DAILY- HOMILY

Acts 4:32-35 / 1 Jn 5:1-6 / Jn 20:19-31, White

ACTS 4:32-35
The whole community of believers was one in heart and mind. No one
claimed private ownership of any possessions, but rather they shared
all things in common. With great power the apostles bore witness to
the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, for all of them were living in an
exceptional time of grace. There was no needy person among them, for
those who owned land or houses, sold them and brought the proceeds of
the sale. And they laid it at the feet of the apostles who distributed
it according to each one's need.

1 JOHN 5:1-6
All those who believe that Jesus is the Anointed, are born of God;
whoever loves the Father, loves the Son. How may we know that we love
the children of God? If we love God and fulfill his commands, for
God's love requires us to keep his commands. In fact, his commandments
are not a burden because all those born of God overcome the world. And
the victory which overcomes the world is our faith. Who has overcome
the world? The one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God. Jesus
Christ was acknowledged through water, but also through blood. Not
only water but water and blood. And the Spirit, too, witnesses to him
for the Spirit is truth.

JOHN 20:19-31
On the evening of that day, the first day after the Sabbath, the doors
were locked where the disciples were, because of their fear of the
Jews. But Jesus came, and stood among them, and 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! Those whose sins you forgive, they are
forgiven; 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. Don't be an unbeliever! Believe!" 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 yet have come to
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
An epitaph is a text honoring the deceased, most commonly inscribed
on a tombstone. Many are quotes from holy texts like the Bible. In
Manila's North Cemetery, a funny but striking epitaph of an unknown
tomb says it all: Juan dela Cruz "Ako Ngayon… Bukas Ikaw" (My turn
today, your turn tomorrow).

An epitaph is a reminder of our own mortality. When Jesus died on the
cross, the disciples, except John, hid themselves for fear of being
arrested and killed. Fear, frustration, and uncertainty of their
future overwhelmed the disciples, but they stood together. Then one
evening, Jesus suddenly stood among them and said, "Peace be with
you," and immediately showed his wounded hands and side. At first
glance, the showing of wounded hands and side seems to contradict the
greeting of peace; but it is actually an offering of consolation,
encouragement, and hope to the disheartened disciples. Jesus knew what
was within the hearts of the disciples – great fear. As a consoler,
Jesus consoled them in words ("Peace be with you") and in action ("He
showed them his hands and side"). His greeting of peace was intimately
connected to his wounds. His wounds speak of peace!

The best consoler is the one who already experienced difficulty.
Encouragement from a cancer survivor or cancer patient is more
consoling than that of a priest. Words of forgiveness from a father
whose son was brutally murdered may move our hearts to forgive. A
scripture professor may impress us with his in-depth knowledge of the
Bible but a very profound sharing that comes from the heart may bring
us closer to God. The deepest and truest consolation will always come
from somebody who has been there already.

This is the reason why Jesus showed his hands and side to his
disciples. Besides telling them that he is alive, by showing his
wounds, Jesus wanted them to see the marks of cruelty, pain, hate, and
torture that he endured. The risen Christ was wounded, suffered, and
was crucified, and yet he survived. Yes, he died on the cross… but now
he is alive! The Father vindicated Jesus by raising him from the dead.
Thus, the wounds of Jesus became the signs of hope and strength, bound
intimately to his words of peace. "I will carry my cross and claim my
own resurrection."

The greeting of Jesus, "Peace be with you," is a forceful command for
the disciples, encouraging them back to life, to hope, to be available
to him and the world again. His greeting of peace and revelation of
his wounds call us not to run, not to hide, not to fear anymore, not
to do a disappearing act; but rather to face the world with courage
and spread the Good News. The empty tomb becomes the womb of our hope
– Jesus defeated death and has risen. Go now! Claim Jesus' victory
over death, you are an empowered Easter child!

A good epitaph speaks to us and warns us of our own mortality, but the
epitaph of Jesus in his empty tomb will remind us of our own
immortality.

PRAYER REQUESTS
We pray …
… for a deep and profound respect for life, especially for the
unborn.
… for the speedy recovery and healing of
- Chief Samrose Anyaugo
- Cherie Torres
- Josefa Ortiz, Rowena L. Yap, Renan Lacida
- Nathan Bowe
… for the personal intentions of
- Dr Ugonna Anyaugo, Ogechi Anyaugo, Barr &Barr Mrs Obinna Okoronkwo,
Ifeanyi Matts Anyaugo, Chuba Osy Anyaugo,Cordelia Anyaugo
- Veronica Yap
… for all the prayer intentions in the MTQ Dailyprayer Diary.
- Birthday: Maribel Fabella
… for families who are in need of healing
… 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!

**************************************************

These reflections are distributed free and are for personal use only.
Feel free to send the Daily Prayer reflections to your friends,
colleagues and relatives; however, if you do, please include the
following:

+================================================+
| The Daily Prayer, a service and an apostolate of the
| priests, laity and friends of Mary the Queen Parish
| http://www.marythequeen.org
| Distributed free and for personal use only.
+================================================+

--
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GoogleGroup Address: http://groups.google.com/group/daily_homily
To subscribe from this free mailing service, send email to: dailyhomily@earthlink.net
To unsubscribe: daily_homily-unsubscribe@googlegroups.com

© 2012 Daily-Homily

# posted by F O O D F O R T H O U G H T @ 5:15 AM