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"I am the Living One"
Second Sunday of Easter
April 27 2025
Acts 5:12-16
The numbers of men and women who came to believe in the Lord increased steadily. The faithful all used to meet by common consent in the Portico of Solomon. No one else ever dared to join them, but the people were loud in their praise and the numbers of men and women who came to believe in the Lord increased steadily.
So many signs and wonders were worked among the people at the hands of the apostles that the sick were even taken out into the streets and laid on beds and sleeping-mats in the hope that at least the shadow of Peter might fall across some of them as he went past. People even came crowding in from the towns round about Jerusalem, bringing with them their sick and those tormented by unclean spirits, and all of them were cured.
Psalm 117:2-4.22-27
Give thanks to the Lord for he is good, his love is everlasting.
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.’
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.
O Lord, grant us salvation;
O Lord, grant success.
Blessed in the name of the Lord
is he who comes.
We bless you from the house of the Lord;
the Lord God is our light.
Revelation 1:9-13.17-19
My name is John, and through our union in Jesus I am your brother and share your sufferings, your kingdom, and all you endure. I was on the island of Patmos for having preached God’s word and witnessed for Jesus; it was the Lord’s day and the Spirit possessed me, and I heard a voice behind me, shouting like a trumpet, ‘Write down all that you see in a book.’
I turned round to see who had spoken to me, and when I turned I saw seven golden lamp-stands and, surrounded by them, a figure like a Son of man, dressed in a long robe tied at the waist with a golden girdle. When I saw him, I fell in a dead faint at his feet, but he touched me with his right hand and said,
‘Do not be afraid; it is I, the First and the Last; I am the Living One. I was dead and now I am to live for ever and ever, and I hold the keys of death and of the underworld. Now write down all that you see of present happenings and things that are still to come.’
John 20:19-31
After eight days Jesus came in and stood among them. 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 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.
Texts (New Jerusalem Bible) taken from Lectionary Link
I think we are all familiar enough with the doubtings of Thomas that today we might focus on the mood of excitement that was felt by the disciples and the whole community in those early weeks. The first reading gives us a sketch of the Spirit's extraordinary activity, unusual enough to catch the attention of great numbers of men and women so moved by what they saw that they eagerly joined the community. Large numbers also came with their sick from the towns and villages in the vicinity of Jerusalem.
How long did that enthusiasm last? Later in Acts of the Apostles we see a mood of fear and watchfulness setting in soon enough, but in the book Revelation (second reading) we find the buoyancy of faith is back, but now with a growing awareness of how we can fail, sometimes without even noticing it.
In this Year "C" the second reading for the Sundays of Eastertime are taken from the Book of Revelation (Apocalypse).[1] Most catholics are not really conversant with this last book in the New Testament collection, while it is a favourite among many Protestant and Evangelical christians. It might be a good idea this year to spend a little time on Revelation, perhaps not so much on the startling and scary prophecies, which are couched in symbolic imagery and require interpetation, (1) as on the amazing words about the victory of the Son of Man, who is portrayed sharing the glory of the divine:
"I am the first and the last, I am the Living One. I was dead and now I am to live for ever and ever. I hold the keys to death and the underworld." (1:17-19)
The book opens with seven letters (chapters 2 and 3) addressed to seven churches in Asia Minor (now Turkiye). Reading these we can see the ways that some of the communities were failing. Typical is the message to the church in Ephesus:
"I know your deeds, your labor, and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate those who are evil, and you have tested and exposed as liars those who falsely claim to be apostles. Without growing weary, you have persevered and endured many things for the sake of My name. But I have this against you: You have abandoned your first love. Therefore, keep in mind how far you have fallen. Repent and perform the deeds you did at first. But if you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place. (Berean Standard Bible)
I always find the message to the church in Laodicea the more chilling, perhaps because it seems to fit our age. The community is described as lukewarm, for which the Lord threatens to spew them out. While claiming to be rich, they are blind to their true condition, so the Lord counsels them to buy from him those things they truly need.
Lukewarm - tepid, like warm beer or tea that's been left standing.
As a reflection on our own church communities, we could read these seven letters and see how we score.
However, today I want to suggest that we read and reflect on the introduction to the book of Revelation (ch 1:1-20) and then you can either read all the passages that will appear as Second Reading in the coming Sundays or simply jump to the concluding chapters 19 to 21. The theme is the victory of the Lamb of God and his eventual triumph over the force of evil that actively opposes the Kingdom of God. By deception and lies the force of evil leads many people to their destruction. These days this strange conflict is front page news in daily papers around the world .
The prophecies that make up the greater part of the book of Revelation seem to be a melange of at least two separate collections that have been combined by some editor, not always successfully.
The theme throughout the book of Revelation is Jeshua's victory over death, the account filled out with stunning descriptions of the joy and the glory of those who have been given new life in him. This is what resurrection means! Christ raised up is not a biological conundrum but a divine mystery which contains and symbolises what God has in store for those who love him and serve him faithfully to the end. It is the summit of evolution, the exaltation of the Christ of the Cosmos.
He loves us and has washed away our sins with his blood, and made us a line of kings, priests to serve his God and Father; to him, then, be glory and power for ever and ever. Amen. (1:5-6)
The Spirit and the Bride say, "Come". Let everyone who listens answer, "Come". Then let all who are thirsty come: all who want it may have the water of life, and have it free. (22:17)
If we have spent some time in reading and reflection during Lent, now we can catch the change of mood in these writings that form the foundation of our hope.
Notes
(1) Apocalyptic forms of writing gave encouragement and hope in times of crisis and danger. This type of writing appeared before Jesus was born (eg. Daniel 7). The most important task of apocalyptic literature was to convince readers that God is more powerful than any forces of evil. God’s goodness will prevail in the end, no matter how bad the present situation. The term ‘apocalytpic’ means ‘unveiling what is hidden’. God’s salvation is promised. The perseverance of good people will be rewarded. (LINK)
A further word of advice:
'The language of apocalyptic writing is richly symbolic, and the importance of the visions which are described is never in their immediate literal meaning. It can be taken as a rule that every element in this kind of writing has symbolic value—persons, places, animals, actions, objects, parts of the body, numbers and measurements, stars, constellations, colours and armaments—and if we are not to misunderstand or distort the writer’s message, we must appreciate the imagery at its true value and do our best to translate the symbols back into the ideas which he intended them to convey.'
Something else to reflect on:
Even in church Easter day is busy. And yet we do need to reflect on the riches set before us in the ceremonies. One way is to read the texts again, and to take time to absorb their message of joy-filled hope: for the victory is Christ's. In Christ, we are winners. A comparison to Grand Final day would not be entirely out of place. The question today is this: Are we still bouyed up with confidence that all will be well, a hope based on the victory already won? And if not, why not?
The sequence "Victimae Paschali Laudes" contains beautiful allusions to the paradoxes of the day ;
The Sequence linking the second reading to the gospel in the Liturgy of Easter Sunday
Christians, to the Paschal Victim offer sacrifice and praise.
The sheep are ransomed by the Lamb;
and Christ, the undefiled,
hath sinners to his Father reconciled.
Death with life contended: combat strangely ended!
Life's own Champion, slain, yet lives to reign.
Tell us, Mary: say what you did see upon the way.
The tomb the Living did enclose;
I saw Christ's glory as he rose!
The angels there attesting;
shroud with grave-clothes resting.
Christ, my hope, has risen: he goes before you into Galilee.
That Christ is truly risen from the dead we know.
Victorious king, thy mercy show!