DAILY- HOMILY

MAY 1, 2011
2ND SUNDAY OF EASTER – A

Acts 2:42-47 / Ps 118:2-4, 13-15, 22-24 / 1 Pt 1:3-9 / Jn 20:19-31

ACTS 2:42-47
The whole community were faithful to the teaching of the apostles, the
common life of sharing, the breaking of bread and the prayers. A holy
fear came upon all the people, for many wonders and miraculous signs
were done by the apostles. Now all the believers lived together and
shared all their belongings. They would sell their property and all
they had and distribute the proceeds to others according to their
need. Each day they met together in the Temple area; they broke bread
in their homes; they shared their food with great joy and simplicity
of heart; they praised God and won the people's favor. And every day
the Lord added to their number those who were being saved.

1 PETER 1:3-9
Let us praise God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, for his great
mercy. In raising Jesus Christ from the dead he has given us new life
and a living hope. The inheritance which does not corrupt nor goes bad
nor passes away was reserved to you in heavens, since God's power
shall keep you faithful until salvation is revealed in the last days.
There is cause for joy, then, even though you may, for a time, have to
suffer many trials. Thus will your faith be tested, like gold in a
furnace. Gold, however, passes away but faith, worth so much more,
will bring you in the end praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ
appears. You have not yet seen him and yet you love him; even without
seeing him, you believe in him and experience a heavenly joy beyond
all words, for you are reaching the goal of your faith: the salvation
of your souls.

JOHN 20:19-31
On the evening of that day, the first day af ter the Sabbath, the
doors were locked where the disciples were, because of their fear of
the Jews, but Jesus came and stood in their midst. He said to them,
"Peace be with you"; then he showed them his hands and his side. The
disciples kept looking at the Lord and were full of joy. Again Jesus
said to them, "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send
you." After saying this he breathed on them and said to them, "Receive
the Holy Spirit; for those whose sins you forgive, they are forgiven;
for those whose sins you retain, they are retained." Thomas, the Twin,
one of the Twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. The other
disciples told him, "We have seen the Lord." But he replied, "Until I
have seen in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger in
the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe."
Eight days later, the disciples were inside again and Thomas was with
them. Despite the locked doors Jesus came and stood in their midst and
said, "Peace be with you." Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger
here and see my hands; stretch out your hand and put it into my side.
Resist no longer and be a believer." Thomas then said, "You are my
Lord and my God." Jesus replied, "You believe because you see me,
don't you? Happy are those who have not seen and believe." There were
many other signs that Jesus gave in the presence of his disciples, 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; believe and you will
have life through his Name.

REFLECTION
Today's Gospel is one of the most heartwarming post-resurrection
narratives. Jesus goes through locked doors and greets his friends,
"Peace be with you." It is clearly a message of reconciliation. Once
again, Jesus takes the initiative and offers his friendship to these
scared and confused friends. Rather than lambast and reprimand them
for their cowardly acts and mention the hurt that they have caused him
for abandoning him, he offers peace.

Jesus is telling them that he is willing to give them a chance; he is
not ready to give up on them. After all, they have been friends for
some time then. Amid their foibles and weaknesses, they were really
good people, ready to serve. Whatever happened in the past, Jesus was
willing to start anew.

The fact that Thomas was not present when Jesus appeared before the
apostles even highlights the reality that Jesus never gives up. Thomas
was given a second chance to personally encounter the risen Lord for
him to believe. In that special encounter, Jesus offered his peace and
his willingness to forgive Thomas for his weakness and lack of faith.

Meanwhile, what is striking and surprising in our risen Lord's meeting
with Thomas and the earlier appearance is, according to other Gospel
accounts, the willingness of Jesus to show his wounds. He seemingly
did not mind to show the marks on his hands and side. After all, these
were evidences of his unconditional love for us. He was willing to
bear these wounds and their pain as a reminder of his willingness to
offer his life for his beloved.

Such readiness to manifest brokenness is not readily true for us. None
of us are easily comfortable in sharing our weaknesses and failures.
We are afraid to present our vulnerabilities for these may be used to
our disadvantage. But when we think about it, we realize that it is
through our failures and frustrations that we are able to build our
character. We get to understand that such setbacks and weaknesses
challenge us to see what ex tent we are willing to go in order to
become better. This, then, might be where Jesus again tries to turn
our world upside down.

As evidenced in his many Gospel paradoxes like "The first shall be
last and the last shall be first" and "Those who exalt themselves
shall be humbled while those who humble themselves shall be exalted,"
Jesus seems to underscore that true power comes in our weakness. It is
only through such moments that we are able really to allow God to be
our God for we realize our total and utter dependence on Him.

PRAYER REQUESTS
We pray …
… for a deep and profound respect for life, especially for the
unborn.
… for the speedy recovery and healing of
- Ely Lara
- Bert Villacorta
- Rita P. Cuerva
- Amadeo Bonafe
- Vanna
… for the personal intentions of
- Titong V
- Veronica Yap
- Norma and Lou Gomez
- Valerie
… for the eternal repose of the souls of
- the tornado victims in Southeastern USA
Eternal rest grant unto them and may perpetual light shine upon them.
May they and all the dearly departed rest in peace.
… for all the prayer intentions in the MTQ Dailyprayer Diary.
- Birthday: Rev. Fr. Jojo Buenafe
- Birthday: Sis. Virginia Fabella
- Wedding Anniversary: William Joseph & Nightingale Keyes
- Wedding Anniversary: Andy & Vickey Tong
- Presbyterial Ordination Benjamin Y. Sim ,SJ
… for world peace and reconciliation.

Finally, we pray for one another, for those who have asked our prayers
and for those who need our prayers the most.

Have a good day!

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