For The Bulletin Of Thomas needs a personal experience of 11 April 2021 Jesus before he will believe. Until then, he is locked in his own criterion for faith: he wants Jesus to be “touchable.” So eight days later, on the next “first day of the week” according to the resurrection timeline, the risen Lord of the Sabbath stands again in the midst of His disciples, greets them with His peace, and then turns to the individual who is most in need of this. For eight days Thomas has wrestled with the dark stranger of doubt and is wounded by this struggle. The wounded, risen Jesus and the wounded disciple stand before one THE SECOND SUNDAY OF another. Jesus invites Thomas to stretch out EASTER his hand to the wounds of His hands and side. But there is no physical touching. Jesus’ personal presence and self-offering to From Father Robert Thomas touch him and demolish all doubts. Thomas had not been in the room when the Here is “the way, and the truth, and the life” risen Jesus appeared to the disciples, and so that Thomas is seeking, and he responds has missed out on any personal encounter with the most profound and personal ascent with Him, the words of missioning, and the of faith in all the gospels: “My Lord and my bestowal of the gifts of peace and God!” For the future generations who will forgiveness in the Spirit. John makes listen to this gospel in the presence of the Thomas a foil for our own need of these physically absent Jesus, the last beatitude gifts and our struggles with doubt and faith. that Jesus then addresses to Thomas is our Often the comments about Thomas greatest hope: “Blessed are those who have concentrate too much on him as a doubter not seen and have believed.” It is to hand on (which he is never called anywhere in the such life-giving faith, says the evangelist, gospels) and so little on his desire to touch that he has written his gospel. the source of life. John’s gospel shows him to be the kind of person who blurts out the In his Asian Journal, Thomas Merton wrote: questions or comments others are too timid “Faith means doubt. Faith is not the or too embarrassed to speak. He is ready to suppression of doubt. It is the overcoming go along with Jesus enroute to Lazarus’ of doubt, and you overcome doubt by going grave and die with Him and he is honest through it. The man of faith who has never enough at the Last Supper to say that none experienced doubt is not a person of faith. of the disciples have any idea where Jesus is Consequently, the monk is one who has to heading. The disciples to whom the risen struggle in the depths of his being with the Lord appeared on Easter eve announce the presence of doubt, and has to go through resurrection to Thomas in the same words as what some religions call the Great Doubt, to Mary Magdalene spoke to them: “We have break through doubt into a certitude which is seen the Lord.” And they are just as very, very deep because it is not his own unsuccessful in convincing Thomas as Mary had been with them. Like all disciples, 1 personal certitude; it is the certitude of God Where are you being sent to share Jesus’ Himself, in us.” peace? Christ took His wounds into the grave and did not disown them in His resurrection. Because of His wounds, Jesus is now credibly in touch with wounded humanity: with the wounded in body and spirit, those hurt by society, the victims of domestic and global violence, those suffering from their own addictions, those abused by our disregard and complacency. And we know only too well our own woundedness. Such wounds reveal our need for one another and, About Liturgy: Scars Are Signs Of God’s therefore the potential for the building of a Glory compassionate, healing community that Think for a moment about a scar you have, witnesses to the love of the Wounded and a word or two you might pick to Healer. describe the circumstances that led to it. Perhaps words like “accident” or “scary” come to mind, or “embarrassed,” “foolish,” or even “reckless.” But I doubt the word “glorious” comes to mind. Yet it is on this Second Sunday of Easter each year when we hear about the apostle Thomas and his first encounter with the risen Lord. (I usually refuse to use the typical nickname for him: how would you like to have an everlasting nickname based As we celebrate the Second Sunday of on the weakest and lowest moment of your Easter, where is God calling you to witness life?) Thomas requires the same visual to faith and extend God’s love to others? proof the other apostles had of Christ’s resurrection and indeed just a little bit more; In the first reading we hear that the early we all are familiar with the narrative. community of believers were all of “one heart and mind.” Where in our parish is our Christ’s resurrected and glorified body community of one mind about issues or certainly could have been made completely values? Where is there division? whole again, yet the wounds of the nails and spear persist, and Thomas is able to touch The second reading from the first letter of and feel them. “My Lord and my God!” he St. John proclaims that “God’s cries. Christ is truly here a wounded healer commandments are not burdensome.” At – and beyond that, a teacher, a friend, and a this moment in your faith journey, where are brother. you encountering burden or hardship? Liturgically, this attention to the “scars” of In today’s gospel Jesus tells the disciples, As Christ should call us to His humanity with the Father has sent me, so I send you.” His divinity, and that we are invited to share that with Him, one day. Ritually, today 2 provides an opportunity to call particular attention to the fraction rite, the Breaking of the Bread, the ritual moment which is so often lost in most liturgies. …to our volunteer parishioners who came early Holy Saturday morning to clean and prepare the sanctuary and bathrooms for Easter: Tess Trinidad, Al Cosce, Jean Rogers, Reno and Thelma Benasfre, Rose Salamanca, Mency Osborne, and Steve Rojek. About The Fraction Rite: One Thing At A Time …to the members of the Art & Environment On M*A*S*H, Charles Emerson Winchester Committee who created such a beautiful once famously said, “I do one thing at a environment for Easter and its season: Leo time, I do it very well, and then I move on.” and Minnie Rivera, Pablo and Norma We make sure that, at every liturgy, the Villegas, Tom and Stevie Catchings, Tony fraction rite doesn’t become a side note to a and Claudia Gumina, Theresa Nelms, lingering sign of peace. We wait for that Rich Confetti, Father Robert, Don moment to conclude before beginning the Benson, and Tony Onate. next, so that the immense symbolism has a chance to express itself fully to a …to all those who made our experience of congregation fully aware of the rite. The Holy Week, the Triduum, and Easter a Missal tells us, “the gesture of the fraction deeply moving and spiritual experience: or breaking of the bread was quite simply Lectors, Ushers, Greeters, Eucharistic the term by which the Eucharist was known Ministers, Adult Acolytes, Altar Servers, in apostolic times” (GIRM, #321), and this our Art & Environment Committee, our eucharistic table is what brings us in one Knights of Columbus, all those who moment to Christ broken on the cross and to contributed financially to make the a foretaste of the eternal and heavenly environment possible with its trees, azalea banquet. We believe, as we sing in the and Peace Lily plants, the cut flower Lamb of God accompanying the rite, that it arrangements, the new artwork, the Paschal is Christ broken on the cross that is the Candle and Candles surrounding the Altar, ultimate sign of God’s love for us and only and Bill Vaughan who gifted us with his with God in paradise will we know true and presence and playing our wonderful pipe divine peace. organ which transformed our worship experience, and all who came and 3 participated in each of our liturgies with love for all and a diverse and cohesive your energy, enthusiasm, and faith. society makes us better and is what our faith A heartfelt thank you to all! calls us to build. Statement on Violence against “God shows no partiality (Acts 10:34).” Asian Americans and Pacific “After this I had a vision of a great Islanders multitude, which no one could count, from every nation, race, people, and tongue. They Bishop Michael C. Barber, SJ stood before the throne and before the Task Force for Racial Justice Lamb, wearing white robes and holding Diocese of Oakland palm branches* in their hands (Rev. 7:9).” March 29, 2021 As stated in Brothers and Sisters to Us, Catholic Bishops of issued by the U.S. Catholic bishops in 1979, “Racism is not merely one sin among many; California Ask for it is a radical evil that divides the human family and denies the new creation of a Prayers During redeemed world. To struggle against it demands an equally radical transformation, National Crime in our own minds and hearts as well as in the structure of our society.” Victims’ Rights Week, The racially motivated violence against the April 18-24, 2021 Asian American and Pacific Islander community has reinforced the critical and moral imperative to stop the hate and end racism.