Surrexit Christus Alleluia!
 

Second Sunday of Easter : Reading cycle Year B
† 30th April 2000
Cycle of Prayer: New Members of the Church.

First Reading from the Acts of the Apostles 4 : 32 - 35
The ideal Christian community is characterised by fidelity to the teaching of the Apostles, the fellowship - koinonia , the Eucharist and prayer. The ‘koinonia’ is seen in practice, when the Christian community cares for the needy, the sick and the poor. “The whole group of believers was united, in heart and soul...”, surely a reminder to all the disciples of Jesus to concentrate on their essential unity in Christ. The desire for unity in the Christian community is strong, but much needs to be done to recapture the spirit of the early Christians and to rediscover their enthusiasm, and to “testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus with great power.”

Second Reading from First Letter of John 5 : 1 - 6
Faith gives us victory over the world. Our personal acceptance of Jesus as Christ, when joined with practical fidelity to what he has commanded, ensures our victory. A typical Johannine thought about the close relationship between ‘faith’ and ‘love’ in the life of the Christian disciple. “The Spirit is another witness, the Spirit is the truth,” so we can be sure we love God’s children if we love God, and do what God commands us.

Gospel according to John 20 : 19 - 31
The final section in this gospel passage defines its purpose which is to deepen the faith of the Christian disciples in the reality of Jesus being the Christ, the Son of God. The elements are the bestowal of mission upon the apostles, that having seen the mark of the nails, having seen the crucified Jesus now alive risen among them, the disciples are the witnesses sent to bring healing and forgiveness to the world. The evangelist goes to some length to show that the bodily resurrection of Jesus, is a reality. Thus although Jesus appears through locked doors suddenly, there is still place for Thomas to put his finger in the marks the nails made. Clearly personal faith in the risen Lord, is central to the mission of taking this Good News to the world, and through the work of healing and forgiveness, the gift of peace is given.