| Readings for April 15, 2012
The readings today talk of religious experience and of love. For most of us faith comes from what was passed to from others and then from our own experience just like Thomas in today's gospel. My own came from my family and church as a child, but when I grew older I needed to experience what I was taught as being true. I have not had the experience of the Apostles seeing the marks in Jesus's hands or hearing his voice tell me what I should do, but I have still experienced God working in my life. It makes a big difference.
John tells us in the second reading that we are to love God, love Jesus, love the children of God, and follow God's commandments. It all comes down to being able to love and loving more than we thought we were able to love.
Jesus set the example. He gave his life in such a way that not one of his followers was lost except for Judas who betrayed him. Even Judas was only lost to what Judas did to himself. It is amazing that at the time of Jesus' death that not one of his followers was punished by the Roman or Jewish authorities. Later when the Apostles began performing the works of Jesus the authorities initially began by trying to get them to stop.
Nobody could really complain about all the nice things that the early Christians did, but when people began to change by the Apostle's example, the authorities began to treat the early Christians as they treated Jesus.
The first reading today usually scares me. Too many so called Christians have used this reading to fleece the vulnerable and naïve. Christians are given a bad name when we betray the trust of others. The Apostles must have been amazing men whom Christians would trust so completely. They must have shown a tremendous amount of love to take care of so many people and not take advantage of those in their trust.
Soon even this form of community began to break down as Hellenist Christians complained that they were not treated as well as the Hebrew Christians. The Apostle's acknowledged that the task was getting beyond their ability to care for everyone, so they created the office of the deaconate, but I bet the deacons were not as satisfactory as when the Apostles were in control (Acts 6:1-7).
The readings demand both a personal and communal response to Jesus' resurrection. It demands that we be a light in the world in how we treat one another. So that the Kingdom of God or the Kingdom of Love can be the hope that people in need can turn and strive for.
So while the early Christians had "no needy person among them" (Acts 4:34). Today the needs of the poor are not a concern by our society as a whole, based on our public discourse.
So during this Easter season may we experience the resurrection in such a way that we may become like the Apostles and love one another so that we provide hope for those most in need.
Jim Fogarty is a member of the Ascension parish council and Executive Director of Brothers and Sisters of Love- a Catholic Ministry to Street Gangs and the Poor in Chicago.
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