SECOND SUNDAY OF EASTER
APRIL 8 2018
Saint
John reminds us that Thomas is called “Didymus,” meaning that he has a twin
brother or sister. However, Saint John
is also reminding us that each one of us is a “twin” to Thomas. Like Thomas, we were not present when the
risen Lord broke through those locked doors on Easter Sunday. Like Thomas, we did not hear the words “peace
be with you,” nor did we see the wounds in his hands and side. That is why Jesus pronounces us “blessed”,
because we have not seen as Thomas eventually did, and we have not witnessed
the physical wounds on the transformed body of the risen Christ, as he
did. But we believe.
We are
blessed in another very unique way.
Today, one of the members of our parish, Father Christopher Brennan CSC,
is celebrating his Mass of Thanksgiving.
A year ago, he made a commitment to live as a vowed religious in the
Congregation of Holy Cross. He has
already dedicated himself to doing what the earliest disciples did in the Acts
of the Apostles: having everything in
common and bearing witness to the resurrection of Jesus Christ by teaching on
the authority of the Apostles.
Yesterday, he was ordained a priest and received the commission given by
the Risen Lord to the Apostles from Bishop Jenky, a successor of the Apostles.
Father
Chris, as a “twin” of Saint Thomas the Apostle, you have received the Lord’s
farewell gift of peace and given a generous share of the Holy Spirit, the
Advocate. During your priestly ministry,
you will minister many times to the wounds present in our world and in the Body
of Christ. In the name of the risen
Lord, you will heal the deep wounds caused by sins. You will administer the Sacrament of the
Anointing of the Sick to those who are wounded by any kind of sickness. You will release Catechumens from the scourge
of their sins when you baptize them. You
will prepare couples to enter into the many sacrifices involved in the
Sacrament of Matrimony. Having worked
with you for a year in this ministry, I am confident that you will prepare them
well. Most importantly, you will celebrate
the Eucharist, proclaiming the risen Lord’s mercy in your preaching of the Word
and making the Lord present in bread and wine.
You will administer the Eucharist often as food for the journey of many
people.
We do not
have to look far these days to recognize the many and deep wounds in our world
and in our Church. As a Church, we share in both its glories and its blemishes,
which is what unites us more than divide us. Touching these wounds, not turning
away in horror, you can help the people you serve to live out that shared agape
love that we hear in the first reading. Please
do not be afraid to touch those wounds, as Jesus often touched the wounds of so
many sick people, especially those excluded from society as lepers. Do not be afraid of your own wounds. Jesus never entrusted the Mysteries of the
Kingdom of God to perfect people. You
know your brother Holy Cross priests and me well enough to recognize our
weaknesses, our vulnerabilities, and our sins.
Do not allow your wounds to make you fearful.
All of us
are “twins” of Saint Thomas the Apostle.
We are truly blessed to believe without seeing and to recognize his
risen presence in so many wounds. We
truly are blessed to celebrate this Mass with you and show our support. You will be a good priest! You come from a parish founded by the
Congregation of Holy Cross. Blessed
Basil Moreau is looking down on you right now and telling you to serve with zeal “to make God known,
loved, and served, and thus save souls.”
Saint Andre Bessette is standing over there and smiling with pride at
you. The Mother of God and the Beloved
Disciple are standing on the anchor that is you wear around your neck. Trust the risen Lord to give you the strength
to proclaim the Good News of Salvation and bring healing to our wounded
world.
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