20150412 VICTORY OVER UNBELIEF THROUGH FAITH IN DIVINE MERCY

Readings at Mass

First reading

Acts 4:32-35 ©

The whole group of believers was united, heart and soul; no one claimed for his own use anything that he had, as everything they owned was held in common.

  The apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus with great power, and they were all given great respect.

  None of their members was ever in want, as all those who owned land or houses would sell them, and bring the money from them, to present it to the apostles; it was then distributed to any members who might be in need.

Psalm

Psalm 117:2-4,15-18,22-24 ©

Give thanks to the Lord for he is good, for his love has no end.

Let the sons of Israel say:

  ‘His love has no end.’

Let the sons of Aaron say:

  ‘His love has no end.’

Let those who fear the Lord say:

  ‘His love has no end.’

Give thanks to the Lord for he is good, for his love has no end.

The Lord’s right hand has triumphed;

  his right hand raised me up.

I shall not die, I shall live

  and recount his deeds.

I was punished, I was punished by the Lord,

  but not doomed to die.

Give thanks to the Lord for he is good, for his love has no end.

The stone which the builders rejected

  has become the corner stone.

This is the work of the Lord,

  a marvel in our eyes.

This day was made by the Lord;

  we rejoice and are glad.

Give thanks to the Lord for he is good, for his love has no end.

Second reading

1 John 5:1-6 ©

Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ

has been begotten by God;

and whoever loves the Father that begot him

loves the child whom he begets.

We can be sure that we love God’s children

if we love God himself and do what he has commanded us;

this is what loving God is –

keeping his commandments;

and his commandments are not difficult,

because anyone who has been begotten by God

has already overcome the world;

this is the victory over the world –

our faith.

Who can overcome the world?

Only the man who believes that Jesus is the Son of God:

Jesus Christ who came by water and blood,

not with water only,

but with water and blood;

with the Spirit as another witness –

since the Spirit is the truth.

Gospel Acclamation

Jn20:29

Alleluia, alleluia!

Jesus said: ‘You believe because you can see me.

Happy are those who have not seen and yet believe.’

Alleluia!

Gospel

John 20:19-31 ©

In the evening of that same day, the first day of the week, the doors were closed in the room where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews. Jesus came and stood among them. He said to them, ‘Peace be with you’, and showed them his hands and his side. The disciples were filled with joy when they saw the Lord, and he said to them again, ‘Peace be with you.

‘As the Father sent me,

so am I sending you.’

After saying this he breathed on them and said:

‘Receive the Holy Spirit.

For those whose sins you forgive,

they are forgiven;

for those whose sins you retain,

they are retained.’

Thomas, called the Twin, who was one of the Twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. When the disciples said, ‘We have seen the Lord’, he answered, ‘Unless I see the holes that the nails made in his hands and can put my finger into the holes they made, and unless I can put my hand into his side, I refuse to believe.’ Eight days later the disciples were in the house again and Thomas was with them. The doors were closed, but Jesus came in and stood among them. ‘Peace be with you’ he said. Then he spoke to Thomas, ‘Put your finger here; look, here are my hands. Give me your hand; put it into my side. Doubt no longer but believe.’ Thomas replied, ‘My Lord and my God!’ Jesus said to him:

‘You believe because you can see me.

Happy are those who have not seen and yet believe.’

There were many other signs that Jesus worked and the disciples saw, but they are not recorded in this book. These are recorded so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing this you may have life through his name.

VICTORY OVER UNBELIEF THROUGH FAITH IN DIVINE MERCY

SCRIPTURE READINGS:  ACTS 4:32-35; PS 118:2-4, 13-15, 22-24; 1 JN 5:1-6;  JN 20:19-31“In the evening of that same day, the first day of the week, the doors were closed in the room where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews.”  Today the world continues to live in fear.  In spite of technology and science, the world is fearful.  We are fearful of terrorists.  We are fearful of our future.  We fear we will not have enough and so we hoard. We are fearful of other nations and hence we acquire armaments. Most of all, we are fearful of death itself.  When there is fear, there is no peace.  Where there is fear, no love is possible.   Peace and love presupposes we overcome fear.

Fear is the offspring of the loss of faith and hope.   We are living in an age where there is widespread despair and doubt about the future of tomorrow.  In the face of fear, some think that having power and wealth could secure their future.  Some seek peace in status and materialism.  Yet, the more we fear death, the more we are not able to find life on this earth.  Such fear happens because we have abandoned faith in God.

How do we overcome fear in our lives?  St John asked, “Who can overcome the world? Only the man who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.”  Indeed, there can be no peace and love unless we see it in the context of Christ’s victory over sin, which is the cause of all division; and death which is the enemy that is most feared.

How, then, can we believe in Christ as the Son of God?  This is the crux of the issue. Many of us are like Thomas in the gospel.  We will not believe unless we see.  We want proofs and empirical evidence before we believe.  St Thomas said, “Unless I see the holes that the nails made in his hands and can put my finger into the holes they made, and unless I can put my hand into his side, I refuse to believe.”   Yet, the truth is that even the disciples who saw must also make the act of faith.  All proofs of God and the resurrection presuppose faith. Even Thomas needed faith to believe.   Seeing is not proof in itself.  Seeing still requires faith.  To see Him is no guarantee of faith.  To see the Lord does not mean that He is risen.  It requires the act of faith.  One needs to establish the link between what we see and the conclusion we make.  This is what the Church is asking of us.  It is true we have not seen the Risen Christ.  But like the apostles, we can consider the evidence and make the leap of faith as well.  For this is what Jesus said, “You believe because you can see me. Happy are those who have not seen and yet believe.”

Indeed, the way to overcome atheism and agnosticism is not through intellectual discourse.  It is through faith in Christ who is the revelation of God’s mercy and love.  So this is the power that ensures victory over despair, doubt and faith.  Unless we see the divine mercy of the Father in Christ, we will not have faith.  This explains why St John wrote, “only the man who believes that Jesus is the Son of God; Jesus Christ who came by water and blood, not with water only, but with water and blood; with the Spirit as another witness – since the Spirit is the truth.”

“Jesus Christ who came by water and blood, not with water only, but with water and blood” refers to the incarnation of Christ who was baptized and His death.  In Jesus, His whole life reflects the mercy and love of the Father.  Christ is the mercy of God in person, by His love, mercy, forgiveness and especially His death and resurrection.  For John, this faith in Christ is not simply a dogmatic faith but an existential one, namely a personal conviction that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.  He is the revelation of God’s saving love and mercy.  Such a faith points beyond itself to its object, which is the saving act of God in Christ.

Of course, without the resurrection, we will never be able to understand or come to believe in the Incarnation or the meaning of Christ’s death.   Christ’s appearance to the apostles bearing the mark of the Crucified Christ is to remind us that the Risen Lord is not someone else but that He continues to be very much the Jesus of Nazareth, the Crucified One who is now risen.  The resurrection of Jesus is the guarantee of His words and deeds.

Most of all, His death and resurrection is meant to display the divine mercy of God for the world.  That in spite of man’s cruelty and rejection of Christ, the only begotten Son of the Father, God does not take revenge.   Indeed, the innocent Christ who suffered unjustly because of the sins and ignorance of those who feared Him and His influence on society came to offer forgiveness.  The first gift of the Risen Lord is peace, which comes from the forgiveness of sins.  Jesus said to them, “Peace be with you,” and showed them his hands and his side. The disciples were filled with joy when they saw the Lord, and he said to them again, “Peace be with you.”  It was important for the Lord to assure the disciples twice of His forgiveness because they betrayed Him and abandoned Him.   This was also an important lesson for the early Christians as some of them had previously betrayed Him too, having taken part in the condemnation of Christ and even in the proceedings of the Sanhedrin.  They too need to be affirmed of Christ’s forgiveness.  Otherwise, they could never forgive themselves for what they did to the Lord.

We too who have received the gift of faith in Christ as the divine mercy of God are now called to do likewise.  We are called to be ambassadors of His mercy and agents of reconciliation. Hence, after imparting peace and forgiveness to the disciples, Jesus commanded them to do the same.   “As the Father sent me, so am I sending you.”  After saying this he breathed on them and said: “Receive the Holy Spirit. For those who sins you forgive, they are forgiven; for those whose sins you retain, they are retained.”

That was what the early Church did.  We read in the second reading, “The whole group of believers was united, heart and soul; no one claimed for his own use anything that he had, as everything they owned was held in common.  None of their members was ever in want, as all those who owned land or houses would sell them, and bring the money from them, to present it to the apostles; it was then distributed to any members who might be in need.”   The mercy they received from Christ set them free from fear, especially the fear of death that is the last enemy of all men.  Freed from the fear of death, and filled with the peace and love of Christ, they were now able to share their lives freely with others. This explains the rationale for their ability to let go, even of their material security.

The early life of the community was not based on some economic doctrines like the Marxism, but it came from a spontaneous experience of Christ’s love for them in His death and resurrection.  They could give themselves like Jesus even unto death because they had been loved and forgiven by Christ.  They were inspired by the love and mercy of Christ.  By His death, Jesus overcame all selfishness and false ambition on the cross.  Because He laid down His life and all hopes for the future, the Christian too is called to do the same by putting His trust in the power of God.  This is what the psalmist says, “The Lord’s right hand has triumphed; his right hand raised me up.  I shall not die, I shall live and recount his deeds. I was punished, I was punished by the Lord, but not doomed to die.” The great joy of peace and love could not be contained within their hearts.  It had to be shared with others.  There was no compulsion but a compulsion to share the love of Christ in their hearts.  This is the greatest witness of the power of Christ’s death and resurrection.

This was what St Luke wrote, “The apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus with great power, and they were all given great respect.”  The greatest witness is not in words but in our life.  This explains why the Church requires priests and religious to observe the evangelical counsels of poverty, obedience and chastity.  These counsels are not to be reducible to the laws of the Church but they spring from the compelling love of Christ in our hearts which move priests and religious to give their lives utterly to the Lord and His Church.  Regardless of the weaknesses and failures of priests in these areas, these vows and promises are taken to signify that there is a deep desire to conform our lives to that of Christ.  Hence, these three counsels remain in the Church, a powerful witness to the authenticity of our faith in Christ’s death and resurrection.

Indeed, if the world has lost faith in Christ, it is because the Church at times has become too doctrinal and institutional that the face of the mercy of God is not seen.  Quite often, faith becomes merely a religion, a list of dos and don’ts and not a relationship of love for God and manifested in a life of mercy and forgiveness.  That is why, it is urgent that we need to demonstrate the mercy of Christ in our lives by showing that as Catholics, we are capable of love for the poor and forgiveness for those who have hurt us.  Forgiveness is the necessary hallmark of being a Christian.  A Christian who cannot forgive has not yet been forgiven by Christ because it means he has rejected the forgiveness of Christ paid by His innocent blood on the cross.  Christ who has forgiven us empowers us to do the same and forgive in His name.

Truly, forgiveness and mercy is the best testimony to the power of the resurrection of Christ in our lives.  Faith in Christ’s love overcomes the lack of faith because the force of goodness and love is irresistible.  Only Christian witnessing of love and mercy can overcome the despair in the world.  Only Christian love which sees ourselves as children of God gives us the impetus to love God and our fellowmen.   Together with these signs, the Holy Spirit, who is our witness because He pours the love of God into our hearts, will convict others to find faith in God through our witnessing of His love in us.

Written by The Most Rev William Goh

Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore

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