Fr Kevin Kilgore

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Gospel: John 20: 19-31

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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I’m sure we’ve all visited or seen pictures of Niagara Falls. Its beauty comes from the height and sheer volume of water rushing over its’ edge – some 700,000 gallons per second.

Over the centuries, people have attempted death-defying stunts, such as going over Niagara Falls locked inside a barrel. 

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 multiple times. In one of his attempts, he planned on pushing a wheelbarrow across, 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 across! Goodbye!”

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But the “Great Blondin” confidently pushed the wheelbarrow from one end 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,” he said, “then get into the wheelbarrow!”

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How many of us would’ve gotten into that wheelbarrow?

(Few, if any).

That’s how the Apostle Thomas felt about placing his trust in the Risen Christ before Jesus appeared to him.

“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,” Thomas said, “I will not believe.”

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 simply reminds us how hard it is to believe in the topsy-turvy, upside down, right side up reality of the resurrection.

Faith can be difficult for us today. But it was no different for the Apostles.

Thomas reminds them that Jesus was brutally murdered on Good Friday; there were nailmarks in his hands and a spear thrust into his side! Then he was laid in a tomb. 

How can he be alive again?

Going from the horror of Good Friday to joy of Easter Sunday requires a giant leap of faith, which some of the Apostles make after seeing the Risen Lord. But Thomas wasn’t there when Jesus showed up; he was grieving alone. 

By not appearing to Thomas in isolation, Jesus teaches the Apostles an important lesson: he will only reveal himself to the community of faith. They must gather together in order to see.

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Isn’t there a bit of “Doubting Thomas” within all of us?

It’s that skeptical, unbelieving voice that pokes at the soft spots of our faith. 

“Thomas” shows up when our children ask us questions about God and we don’t how to answer them.

He shows up when someone we love suffers or when an important prayer seemingly goes unanswered.

That “Doubting Thomas” within haunts us when we standing at the graveside, weeping. 

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John includes this story about Thomas right after the resurrection in order to give us permission to be Thomas – to doubt; to question; to ponder.

It’s why the Church gives us seven weeks – nearly fifty days – to celebrate the Easter season. Christ’s resurrection changes everything.

We need time to ponder this… and to shape our lives accordingly.

Perhaps this is why the earliest Christians referred to themselves as followers of, “The Way.” They remind us that belief is not a sprint; it’s a marathon. 

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So, what has my journey of faith been like? Am I still hesitant to place my faith in Jesus like Thomas once was? Am I questioning? Doubting? Pondering?

Or have I come to know Jesus enough to say, in Thomas’ words, “My Lord and my God!”?

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“If you really believe, then get into the wheelbarrow.”

Lord, help us to do just that – to place ourselves entirely into your hands, as you lead us safely along the highwire of this life into the life to come.

For you are risen! Alleluia!

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Image credits: (1) The Incredulity of Saint Thomas, Caravaggio (2) Niagara Falls, Reader’s Digest (3) Ibid., Caravaggio

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Gospel: John 21: 1-14

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.

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Image credits: (1) A-Z Quotes (2) Church of the Great God (3) Christian Today

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Acts 3: 11-26

As the crippled man who had been cured clung to Peter and John,
all the people hurried in amazement toward them
in the portico called “Solomon’s Portico.”
When Peter saw this, he addressed the people,
“You children of Israel, why are you amazed at this,
and why do you look so intently at us
as if we had made him walk by our own power or piety?
The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob,
the God of our fathers, has glorified his servant Jesus
whom you handed over and denied in Pilate’s presence,
when he had decided to release him.
You denied the Holy and Righteous One
and asked that a murderer be released to you.
The author of life you put to death,
but God raised him from the dead; of this we are witnesses.
And by faith in his name,
this man, whom you see and know, his name has made strong,
and the faith that comes through it
has given him this perfect health,
in the presence of all of you.
Now I know, brothers and sisters,
that you acted out of ignorance, just as your leaders did;
but God has thus brought to fulfillment
what he had announced beforehand
through the mouth of all the prophets,
that his Christ would suffer.
Repent, therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be wiped away,
and that the Lord may grant you times of refreshment
and send you the Christ already appointed for you, Jesus,
whom heaven must receive until the times of universal restoration
of which God spoke through the mouth
of his holy prophets from of old.
For Moses said:

A prophet like me will the Lord, your God, raise up for you
from among your own kin;
to him you shall listen in all that he may say to you.
Everyone who does not listen to that prophet
will be cut off from the people.    

“Moreover, all the prophets who spoke,
from Samuel and those afterwards, also announced these days.
You are the children of the prophets
and of the covenant that God made with your ancestors
when he said to Abraham,
In your offspring all the families of the earth shall be blessed.
For you first, God raised up his servant and sent him to bless you
by turning each of you from your evil ways.”

The Word of the Lord.

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Our first reading contains parts of Saint Peter’s second sermon after Christ’s resurrection from the dead. Within it, we find several key elements of early Christian preaching, which should still be linchpins to our faith-sharing today.

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The early Christians always stressed the horror of the crucifixion. It was a torturous, inhumane way to die. And the Jews, in partnership with the Romans, allowed it to happen to the Lord of Life.

Peter goes as far as to shame those present who shouted, “Crucify him!” on Good Friday.

He wants to shock the crowds into understanding the power of sin – and the extent to which God respects our freedom.

But if they repent, then their sins will be wiped away immediately.

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Repentance has a triple-effect on the Christian life.

It changes our past – God wipes away our sin.

It changes our present – we alter our behavior.

It changes our future – Christ leads us to eternal life.

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Finally, Peter focuses on the power of the resurrection. In being raised to life, Jesus reveals his indestructible power. Death no longer has any hold over him.

And if Christ has been raised from the dead, then we shall be raised, too. As Saint Paul says, “Neither death nor life, nor present things, nor future things, can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus.”

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On Ash Wednesday, a cross of ash was traced onto our forehead. The minister reminded us what Peter told those first Christians:

“Repent, and believe in the Gospel.”

What might that look like for me – turning closer to the Lord – today?

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Image credits: (1) Saint Peter Preaching in Jerusalem, by Charles Poerson (2) Saint Peter, by Peter Paul Rubens (3) Eric Echols