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2nd Sunday of Easter – Year A

甲年，复活期第二主日

Fr. Jijo Kandamkulathy CMF

甘天霖神父

Gospel: John 20:19-31（若望福音20：19-31）

On the evening of that first day of the week, when the doors were locked, where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, "Peace be with you." When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side.  The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. (Jesus) said to them again, "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you." And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, "Receive the holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained." Thomas, called Didymus, one of the Twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples said to him, "We have seen the Lord." But he said to them, "Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands and put my finger into the nailmarks and put my hand into his side, I will not believe." Now a week later his disciples were again inside and Thomas was with them. Jesus came, although the doors were locked, and stood in their midst and said, "Peace be with you." Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here and see my hands, and bring your hand and put it into my side, and do not be unbelieving, but believe." Thomas answered and said to him, "My Lord and my God!"

Jesus said to him, "Have you come to believe because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed." Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of (his) disciples that are not written in this book. But these are written that you may (come to) believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through this belief you may have life in his name.

Homily：They Rejoice in Seeing the Lord

The doubt of Thomas in today’s gospel is proverbial. However, a closer reading of the gospels depict that all the disciples doubted, not only poor Thomas. But why does John focus on Thomas? John is writing to the third generation Christians, people who have not seen the Lord Jesus. Many of them do not even know any of the apostles. They find it hard to believe; they are struggling in the midst of many doubts; they would like to see, touch, and verify if the Lord is truly risen.

To them, Mark, Luke, and Matthew respond by saying that all the apostles had hesitations. The answer of John is different: he takes Thomas as a symbol of the difficulty that every Christian who comes to believe encounters. It is hard to know the reason why he chose this apostle; perhaps, because he had more difficulty, or it took him more time than others to have faith.

What John wants to teach the Christians of his communities (and us) is that the Risen One has a life that escapes our senses, a life that cannot be touched with bare hands, or seen with the eyes. It can only be achieved through faith. This also applies to the apostles, who also have had a unique experience of the Risen Lord.

The end of the passage presents the reason why John wrote his book. His gospel is a sign for people to believe in the person of Christ. John calls the miracles signs. Jesus did not perform them to impress whoever was there. He even had words of condemnation against anyone who did not believe unless he saw miracles (Jn 4:48). The signs are not pieces of evidence but revelations about the person, nature, and mission of Jesus. Whoever reads his book and understands these signs clearly confronts the person of Jesus and is invited to make a choice. The Gospel is the ultimate proof.

But where can one listen to this gospel? Where does this word echo? Is it possible to repeat today the apostles’ experience on Easter day and “eight days later”? How? We definitely have noticed that both apparitions take place on Sunday. The Lord presents himself with the same words, “Peace be with you.” The disciples are gathered in the house. The meeting to which John alludes is clearly that which happens on the day of the Lord. It’s the one in which every eighth day the whole community is called to celebrate the Eucharist. When all the believers are gathered together, there appears the Risen One. He, by the mouth of the celebrant, greets the disciples, as on the evening of Easter, and eight days later, “Peace be with you.”

Disciples who desert the meetings of the community, like Thomas, cannot have the experience of the Risen Lord who makes himself present where the community is gathered. Contrary to what one sees depicted in the paintings of artists, not even Thomas had put his hands into the wounds of the Lord. From the text, it does not appear that he had touched the Risen One. But he made his profession of faith after hearing the voice of the Risen One with his brothers and sisters in the community. The ability to have this experience is offered to Christians of all times… every eight days.

证道：他们看到主，非常喜乐

在今日的福音中，多默的怀疑是众所周知的。然而，当我们更进一步阅读福音的描述时，会发现并不仅仅是可怜的多默，而是所有的宗徒都在怀疑。不过，为何若望关注于多默呢？若望是写给第三代的基督徒，而他们未曾看见过主耶稣。他们中很多人甚至对宗徒们一无所知。他们发现很难相信，并在很多疑惑中挣扎着；他们想要看见、触碰和证实上主确实是复活了。

为他们来说，马尔谷、路加和玛窦在福音中所回应的是所有宗徒都犹豫不决。若望的回答则有所不同：他把多默作为每个相信的基督徒都会遇到困难的一个象征。很难知道若望选择多默的原因，或许是因为他比其他人有更多困难，或者是他比其他人花费了更多时间才有了信德。

若望想要告诉他所在的基督徒团体（以及我们）的是：复活的那一位有一种我们无法感知的生命，一种无法徒手触摸或用眼睛看到的生命，只能通过信德才能接受。这同样适用于宗徒们，他们也有了与复活的主相遇的独特经历。

这段福音的结尾介绍了若望写这部福音的原因。他的福音是一个标记，为的是那些相信基督此人的信众。若望使用神迹的标记。耶稣没有为了给当时在场的人留下深刻印象，而更好地展现神迹。耶稣甚至有话谴责那些除非看到奇迹就不相信的人（若4：48）。这些标记并不是证据的部分，而是关于人、自然和耶稣使命的启示。那些阅读若望著作，并清晰明白这些标记而面对耶稣这个人的信众，是被邀请做出一个抉择。福音是最终根本的证明。

那么，我们在哪里可以听到这福音呢？对这话的回响在哪里呢？今日是否有可能重复宗徒们在复活那天和“八天后”的经历呢？怎么实现呢？我们肯定已经注意到了两次显现都发生在主日。主耶稣用同样的话语显示他自己：“愿你们平安”。宗徒们在房间里聚会。若望暗指的聚会，显然是在主的日子才会发生的事情。这是每个第八天，整个团体都被召聚在一起庆祝感恩祭的日子。当所有信众都聚在一起的时候，复活的那一位在那里显现了。他用主礼的语气向宗徒们问候，如同在复活那晚和“八天后”一样：“愿你们平安”。

离开团体聚会的宗徒们，例如多默，就不能拥有与复活主相遇的经验，因为主使自己临在于团体聚会的地方。与人们在艺术家的画作中所描绘的相反，多默也没有把自己的手伸入主的伤处。从经文来看，并未呈现出他已经触碰复活那位的描写。不过，他在听到复活那一位的话之后，在团体中向兄弟姐妹公开表明了自己的信德。在每个“第八天”，任何时代的基督徒都被赋予了拥有这份经历的能力。