There was a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. He came to Jesus at night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God, for no one can do these signs that you are doing unless God is with him.” Jesus answered and said to him, “Amen, amen, I say to you, unless one is born from above, he cannot see the Kingdom of God.” Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man once grown old be born again? Surely he cannot reenter his mother’s womb and be born again, can he?” Jesus answered, “Amen, amen, I say to you, unless one is born of water and Spirit he cannot enter the Kingdom of God. What is born of flesh is flesh and what is born of spirit is spirit. Do not be amazed that I told you, ‘You must be born from above.’ The wind blows where it wills, and you can hear the sound it makes, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes; so it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”
The Gospel of the Lord.
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Easter is not a single event; it’s an entire season. For seven straight weeks, the Church encourages us to ponder the life-changing truth of the resurrection.
Yesterday, for example, we read about Doubting Thomas. He would not believe that Christ had risen from the dead unless he saw the nailmarks in his hands and slid his fingers into Jesus’ side.
John included this story about Doubting Thomas immediately after the resurrection to remind us just how hard it can be to believe. John gives us permission to doubt like Thomas; to be skeptical; to question before we believe.
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Today we encounter Nicodemus, whose role in John’s Gospel is quite similar to Doubting Thomas.
Nicodemus reminds us that faith is a journey, which often begins with an intellectual curiosity. Is there a Higher Power? Is there life after this? Does God exist? Does he know me?
This is where we encounter Nicodemus today. He’s searching for answers from Jesus on an intellectual level. “What does it mean to be born again?”
We do not see Nicodemus again until Jesus is on trial. But Nicodemus defends him before the Sanhedrin, urging his peers to allow Jesus to explain himself – a sign that Nicodemus was interested in learning more about Jesus.
His faith was growing.
Then we encounter Nicodemus a third and final time at the tomb as he brings spices to anoint Jesus’ body.
Does Nicodemus’ faith die with Jesus at the tomb? Or does he become one of the first Christians?
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We don’t know. John leaves that for us to ponder.
Maybe there’s a point in that for us.
There comes a time when we all must make the leap of faith from Good Friday to Easter Sunday. Like Thomas and Nicodemus, we can question the Lord; we can ponder the faith.
But then we must decide for ourselves: Is Jesus my Lord and my God? Did he rise from the dead? Our answer changes the rest of our lives.
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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Many of you have visited – or at least seen pictures of – Niagara Falls. The beauty of the falls comes from the height and sheer volume of water that rushes over – some 700,000 gallons per second.
Over the centuries, people have attempted death-defying stunts, such as going over the falls locked inside a barrel.
One person even tried – unsuccessfully – to swim across them.
Then there was the daredevil known as the “Great Blondin,” who crossed the falls on a highwire multiple times.
In one of his attempts, he planned on pushing a wheelbarrow across the falls, balancing on a wire only several inches thick.
Before starting his long and delicate journey, a voice cried out from the crowd, “You’ll never make it! Goodbye!”
But the “Great Blondin” confidently pushed the wheelbarrow from one end of the falls to the other, then turned around and made his way back.
“Now do you believe I can do it?” He said to the skeptic.
“Yes,” the man conceded. “Now I believe.”
“Do you believe I can do it again?” Blondin asked.
“Of course. A hundred times!”
“If you really believe,” Blondin said, “then get into the wheelbarrow!”
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Like the skeptic bystander, Thomas refuses to believe that Jesus is raised from the dead.
“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,” he says.
For his lack of faith, Thomas is often referred to as, “Doubting Thomas.”
But that harsh nickname seems a bit unfair to me. It isn’t that Thomas is unwilling to believe; he just has more questions; he’s skeptical; he needs his own proof. Thomas is soul searching.
He reminds us just how hard it can be to grasp the truth of the resurrection.
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Isn’t there at least a bit of a “Doubting Thomas” within all of us?
It’s that skeptical unbelieving voice within that pokes at the soft spots of our faith.
Thomas shows up when our children ask us a question about God and we don’t how to respond. He shows up when we’re standing at the graveside of a loved one, weeping.
Our inner Thomas shows up when we’re faced with temptation, an uncertain future, or when an important prayer goes unanswered.
And, Thomas shows up when we hear those words within, “If you really believe, then get into the wheelbarrow.”
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It’s no coincidence that John includes this story about Doubting Thomas right after Jesus rises from the dead. John gives us permission to be like Thomas.
To doubt; to question; to ponder; to search our souls.
It can be hard to believe in the goodness of God – and the truth of his resurrection from the dead – when we’re faced with a constant barrage of sickness, violence, and death.
Belief is meant to be a journey.
Perhaps this is why the earliest Christians referred to themselves as followers of “The Way.” The seed is planted when someone tells us about the empty tomb. Then that seed needs time to grow and take root within us.
Faith needs to be nourished, even tested, before it becomes the solid foundation of our lives.
Like Thomas, it’s important to ask ourselves why we believe, and to question our faith, but always with a heart seeking the Truth; a heart open to Christ.
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This is why the Church gives us seven weeks – nearly fifty days – to celebrate the Easter season.
In some Christian churches, Easter is celebrated only on one single Sunday.
While we ponder the miracle of the resurrection, they move on to other stories in the Gospels.
But it takes time to develop a resurrection faith, to journey along “The Way,” to become a community that believes in the life-shattering truth that Jesus Christ has overcome death, that he rose from the dead.
And so shall we.
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It’s the most important truth we’ll ever learn, which is why we take it so seriously and ponder it slowly.
So, what is my faith in Jesus like? Am I soul searching like Thomas? Have I stalled in a stage of doubt? Or have I reached a point where Jesus is, “My Lord and my God!”?
You might ask, am I staring at the wheelbarrow wondering whether or not I should get in? Or am I seated in it, having embarked on the journey of faith?
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Some believe in God, much like they believe that a stunt man can walk across Niagara Falls.
Christians get into the wheelbarrow.
We believe in a God who loves us. Who wants what’s best for us. Who’s leading us across Niagara Falls, as it were, into the safety of his kingdom, where he lives and reigns forever. Amen.
Jesus revealed himself again to his disciples at the Sea of Tiberias. He revealed himself in this way. Together were Simon Peter, Thomas called Didymus, Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, Zebedee’s sons, and two others of his disciples. Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.” They said to him, “We also will come with you.” So they went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing. When it was already dawn, Jesus was standing on the shore; but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus. Jesus said to them, “Children, have you caught anything to eat?” They answered him, “No.” So he said to them, “Cast the net over the right side of the boat and you will find something.” So they cast it, and were not able to pull it in because of the number of fish. So the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord.” When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he tucked in his garment, for he was lightly clad, and jumped into the sea. The other disciples came in the boat, for they were not far from shore, only about a hundred yards, dragging the net with the fish. When they climbed out on shore, they saw a charcoal fire with fish on it and bread. Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish you just caught.” So Simon Peter went over and dragged the net ashore full of one hundred fifty-three large fish. Even though there were so many, the net was not torn. Jesus said to them, “Come, have breakfast.” And none of the disciples dared to ask him, “Who are you?” because they realized it was the Lord. Jesus came over and took the bread and gave it to them, and in like manner the fish. This was now the third time Jesus was revealed to his disciples after being raised from the dead.
The Gospel of the Lord.
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Today’s Gospel summarizes the mission of the Church, and therefore our mission here at Saint Pius X.
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There are two miracles: the miraculous catch of fish and the meal that Jesus provides.
It begins at night. Peter tells the other disciples, “I’m going fishing.” So they join him. Although they’re professional fishermen – and they work through the night – their efforts are fruitless.
Such is a life without Christ.
Without Christ, we live in the darkness. Despite our best efforts we cannot bear lasting fruit; we cannot save ourselves.
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After the disciples finish working in the dark, the Risen Christ appears to them on the shore in the bright light of dawn.
Jesus then commands them to go back out onto the lake. With his blessing, they catch so many fish that Peter’s net is nearly tearing at the seams.
This net represents the Church.
With the Lord’s blessing, you and I are meant to be “fishers of men.” Following behind Peter, our shepherd, we can bring the entire world to Christ, where he sits down and feeds us with a meal.
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In the Gospel, Jesus feeds his disciples with loaves of bread and fish.
At Mass, the Lord feeds us with the Eucharist, his very Self.
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This is our mission at Saint Pius X: to live this Gospel in our daily lives.
To build community – a community centered around Christ; to worship him as God; and to bring others to Him, where he feeds us, then sends us out to fish for more.
