Readings
for
Sunday, 30 April 2000
Low Sunday

Today's First Reading is from the Book of Acts, beginning at the 4th Chapter and the 32nd Verse:

        Now the company of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of the things which he possessed was his  own, but they had everything in common.  And with great power the apostles gave their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all.   There was not a needy person among them, for as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the proceeds of  what was sold and laid it at the apostles' feet; and distribution was made to each as any had need.

Today's Epistle is from the First Letter of John, beginning at the 5th Chapter and the 1st Verse:

        Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves the father loves his child as well.  This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out his commands.   This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome, for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith.   Who is it that overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.  This is the one who came by water and blood--Jesus Christ. He did not come by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth.

+ A Reading from the Gospel of John, beginning at the 20th Chapter and the 19th Verse:

        On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being shut where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, "Peace be with you."  When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord.  Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I send you."  And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit.  If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained."  Now Thomas, one of the twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came.  So the other disciples told him, "We have seen the Lord." But he said to them, "Unless I see in his hands the print of the nails, and place my finger in the mark of the nails, and place my hand in his side, I will not believe."   Eight days later, his disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. The doors were shut, but Jesus came and stood among them, and said, "Peace be with you."  Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side; do not be faithle  Jesus said to him, "Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe."  Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book;  but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in his name.
 

Sermon
for
Sunday, 30 April 2000
Low Sunday

        Today's First Reading, from the Book of the Acts of the Apostles, tells of the early Church's experiment in communal living.  It was indeed praiseworthy, and an example to us all, but not notably successful.  We see in Paul's Epistles, how he is always sending money to Jerusalem for the relief of the starving Saints there.
        Further experimentation, over the next 1800 or so years, revealed that the common life works well in the small -- up to a hundred or two people, and when the community can support itself agriculturally  (Benedictine houses in the Dark and Middle Ages, Amish/Mennonite communities nowadays.), or is supported by either outside contributions (modern monastic communities) or high-value services (Book copying then, computer programming now) provided by the monks.  Christianity is not an economic theory -- there is no royal road to heaven by communitarian life or thinking.

        In today's Gospel, we have the story of Doubting Thomas -- who would not beleive until he saw and touched the Lord.  Seeing, he no onger needed to touch, and said what we say in the Mass at the elevation of the Host after the Consecration: "My Lord and my God".  Jesus is indeed God, and "born of God", as St. Paul says in today's Epistle -- "begotten, not made" as the Creed says, "of one substance with the Father".
        Jesus is God -- God come into the world -- God made man, that God might reach out and bring His human children, and even the whole of the material world to himself.  "God so loved the world that He sent His only-begotten Son..." -- he calls on us to transform ourselves -- metanoia, in the Greek -- via prayer and loving him ("Thou shalt love the Lord thy God..."), and promises us the Grace to accomplish this, if we but reach out to him, and obey his commandmenst ("Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself").
        We are also called on to go out into the world, and transform it -- its structures, its governments, its outlooks.  When we lock ourselves away from the world, deny its reality, deny its value, as Gnostics and other heretics do, we abandon it an our fellows to chaos and the Devil -- and this is hardly loving our neighbor.  Saying: "Oh, not my business" is a profound abdication of Christian responsibility.
        At the Last Judgement, Christ will say: "I was hungry and you did not feed me..."  -- and will we be able to say" "Yes, Lord, I did -- every one who hungered, I fed, every one who sorrowed, I comforted -- as well as I was able."

    Let us pray then that we CAN make that reply. . .
 
  

        In the Name of
        The Father     +
        And of the Son
        And of the Holy Spirit
Amen.

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