2nd Sunday of EASTER (ABC)

INTRO:

A prominent man died; a man who lived the “good life;” solid, moral, and trustworthy, a faithful husband and loving father. He had worked hard; his work ethic and professionalism were beyond reproach. When he died, he went to heaven where Saint Peter greeted him at the gates.

When the man asked if he could enter, Peter pulled out a sheet of paper. It was the man’s resume of his many accomplishments. Peter nodded approvingly as he scanned the sheet, clearly impressed by what he saw – but, then a frown settled on the saint’s face…….

Peter said… “I am puzzled by one thing …… There is no mention of your wounds here …. WHERE ARE YOUR WOUNDS?”

The man asked… “What do you mean, MY WOUNDS?”

Peter explained….

“Back down on earth we expect that you would be fighting for any cause or concern of injustice that the struggling people around you were experiencing.
And…
We expect that you had some pain and suffering along the way, doing that! We expect that you have WOUNDS!
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In today’s Gospel Jesus appears. Jesus shows his hands and side, the OBVIOUS WOUNDS he bore for all of humanity.

He invites Thomas to see how REAL THEY ARE.

So, we should ask ourselves, on this Second Sunday of Easter,
• “Where are my wounds, my nail marks.”
• “What hurt do I feel over others’ injustices.”
• “What crosses have I borne.”

In many ways Jesus says to us:
To have wounds is to live life with pain and suffering! This is not just a morose thing or a pessimistic thing!

The life of a CHRISTIAN means “dying for another.”

“There is no greater love than this, than to die for one’s friends.”

CONCLUSION

The CHURCH today needs the WOUNDED, those who will rally for social injustices of our times and accept pain and suffering as REDEMPTIVE.