Third Sunday Of Easter – Cycle C
Acts 5: 27-32, 40b-41;
Revelation 5:
11-14;
John 21: 1-19
I
am not perfect. I have lots of flaws and imperfections. One of the
short-comings that I struggle with is this – I am horrible with
names. I'll be at the grocery store, see a face that I recognize,
but I can't seem to put a name with the face. I know that person is
a parishioner at St. Francis. I know that she usually attends the
Saturday evening mass. I can recall that she sits on the left side
of church, a few rows behind the center. But her name eludes me for
some reason. It can be embarrassing at times.
The
disciples seem to be wrestling with a similar problem. For a group
of people who followed Jesus so closely, they seem to be having
difficulty recognizing the risen Lord. In the upper room, Jesus
showed them his hands and his feet first. Mary of Magdala believed
that he was a grounds keeper initially. On the road to Emmaus, they
thought him a stranger. There seems to be no recognition. It
happens again in today's gospel. This is Jesus' third appearance to
Peter and the others, and yet there is still some uncertainty. Why
is that?
Some
religious scholars have put forth the idea that the risen Christ must
have looked so splendid and awe-inspiring, that he no longer
resembled his earthly appearance. I don't subscribe to this belief
because, in my mind, someone so splendid and awe-inspiring would be
instantly recognizable. Others have suggested that reality and logic
are the culprits here. The disciples know that Jesus was put to
death. How can he be here now? And so it takes a few moments for
the mind to comprehend.
But
the heart knows.
The
hearts of Peter and the other disciples already knew the joy of the
risen Lord. Peter had raced to the garden that Easter morn and
witnessed the empty tomb. Mary Magdala heard the Lord speak her
name. The travelers to Emmaus felt their hearts catch fire with the
breaking of the bread. Their hearts already knew that joy. It just
took their logical minds a few moments to catch up.
Can
you imagine that joy – the elation of that moment when heart and
mind unite in the knowledge that the risen Jesus is reality? In that
moment, the heat beats faster, the face gets flushed, the adrenaline
races through our veins.
It's
enough to make you believe that the coming of the kingdom is
possible.
The
rush that is felt when the head realizes what the heart already knows
is incredible. That joyous feeling cannot be contained. It cannot
be controlled. It explodes from us for all the world to witness.
It
is that joy that inspired Thomas to fall to his knees and proclaim,
“My Lord and My God.” It is that joy that drove the disciples to
race back to Jerusalem from Emmaus. It's that joy that spurred Peter
to dive into the cool waters of Tiberias and swim to Jesus.
That
elation that the disciples felt each time the risen Lord appeared to
them is part of our heritage. It has been handed down to each
generation of Christians from the one that proceeded. From the
moment each of us emerged from the waters of our baptism, that joy
became our birthright. It belongs to us too. And yet, for many of
us, that joy can be elusive. It is not a part of our experiences and
our lives. Our hearts know the joy, but our heads do not acknowledge
it for some reason. Why is that?
What
is it that prevents us from feeling this unbridled elation of the
resurrection? Are we too busy or too distracted by the other
realities of our daily lives? Are we afraid to surrender the logic
and knowledge of the head for the undisciplined, unrestrained
emotions of the heart? Do we even know for certain that this joy is
possible? Why can't we feel this joy?
I
would invite each of you to pray and meditate over these questions in
the remaining weeks of Easter. Each of us needs seek this joy out,
to know it firsthand. The reality of the risen Christ is ours to
cherish – ours to care for – ours to tend. It is ours to keep
alive and vital until we relinquish it to our successors.
Our
joy of the risen Lord should be evident to all those we encounter.
Like a spring flower in full bloom, it should radiate from us for all
the world to see. This joy is our best hope for the future. It is
life-altering. It is world-changing.
It
is in this joy that mercy and forgiveness becomes commonplace. It is
in this joy that compassion and charity flourish. It is in this joy
that justice and peace reside.
It
is in this joy that the Kingdom of God becomes our reality.
Can
you think of a better way to celebrate Easter?
Deacon Darryl J. Diemer
Third Sunday of Easter
April 10, 2016
Painting: Mural of the post-resurrection miraculous haul of fish and Peter swimming to shore,
in the Greek Orthodox Church in Capernaum, Galilee
in the Greek Orthodox Church in Capernaum, Galilee
