2nd Sunday of Easter, 2023  - Fr. Leo

I’ve preached many times on how Thomas is the hero of John’s gospel.  Through his doubt he came to experience the risen Christ and proclaimed him Lord and God.  The crowning declaration of John’s entire gospel.  

We learn that doubt can lead a person to affirming a strong faith in the existence and goodness of God.  What catches my attention is how Thomas came to believe.  Before he met the risen Christ for himself and came to believe, he never abandoned his community of faith.  Yes, he had doubts and needed to know for himself the risen One, we all do, but it would not have happened had he not hung in there and struggled with his believing in his faith community.

Here I think of the phrase about faith being caught, not taught.  So true.  A community of faith, people sharing their faith together, creates the space where God can mingle with us and be caught by those who hang in there when they have their doubts.  We witness and make Christ present for each other.  Not by our verbal preaching, but through our loving presence to one another and in our doing, our living of God’s love.  

Most of us who found the celebration of the Easter Triduum, Holy Thursday, Good Friday and the Easter Vigil meaningful, did so because of our experience of our community at prayer.  I know I am grateful for those days of prayer together and I pray the Spirit will continue to deepen our experience of Christ risen, that it may reach its fullness in our celebration of Pentecost.  

May the Spirit help us grow that the winds of faith my comfort us and blow through us to all peoples, places and things.  For this let us pray!  Amen.