Reflection for the Third Week of Easter

Living with us this year at our Motherhouse is a Sister from Mainland China. In our frequent conversations about holy things, she often says, “God has been so good to me that I can’t afford to offend Him.” I am always deeply moved by such a succinct, heartfelt description of the love of God. Now I repeat it often to myself, especially when I’m tempted to be less than holy—when I lose my patience with another, or find it hard, as Henri Nouwen says, “to forgive someone for not being God.” Sometimes I expect people to be perfect, and when they aren’t I see myself in them, and as a way of excusing myself I can become judgmental of them. I bring this up today because in the Gospel reading for this Third Sunday of Easter (Luke 24:35-48) Jesus comes to the Upper Room on the day of His resurrection and finds the apostles frightened and incredulous even after having heard several accounts from people who had seen Him alive that day. It would make perfect sense for Jesus to be disappointed and even angry with them especially since He had told them He would rise after three days (not to mention their abandonment of Him during his suffering and death). But He was not. Rather He went out of His way to assure the apostles that it was really Himself. Let’s look at what Luke says about that first visit to His closest friends after His resurrection: They were…terrified, and thought they were seeing a ghost. He said to them, ‘Why are you troubled? … Look at my hands and my feet…Touch Me and see, because a ghost does not have flesh and bones as you can see I have…’. And He showed them His hands and His feet…. He asked them, ‘Have you anything here to eat?’ They gave Him a piece of baked fish and He took it and ate it in front of them.

It‘s amazing to see the ways He urges them to believe, as a father would try to convince a little child not to be afraid of the monster under the bed, or the scary thunder outside the nursery window.

This passage reminds us of the beautiful care he takes of each of us in our doubts and fears. He invites us to the Sacrament of Reconciliation (confession), and gives Himself completely, without reserve, in Holy Communion. He places people in our path who shine with the love of God and make us think of the Good God we knew as children. He sends us blessings when we least expect them. And He never, ever judges us. The Gospels are full of stories of His mercy to sinners and forgiveness to souls before they even ask Him for it, like Zaccheus up in the tree (Luke 19) and the prodigal son (Luke 15) rehearsing his confession then being interrupted by his dad who is running to meet him and welcomes him home to a feast in his honor!

If you can, read today’s Gospel with this Mercy in mind: If He could forgive His apostles for abandoning Him and for not believing His promise that He would rise from the dead, then He will surely forgive us our sins. And we can fall on our knees to say to Him, Lord, You have been so good to me, I can’t afford to offend You. But if I do, be a forgiving Father to me, as You always have been and always will be. I believe in Your love for me.

Have a blessed Third Week of Easter. As St. Augustine wrote,

“We are an Easter People, and Alleluia is our name.”