Divine Presence 4/23/06
by Fr.Gus Carter

Because of the resurrection of Jesus, Christianity is not a nostalgic religion that commemorates the past. It is a religion of the present that celebrates the certainty of Jesus living and personal presence among us. In the Gospel today Jesus passes into the room where the disciples are, even though the doors were locked. If Jesus were still in his physical body, he could not have passed through the walls or a closed door. Jesus shows his wounds to satisfy his disciples that he is the same friend who was crucified. Now he comes back with a spiritual existence that can pass through matter and dwell within the spirit of another person. The disciples experience of Jesus, risen from the dead, convinced them that now he could fulfill the promises made at the Last Supper. Jesus promised that those who believe in him: "may all be one, as you, Father, are in me and I in you." This is a unity of life and love. Such unity with God is possible to those who believe that Jesus is the Son of God and are willing, as Christ was, to do the Father's will. As a result of this presence, Jesus promised, "Peace I leave with you: my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid." A little later in the Supper Jesus said, "I have told you this so that my joy might be in you and your joy might be complete. "

Jesus Spirit, the Holy Spirit, the love of God personified, is given to us in baptism. Jesus resurrection allowed the full force of God's power and love to flow into him. He had emptied himself of his divine prerogatives so that he could live as an ordinary-seeming person among us. Jesus full union with the Father in the resurrection allowed that power and love to flow into us, his brothers and sisters.

Jesus interior life with God is made available to us through symbols that reveal that life to us. One of these symbols was the blood and water that flowed from Jesus side as he was crucified. Birth involves blood and water. The water coming from Jesus' side indicates that he shed the last drop of his blood in order to do God's will. In the Old Testament offering the whole animal was a holocaust. It symbolized giving one's whole self to God. The blood and water indicated Jesus wholehearted love for the Father. It was also a sign of the depths of Jesus' love for us. He gave everything he had to make known to us God's love for us. The whole Passion of Jesus is called the School of Sanctity wherein we come to realize with ever deepening awareness how much we are loved by our God. Meditating on the Passion of Jesus is one of the great ways to take possession of God's love for us. In the Mass we reenact the Passion of Jesus. We are given the opportunity at this time to offer ourselves with Jesus' offering himself to the Father.

Holy Communion gives us experience of God's nearness and availability. It is a wondrous time to communicate our love and needs to the Lord. The water flowing from Jesus' side is a symbol of our Baptism through which we reap the rewards of Jesus' offering for us. This is a sign also of our rebirth in Christ. We become a new creation.

Today's Gospel reminds us of God's love for us by calling our attention to God's urgent desire to forgive us our transgressions. The Sacrament of Reconciliation assures us of the Lord's love and care for us. In this sacrament we are reminded of a necessary ingredient for the peace and joy the Lord promised us. Jesus said to his disciples, "As the Father sent me, so I send you."

Jesus came to make peace among humans possible. It is in the power of the Spirit of God's love that we are able to forgive others. Through that same Spirit, we are empowered to be peacemakers. We are sent to give God's love freely to those in our lives. Particularly, the love we give in our families become experiences of divine love. We know that we have the same mission as Jesus, to bring God's love into wherever we are. In giving love to the people in our lives we come to share Christ's joy. In doing the Father will, we find order and harmony in living. We bring peace to ourselves and to those we encounter daily.