The community of believers was of one heart and mind, and no one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they had everything in common. With great power the Apostles bore witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great favor was accorded them all. There was no needy person among them, for those who owned property or houses would sell them, bring the proceeds of the sale, and put them at the feet of the Apostles, and they were distributed to each according to need.
Thus Joseph, also named by the Apostles Barnabas (which is translated “son of encouragement”), a Levite, a Cypriot by birth, sold a piece of property that he owned, then brought the money and put it at the feet of the Apostles.
The Word of the Lord.
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Throughout the Easter Season, we read from the Acts of the Apostles, which describes what life was like within the first Christian communities.
As we hear today, “The community of believers was of one heart and one mind, and no one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they had everything in common.”
Barnabas, for example, sells all of his property and places the profits at the feet of the Apostles, to be used at their discretion.
Today that’d be like selling your home and your car, downsizing to the basics, UBER-ing around town, and giving all of the proceeds to charity.
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It sounds extreme, but that’s who we are as a Church.
We are generous people who consistently offer our time, treasure, talent, and occasionally lay down our lives for the sake of the Gospel.
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The Church has commissioned more missionaries, founded more hospitals, schools, orphanages, soup kitchens, high schools and universities than any other institution in human history.
Occasionally, these sacrifices are highlighted by the lives of Saints like Barnabas or Mother Teresa, but most often these sacrifices are made by ordinary people like us who live out their faith in little ways day by day.
We may not sell our homes or die as martyrs, but how many of us offer little sacrifices for the Lord, which when added up count for something significant?
Some of you purify our linens for Mass; others bring communion to the sick or homebound; others are staff, catechists, intercessors, SPX bakers, choir members, counters, ministry leaders, Christian parents, and so on.
May the spirit of Barnabas – a spirit of generosity and encouragement – continue growing in our community of faith through us because together we are doing something beautiful for the glory of God.
The angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town of Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the house of David, and the virgin’s name was Mary. And coming to her, he said, “Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you.” But she was greatly troubled at what was said and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father, and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever, and of his Kingdom there will be no end.” But Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I have no relations with a man?” And the angel said to her in reply, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God. And behold, Elizabeth, your relative, has also conceived a son in her old age, and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren; for nothing will be impossible for God.” Mary said, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.” Then the angel departed from her.
The Gospel of the Lord.
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What would have happened if Mary said “no?”
Would we ever celebrate Easter? Would the Lord have taken on flesh, died on a cross, or have been raised?
How might the world have changed if Mary said, “no”?
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Put yourself in her shoes.
She’s a teenager, preparing to get married. Out of the blue, an angel appears to her, dropping the biggest bomb imaginable.
“Hail, favored one! Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus… and of his kingdom, there will be no end!”
While that sounds nice – and quite impossible – I’d imagine that most of us would’ve responded to Gabriel, not with the words, “Let it be done unto me according to your word.”
But with something like, “Gabe, how long before you need an answer? Can I get back to you? I know that God has a plan, but this sounds terribly last minute.”
“Besides, now is not the best time for me. I’m really busy planning a wedding. I have to fit into my dress, which won’t fit if I’m pregnant, not to mention how angry Joseph would be!”
“Please, tell God I’m honored, but let’s iron out some of the wrinkles and talk after the wedding.”
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Mary could’ve said, “no.”
Which also begs the question, what happens if we say, “no”?
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For example, an estranged family member may ask us for forgiveness. Instead of clinging to hurt feelings or putting that person off, do we live those words of Mary, “Let it be done unto me, according to your word?”
Or do we say “no,” choosing to cling to those hurt feelings, instead?
When there’s an unexpected turn of events – someone intrudes into our schedule, an old acquaintance shows up, a family member asks us to change our plans – do we freely offer our time like Mary? Or do we say, “no?”
When stricken by grief, do we invite the Lord into our doubt and sorrow, asking that he churn our grief into gratitude? Or do we burrow in that rabbit-hole of self-pity?
An entire spirituality of surrender can be built around the word, “yes.” Or, in Mary’s words: “Let it be done unto me according to your word.”
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This is her greatest moment – greater than giving birth that first Christmas, greater than standing at the Cross on Good Friday, or receiving word of the empty tomb.
When she surrenders to God through the angel Gabriel, she becomes the first – and most faithful – disciple of Jesus because of her willingness to offer her body, her marriage, and her future to God, giving us all a model to follow.
Say, “YES.”
May it be done unto us according to God’s Word today.
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Image credits: (1) The Annunciation, Leonardo Da Vinci (2) The Annunciation, Henry Ossawa Tanner (3) Go Be Radiant
On the evening of that first day of the week, when the doors were locked, where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, “Peace be with you.” When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. 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.” And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained.”
Thomas, called Didymus, one of the Twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples said to 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 into the nailmarks and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.”
Now a week later his disciples were again inside and Thomas was with them. Jesus came, although the doors were locked, and stood in their midst and said, “Peace be with you.” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and see my hands, and bring your hand and put it into my side, and do not be unbelieving, but believe.” Thomas answered and said to him, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus said to him, “Have you come to believe because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.”
Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples that are not written in this book. But these are written that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that through this belief you may have life in his name.
The Gospel of the Lord.
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Niagara Falls is one of the great natural wonders of America. Part of its beauty comes from the sheer force of water that spills over its edges – more than 75,000 gallons per second!
Over the centuries, people have attempted to “conquer” the falls through death-defying stunts like going over the edge locked inside a wheelbarrow.
One person even tried – unsuccessfully – to swim across.
Then there was the daredevil known as the “Great Blondin,” who crossed Niagara Falls on a highwire several times. In one attempt, he planned on pushing a wheelbarrow across while balancing on a wire only a few inches thick.
Before attempting his death-defying stunt, an onlooker shouted out from the crowd, “You’ll never make it across! Goodbye!”
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But the Great Blondin slowly pushed his wheelbarrow from one side of the falls to the other, then came all the way back. Shouting to the skeptic below, he said:
“Now do you believe I can do it?”
The onlooker said, “Yes, a hundred times.”
“Well, if you really believe,” he said, “then get into the wheelbarrow!”
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How many of us would’ve gotten into that wheelbarrow?
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This must’ve been how the Apostle Thomas felt about placing his trust in the Apostles’ account of seeing the Risen Lord.
“Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands and put my finger into the nailmarks and put my hand into his side, I will not believe,” Thomas says.
Because of his skepticism, Thomas is often referred to as “Doubting Thomas.”
But that nickname seems a bit unfair to me. It’s not that Thomas is unwilling to believe; he wants to believe. But he reminds us just how hard it can be to accept the mind-blowing truth of the resurrection.
Thomas knew how grim Christ’s death was. He knew Jesus was placed inside a rock-hewn tomb. He knew a giant boulder was rolled across.
Having the disciples tell him that Jesus was somehow alive again sounded like a cruel joke, as if Thomas was supposed to toss out the grief of Good Friday in his heart and instantly replace it with Easter joy.
Such a startling proposal demanded more proof.
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A week later, Jesus appears to Thomas, but only after he rejoins the Apostolic community, teaching the Apostles an important lesson. If they want to see Jesus, then they must seek him together.
“Wherever two or three are gathered in my name,” he tells them, “there I am in the midst of them.”
It’s partly why we gather together each week – to encounter the Lord together, to find him in this community and to receive him in this Eucharist.
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We all want to experience the Lord… as if it were always so easy.
But, on occasion, doesn’t “Doubting Thomas” show up within some of us?
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It’s that skeptical, unbelieving voice within that pokes at the soft spots in our faith.
“Thomas” shows up when our children or grandchildren ask us questions about God and we don’t know how to answer them.
“Thomas” shows up when we see the unnecessary suffering in our world, when someone we love is sick, when an important prayer request goes unanswered, or when we stand at the graveside weeping.
This must’ve been why John includes the story of Thomas at the conclusion of his Gospel, immediately after the resurrection appearances – to give us all permission to be Thomas.
To doubt. To ponder. To question.
It’s also why the Church gives us seven weeks – nearly fifty days – to celebrate the Easter season. What happened to Jesus is real.
The tomb was empty. It matters!
But the resurrection challenges every fiber of our being, not only to believe it, but also to be changed by it.
In this Easter season, Jesus invites us to make that giant leap of faith from Good Friday to Easter Sunday, from doubt to faith, a leap we may have to make more than once in life.
You might say, we’re being invited to get into the wheelbarrow.
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May we do just that – place our hearts into Christ’s hands, trusting that he will lead us safely across the “rushing, sometimes dangerous waters” of life into his eternal kingdom.
For he is Risen! Alleluia!
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Image credits: (1) The Incredulity of Saint Thomas, Caravaggio (2) Look and Learn, stock (3) Saint Thomas, Caravaggio
