We Must Believe To Be Able To See (2021, edition)

                                                                

Author: Antoni BigCuore *

Date: 4/19/2020 (edited 11.04.2021)

Time: 09:18 hrs. Sunday

Location: São Paulo, SP.

Gospel - John 20: 19-31

Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah.

You believed, Thomas, because you saw me. Happy are those who believed without having seen! (Jn 20, 19-31)

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Proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ according to John.

20 19 In the afternoon of the same day, which was the first of the week, the disciples had closed the doors of the place where they were, for fear of the Jews. Jesus came and stood among them. He said to them: "Peace be with you"!

20 That said, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were glad to see the Lord.

21 He said to them again, "Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, so I also send you."

22 After these words, he blew on them saying to them: "Receive the Holy Spirit.

23 Those to whom you forgive your sins, they will be forgiven; to whomever you retain them, they will be retained ".

24 Thomas, one of the Twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came.

25 The other disciples said to him, "We have seen the Lord." But he replied to them: "If I do not see the nails in your hands, and do not put my finger in the place of the nails, and do not put my hand in your side, I will not believe it!"

26 Eight days later, his disciples were again in the same place and Thomas was with them. When the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said:

 "May the peace be with you"!

27 Then he said to Thomas, "Insert your finger here, and see my hands. Put your hand on my side. Don't be an unbeliever, but a man of faith."

28 Thomas replied, "My Lord and my God!"

29 Jesus said to him, "You believed because you saw me. Happy are those who believe without having seen!"

30 Jesus did, in the presence of his disciples, many other miracles that are not written in this book.

31 But these were written, that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that, believing, you may have life in his name.

Word of Salvation.

 A.BIGCUORE´S REFLECTION. All the readings of today are beautiful, in which the Holy Church celebrates, THE DAY OF DIVINE MERCY !.

We highlight the following words, from the Gospel above, to nourish our reflection: PEACE BE WITH YOU; JESUS ​​BLOWED ABOUT THEM SAYING, I RECEIVED THE HOLY SPIRIT; MY LORD IS MY GOD!. DON'T BE AWESOME BUT FAITHFUL.

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First, we understand that the peace of Jesus is very different from the peace of the world. World peace is just a certain interior, ephemeral and volatile homeostasis; the peace that Jesus offers us is a kind of “Shalom” of the Jews. It brings with it the sense of FULLNESS!

The peace of Jesus is that which comes from the Divine Holy Spirit; it is the peace inoculated in our soul when we receive holy Baptism; it is full peace. With him, we receive the 7 gifts of the Holy Spirit and its 12 fruits, which the Catechism of the Catholic Church speaks so well to us.

When Jesus blows on the Disciples, they are, in fact, being baptized in the Holy Spirit. The Master gives them the power to administer the seven Sacraments to his followers. Jesus gives them the POWER TO FORGIVE SINS! (“Whatever you connect on earth will be connected in heaven; what you turn OFF on earth will be disconnected in heaven). (This is where the Sacrament of Confession is born, which, unfortunately, our evangelical brothers do not understand!).

In Matthew, 16, 19-20, Jesus says to Peter: “YOU ARE PETER AND ON THIS ROCK I WILL BUILD MY CHURCH AND THE GATES OF HELL, THEY WILL NEVER BE ABLE TO WIN IT. WHAT YOU CONNECT ON EARTH WILL BE CONNECTED IN CEUS. WHAT YOU TURN OFF ON EARTH WILL BE TURNED OFF IN CEUS ”.

In this passage we can deduce that the Master "passes the power of attorney" to Peter, to command his Holy Church of Jesus, which later assumed the denomination of Catholic, Apostolic and Roman. (Catholic means universal; apostolic because it was founded on the apostles and Roman because it is commanded by the Pope, whose seat is in Rome, Italy).

“My Lord and my God,” says Thomas, the unbeliever. Even today, there are millions of Thomas on the face of the earth. The Master warns him: HAPPY WHAT THEY BELIEVE, WITHOUT EVER HAVE SEEN!

Faith is a process. It evolves as we immerse ourselves in the things of God. WE MUST BELIEVE AFTER SEE !. When we believe, we are already halfway there.

The first step is to believe, to trust in everything that Master Jesus, bequeathed us. And his inheritance, it is narrated in the Holy Gospels. Therefore, it is of utmost importance to study the Sacred Scriptures in order to understand the Christian faith.

In times of pandemic, people are scared, afraid of the end of the world. Everything will pass, but we need to CONVERT, return to God. Humanity was walking in the wrong direction.

I understand that God gave humanity a “tug of an ear” to see if it converts and goes back to the things of the Kingdom of God.

May the BLESSING of God +, rich in mercy, descend on you and your whole family ...