They are in the right place at the right time. For his part, Thomas is not in the right place at the right time. 


When using that expression—the right place at the right time—it’s hard not to think about the year 1972, and a football player named Franco Harris. He will find himself in the center of a memorable play: a play commemorated as “The Immaculate Reception.”  With his team trailing in the final moments, it looks as if the Pittsburgh Steelers are about to be eliminated by the Oakland Raiders. On the final play of the game, a pass intended for the running back will be deflected by the Oakland safety. The ball sails off in the direction of Harris, who alertly scoops it up and carries it into the end-zone for the winning touchdown. Suddenly, it’s the Steelers who are advancing, rather than the Raiders—thanks mainly to Harris, and the fact that he was in the right place at the right time. 


Harris certainly was in the right place at the right time. We can’t say that about the apostle Thomas. He is not present or accounted for when Jesus makes his glorious appearance. Thomas will have to listen to the others as they recount what happened while he was away. Notice, though, that all of this will be corrected when next week comes around. Now, he is in position. He’s in the right place at the right time. Even if belatedly, he is going to have his “Jesus moment.”  And as a result, the negative momentum will be transformed into a new form of positive momentum. Thomas is well on his way to becoming “Saint Thomas.”


At this point, we need to consider the subject of our own momentum. Is it positive momentum? Is it perhaps negative momentum? If you are dealing with negative momentum, ask yourself whether anything needs to be corrected? Have you surrounded yourself with people of good character? Or are you in a state of isolation? Are you praying on a regular basis? Or does prayer rank as more of an afterthought? It’s all about correcting what needs to be corrected. Borrow a page from Thomas. We borrow enough of his doubt; let’s see if we can borrow in a way that reflects actual progress. For Thomas, it’s not last week; it’s a NEW week. The necessary corrections have been made. Are you ready to put “last week” behind you? 


Instead of hearing about others and their positive momentum, strive to create some positive momentum of your own. If fellowship means something to you, if prayer means something to you, then you’ll always be in the right place at the right time. The Steelers had their “Immaculate Reception.”  Immaculate graces are in store for you—if you commit to being in the right place at the right time. Correct what needs to be corrected. Step into a new week.  

Popular posts from this blog

Sermon For Trinity Sunday

Image
  TRINITY SUNDAY [C] We are prepared to observe Trinity Sunday. But are we prepared to go that extra step? Are we prepared to actually celebrate the Trinity? It’s expected of us. But it’s not easy, getting excited about the Trinity. It’s not just a doctrine; it’s something dense; it’s a profound mystery. How do you penetrate the mystery of one God being revealed in a Trinity of three Persons? Perhaps we should begin by picking up a Bible.  Now that your Bible is open, you find yourself being introduced to our God; you’re being introduced to him in the Book of Genesis. You will notice right away that he is a rather busy God. Busy in what way? He’s being an artist. He’s doing what artists typically do: he’s creating. He stands back, he admires his creation, and he pronounces it as “good” (Gen. 1:31). This episode doesn’t resolve all of your questions, but at least it’s a start.  Later on in the Bible, we will arrive at a particular juncture. St. Paul refers to it as “the ...
Read more

17th Sunday of Ordinary Time [C]

Image
17TH SUNDAY OF ORDINARY TIME [C] Can anybody name the topic for this weekend? If you answer with “prayer,” then you’re at least partially correct. More specifically, we are dealing with the subject of PERSISTENT prayer. Note the example of Abraham in our first reading. He learns that a severe judgment is being handed down, concerning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. He responds with one petition after another, begging for the cities to be spared. As a result, we are now detecting flexibility, where previously there was no flexibility (see Gen. 18:16-33).  Jesus reaffirms the Abraham approach in this Gospel selection (Luke 11:1-13). When you pray, be sure to pray with persistence. What will that gain for you? Potentially, you will be blessed with the gift of mercy. That’s the point of focus for Abraham. And Paul likewise seems to be preoccupied with the gift of mercy as he writes to the community at Colossae. He proclaims that the bond being held against us has been nailed to the c...
Read more

15th Sunday of Ordinary Time [C]

Image
  15TH SUNDAY OF ORDINARY TIME [C] Once the Christian movement gets underway, the next step is to look back so that we can sort out not only WHO Jesus was, but also WHAT he was? Some theologians will argue that Jesus was basically a human being—a human being commissioned by God to deliver a new body of teaching. Along with this point of view, we also have St.Paul and his point of view. Note how he opens his Letter to the Colossians: he opens by stressing the fact that Jesus possesses an actual divine nature (see Col. 1:15-20). In other words, Christ’s status can be described as an “exalted” status.  What about our own status? Maybe we are not at the same level as Jesus. Nevertheless, we do enjoy a privileged status. After all, it’s recorded in the Book of Genesis that we have been created in the image and likeness of our God (1:26). This is true for every member of the human race, regardless of their nationality or their culture. Therefore, we owe something to one another. We...
Read more