In this weeks Gospel John 20:19-31 Jesus appears to the disciples. The disciples were in hiding after the crucifixion when Jesus appears and says “Peace be with you” Then he shows them his hands and side. Then he breathed on them and said “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone's sins, they are forgiven; if you retain anyone's sins, they are retained”
One of the disciples Thomas wasn’t there when Jesus first appeared. He didn’t believe. He needed to see for himself. 8 days later Jesus reappears and this time Thomas was there. Jesus shows Thomas all that he needed and tells him to believe. He also says “You believe because you can see me. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe.” This reading touched me in many ways. 1 being how Jesus made it clear that we as people can receive the Holy Spirit and forgive sin. The other being that Thomas a disciple still had doubts on whether or not Jesus actually appeared to the other disciples. This was another example that we will have doubt and question Jesus and it’s perfectly fine.
When Jesus told the Disciples to receive the Holy Spirit he also said that they had the power to forgive or retain sins. We as people have a choice to forgive or retain sin. Forgiveness of sin is an incredible power that we have been given. You can choice to free yourself and someone else of a wrongdoing by choosing to forgive them. Over the years I have found that when I forgive someone it actually frees me. When I can truly let go of the pain I’ve felt by someone else’s misdeeds I feel lighter. I feel refreshed. I feel free. I believe that this is the power that Jesus gave the disciples and us. He also gave us the power to retain. Unforgiving is the opposite of freedom. It’s the retaining of sin. It’s the holding on to the pain. It’s the carrying of a heavy burden. Yet, it’s also a choice. Have you had a hard time forgiving someone? Have you been retaining sin? Have you been trapping someone or even yourself in the past. Have you been trapped by sin and unable to move forward? What has that done for you? We have been given a special power from Jesus. The power is to move forward and forgive. That power allows us to be new. It allows us to see someone with new eyes. That’s the Holy Spirit at work. It makes the old new. It makes the dirty clean. Our work is simply believing. Like Thomas we will have moments of disbelief but that is part of the journey we each have as a Christian.
We all have our doubts. Doubts about the outcome of a particular situation. We have doubts about our ability to complete a task. Then there is the doubt in whether or not our relationship with Christ is “good” enough. Having doubts is part of who we are. Look at Thomas in the reading… he had doubt. He needed to see Jesus for himself. He needed his own proof. The word of the other disciples was not enough. I think most of us are like Thomas. Yes, we are called to believe Jesus, but I think we all meet him in our own way. In order for Thomas to believe he said he needed to see Jesus’s hands and side with his own eyes. Well, 8 days later… that’s exactly what Jesus showed Thomas. That was Jesus meeting Thomas’s need. (Jesus has a way of doing that.)
I believe that each one of us has a different and special relationship with Jesus. A relationship that is based on our needs and Jesus’s love. I think we can expect to have moments of doubt just like Thomas did. When life gets a little challenging do you wonder if Jesus is on your side? Do you question if Jesus will be there when you need him most? Like Jesus told Thomas we are called to believe. We are to Believe without seeing. “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe.” We may not have seen with our eyes but we do believe. We believe because at some point in each of our lives Jesus reveals himself to us. He shows us who he is and what he can do. Many of us assume that Jesus reveals himself in the dark moments or in the challenges of life. I think Jesus can reveal himself in any situation. The real question is whether or not we are looking for him. In my own life, I have found that Jesus is always pulling the strings. He is always managing the outcomes. The outcome may not be what I want but it always what I need. What I need to "see" Jesus. Do I have moment when I doubt ? Yes I do. Do I believe? Yes I do. We are called to believe all the time. Having doubts doesn’t make you any less of a Christian. It makes you human. We will doubt but Jesus will love. Always.
One of the disciples Thomas wasn’t there when Jesus first appeared. He didn’t believe. He needed to see for himself. 8 days later Jesus reappears and this time Thomas was there. Jesus shows Thomas all that he needed and tells him to believe. He also says “You believe because you can see me. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe.” This reading touched me in many ways. 1 being how Jesus made it clear that we as people can receive the Holy Spirit and forgive sin. The other being that Thomas a disciple still had doubts on whether or not Jesus actually appeared to the other disciples. This was another example that we will have doubt and question Jesus and it’s perfectly fine.
When Jesus told the Disciples to receive the Holy Spirit he also said that they had the power to forgive or retain sins. We as people have a choice to forgive or retain sin. Forgiveness of sin is an incredible power that we have been given. You can choice to free yourself and someone else of a wrongdoing by choosing to forgive them. Over the years I have found that when I forgive someone it actually frees me. When I can truly let go of the pain I’ve felt by someone else’s misdeeds I feel lighter. I feel refreshed. I feel free. I believe that this is the power that Jesus gave the disciples and us. He also gave us the power to retain. Unforgiving is the opposite of freedom. It’s the retaining of sin. It’s the holding on to the pain. It’s the carrying of a heavy burden. Yet, it’s also a choice. Have you had a hard time forgiving someone? Have you been retaining sin? Have you been trapping someone or even yourself in the past. Have you been trapped by sin and unable to move forward? What has that done for you? We have been given a special power from Jesus. The power is to move forward and forgive. That power allows us to be new. It allows us to see someone with new eyes. That’s the Holy Spirit at work. It makes the old new. It makes the dirty clean. Our work is simply believing. Like Thomas we will have moments of disbelief but that is part of the journey we each have as a Christian.
We all have our doubts. Doubts about the outcome of a particular situation. We have doubts about our ability to complete a task. Then there is the doubt in whether or not our relationship with Christ is “good” enough. Having doubts is part of who we are. Look at Thomas in the reading… he had doubt. He needed to see Jesus for himself. He needed his own proof. The word of the other disciples was not enough. I think most of us are like Thomas. Yes, we are called to believe Jesus, but I think we all meet him in our own way. In order for Thomas to believe he said he needed to see Jesus’s hands and side with his own eyes. Well, 8 days later… that’s exactly what Jesus showed Thomas. That was Jesus meeting Thomas’s need. (Jesus has a way of doing that.)
I believe that each one of us has a different and special relationship with Jesus. A relationship that is based on our needs and Jesus’s love. I think we can expect to have moments of doubt just like Thomas did. When life gets a little challenging do you wonder if Jesus is on your side? Do you question if Jesus will be there when you need him most? Like Jesus told Thomas we are called to believe. We are to Believe without seeing. “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe.” We may not have seen with our eyes but we do believe. We believe because at some point in each of our lives Jesus reveals himself to us. He shows us who he is and what he can do. Many of us assume that Jesus reveals himself in the dark moments or in the challenges of life. I think Jesus can reveal himself in any situation. The real question is whether or not we are looking for him. In my own life, I have found that Jesus is always pulling the strings. He is always managing the outcomes. The outcome may not be what I want but it always what I need. What I need to "see" Jesus. Do I have moment when I doubt ? Yes I do. Do I believe? Yes I do. We are called to believe all the time. Having doubts doesn’t make you any less of a Christian. It makes you human. We will doubt but Jesus will love. Always.
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