Thursday in the Octave of Easter
During this octave of Easter, the scripture readings show Jesus revealing Himself in very concrete ways. He invites His disciples to touch His wounds and share their food with Him to help convince them that His is not a ghost. These stories remind us as Jesus’ disciples that the Divine is revealed within the details of creation. We are invited to “touch” and “see” just like the apostles, so we can also come to know and believe in the Risen Christ.
Today’s gospel passage recounts the story of Jesus suddenly standing in their midst in a closed upper room. Both terrified and confused, they are not sure who or what is standing in their midst. Jesus shares His peace and shows His hands and feet as a sign to indicate that it is indeed Him. He invites them to “touch” and “see” so they know that He is not a ghost, but Jesus resurrected. Through eating a baked fish, his changed body demonstrates that He has overcome death and now lives. By highlighting the scriptures, Jesus is able to open the disciples’ minds to the story of salvation that has been brought to fullness through Jesus’ death and resurrection. Jesus has overcome death, and God’s love and new life are promised eternally. Jesus then reminds His followers that they are witnesses to all of this, and they are sent forth to share this Good News to all the nations.
As I reflect on this situation, I imagine how shocking it must have been to be in the room when Jesus appears. Having no previous experience with resurrection, it is easy to believe that the disciples were afraid and wondering exactly who/ what this entity was in their midst. Jesus not only reassures them, but He goes to great lengths to convince them that He has flesh. Why is this so important for Jesus to demonstrate? I wonder if Jesus had appeared as a spirit or apparition, it would have been much easier for the disciples to discount His presence. As humans, who we are and what we believe are based on our senses- what we touch, see, hear and taste. Jesus realizes that the disciples will be able to appreciate His resurrected presence in a deeper way through these human faculties. These touches, smells, tastes, sounds and sights provide the details that help the disciples grow in faith. As their belief grows, they can be sent forth as witnesses to share what they have come to know through their bodies. Those details then become vehicles for them to share and proclaim God’s love through Jesus.
If God reveals the resurrected Christ in the details, what does this mean for us living today? We do not have an “upper room” experiences where we can touch and see Jesus in our midst the same way as the disciples. We can, however, find Christ in the details of our daily lives. The spirituality of finding God in all things is a concept that St. Ignatius of Loyola shares as way to grow in faith. Unfortunately, we neglect the minute expressions of God all around us, since either we are too distracted, or we don’t believe that God can be present in these small details of life. The other day as I looked out my kitchen window, I saw a robin drinking the droplets of water that had collected on the top part of our air-conditioner. The bird stopped and looked up, and then continued to move slowly drinking drop to drop. In that moment, I felt a deep presence of God- His love, peace, and joy. In the sight of this small bird, I was reminded that God cares even for the sparrows (or robins) and provides for the needs of all creatures. In the tiny details of this encounter, God provided me with an experience through my sight that deepened my faith and awareness that God is always present, even in the most mundane details of our lives.
As we continue to celebrate this Easter season, I invite you to consider the many opportunities within your day to find Christ. This search may be aided by several practices- slow down (this is something I know is difficult for me), increase your awareness, remove distractions (e.g. technology), and prayerfully ask for God’s grace to allow the Divine to be revealed. Just as Jesus asked the disciples to reach out and “touch” and “see”, we are being invited to come to know Christ in the details of our lives, so our deepening faith can be a witness for others.
May our experiences of the Risen Christ among us give us peace, joy and hope as we proclaim, “Alleluia- He is alive!”
—Marylynn Herchline