The Church celebrates the glorious resurrection for 50 days from Resurrection Sunday (Paschal Sunday) until Pentecost Sunday. During this joyful period, we also commemorate the Ascension of the Lord on the 40th day from his Resurrection. With his Ascension, the Paschal Mystery of the incarnated Christ is consummated, as his Paschal Glory is accentuated with his death, resurrection, and ascension. For us to be in this Paschal celebration, we must have a conviction that the incarnated Christ in the human flesh of Jesus has been resurrected on the third day from his death. And this should not come easily, given how difficult it was for the disciples to fully convinced that Jesus was risen from the dead, as he had foretold.
Because Paschal Mystery was initiated by God’s love and
mercy for us by sending His only begotten Son to us (John 3:16-18), we must seek
risen Jesus where there is agape.
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Whether it was Mary Magdalene alone (John 20:1 ) or
with the other Mary (Matthew 28:1 ) or other women (Mark 16:1; Luke 24:1,10),
who came to Jesus’ tomb early in the morning of the resurrection day, being
told of the resurrection by an angel or two angels, none of these women,
including Mary Magdalene, seemed unconvinced. But when risen Jesus appeared in
person to Mary Magdalene and the other Mary (Matthew 28:9-10) or Mary Magdalene
alone (Mark 16:9; John 20:10-18), their grief, fear, doubt, and confusion
dissipated, as they were filled with Paschal joy. So, Mary Magdalene, alone or
with the other Mary or other women, they announced of the resurrection to the
rest of the disciples, but the eleven male disciples did not believe it (Mark
16:11) because it made no sense to them (Luke 24:11).
Because he is the Good Shepherd, who not only has laid
his life to save the sheep entrusted by the Father to his care (John 10:11-18)
but also who redeems a lost sheep back to his herd (e.g. Matthew 18:12-14), risen
Jesus did not leave these eleven disciples in grief and disbelief. So, he
appeared to them in their midst where they were hiding in a firmly locked room
in the evening of the day of his resurrection (John 20:19-23; cf. Luke 24:36-49).
Even after his death and resurrection,
Jesus remained to be among them (i.e. John 1:14) because he is, after all,
“Immanuel”(Emmanuel), which means, “God with us” (Matthew 1:23; Isaiah 7:14). Then, finally, they overjoyed for seeing
risen Jesus (John 20:20). However, this does not necessarily mean that they
really believed in the resurrection yet, as they could have been simply carried
over by joyful excitement (Luke 24:41a). So, risen Jesus had to demonstrate
that his risen body is real by eating fish and to open their minds so that they
could understand the Scriptures (Luke 24:41b-45).
None fully believed when being told of the resurrection
at the empty tomb by the angel(s) (i.e. Mark 16:8). None believed when being
told by the one(s) who heard from the angel(s) of the resurrection (Mark 16:11;
Luke 24:11). And Thomas did not believe when being told by those who had
encountered risen Jesus in his resurrected body, insisting that he himself had
to see the risen body of Jesus with his nail marks (John 20:25b).
So, did the disciples come to believe when they saw
risen Jesus in his body?
Mary did not recognize risen Jesus at first even though
he was risen Jesus until she heard him calling her by name (John 20:14-16). Cleopas
and the other disciple did not recognize risen Jesus even he, in his
resurrected flesh, was present, walking with them to Emmaus, until he broke the
bread (Luke 24:13-32). It was not just Thomas (John 20:24-28) but the rest of
the disciples, too, who were not convinced that Jesus was really risen until
they recognize the nail marks of his body (John 20:20). But even seeing risen
Jesus’ body with wound marks on his hands and feet, the disciples let their
amazement carried away believing for a while (Luke 24:26-41a). That is why
risen Jesus asked the disciples to offer him something to eat and ate fish in
front of them to help them become convinced of his resurrection (Luke
24:41b-43).
Going over these resurrection narratives across the four canonical Gospels, as read throughout Paschal Octave (Matt 28:1-10 (A); Mark 16:1-7 (B); Luke 24:1-12 (C)(Paschal Vigil); John 20:1-9 (Paschal Sunday); Luke 24:13-35 (Paschal Sunday Afternoon Mass); Matthew 28:8-15 (Monday); John 20:11-18 (Tuesday); Luke 24:13-15 (Wednesday); Luke 24:35-48 (Thursday); John 21:1-14 (Friday); Mark 16:9-15 (Saturday); John 20:19-31 (Paschal Octave Sunday), we realize how difficult it was for the disciples to fully recognize the resurrection with conviction. Prior to his passion into death, the disciples had heard directly from Jesus about his suffering, death, and resurrection, multiple times (e.g. Matthew 16:21; 17:22-23; 20:17-19). However, Jesus’ message on his suffering, death, and resurrection did not seem to register in the disciples due to their problematic faith and ignorance of the Scripture, as this is to fulfill the fourth servant song in Isaiah (52:13-53:12).
The disciples’ lack of faith, in addition to their
ignorance of the Scriptures, was a main factor of their blindness to the
resurrection, making it difficult for them to fully recognize this Paschal
Mystery truth. Because of this problem, they were not yet convinced of the
resurrection, even seeing the very body of risen Jesus. They had to see the
wound marks on his hands and had to see him eat fish to come to full terms with
the resurrection (Luke 24:36-49).
Jesus said to Thomas, “Have you come to believe
because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed”(John
20:29). Actually, this message is not just for Thomas but to all the disciples
from the time of Jesus’ resurrection to now. It means that these words of Jesus
are also for us.
Though God the Father sent His only begotten Son out
of His love for us (John 3:16), by incarnating him (John 1, 14) in Mary’s womb
by the power of the Holy Spirit (Luke 1:31-35), making him visible to us (Colossians
1:15). And in his visible body, the Father’s deity dwells (Colossians 2:9; cf.
1:19; cf. John 10:38; 14:10-11, 20; 17:21). This is why seeing Jesus also means
seeing the Father (John 14:9), though no one has seen Him, except the one who
is from Him (John 6:46). Therefore, Jesus is the way and the truth and the
life, through whom we have the access to the Father (John 14:6-7).
Are you more like Thomas and the rest of the
disciples, for not being able to believe in the resurrection of Jesus until or
unless you see him with his wound marks on his hands and feet? Will you not to believe the resurrection is
real unless you see him eating something?
Our faith – our belief – is not solely based on what
we see in our human eyes. This is why Jesus said that those who believe without
seeing are blessed (John 20:29), as it leads to the salvation of our souls,
filling us with an inexpressible and glorious Paschal Joy (i.e. 1 Peter 1:8-9).
We can see risen Jesus, and the Father through him, in the eyes of our faith.
So where and in what situation do you see risen Jesus?
How does your encounter with him change you?
We do believe that Jesus’ very flesh and blood are
present in the spices of bread and wine through transubstantiation upon
epiclesis during the Eucharistic Rite during Mass. But does the consecrated
host and wine look like Jesus’ body and blood to your human eyes? Not at all,
as they still look as unleavened bread and wine to our human eyes. But we
believe and know that the bread is the real body of Jesus and the wine is the
real blood of Jesus.
Yes, we encounter risen Jesus whenever we receive the
Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist (Matthew 26:26-29//Mark 14:22-25//Luke 22:14-20;
cf. John 6:32-58) and engage in the Word (John 1:1, 14) and the Holy Spirit
(John 14:16, 26; cf. 1 John 2:1; cf. John 4:18).
Because of our faith, with the Holy Spirit, the Spirit
of truth, another Parakletos, we see
risen Jesus in us and us in him, as he in the Father, though the faithless in
the world do not (John 14:16-19). Looking for risen Jesus elsewhere may be as
futile as search him in his tomb. As the Church is born out of us, upon
receiving the powerful Holy Spirit on Pentecost, in concluding Paschaltide, we
are to be the one body of Christ with many functioning parts (1 Corinthians
12:27) and the body’s head is Christ himself (Colossians 1:18). This way, we are one with him (John 14:10-11,
20; 17:23), as the branches are so with the vine, for what securely bonds us
with him is love (John 15:1-17). After all, he is our Emmanuel. So, he promises
to be with us always until the eschaton (Matthew
28:20).
Though this hymn is traditionally sung on Maundy
Thursday during Holy Week, “Ubi Caritas”
reminds us that risen Jesus is found where there is love, as God is love (1
John 4:8, 16), and we are bound with him with love (John 15:1-17).
Ubi caritas et amor, Deus ibi est.
Congregavit nos in unum Christi amor.
Exsultemus, et in ipso jucundemur.
God is found where charity and love are found. Love of
Christ has gathered us as one. Let us rejoice in him and be glad.
Our Paschal Joy comes with love, through which we encounter risen Jesus. And we are transformed to be the embodiment of love as we prepare to receive the Holy Spirit on Pentecost to conclude Paschaltide.
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