2nd Easter. Love conquers all fear
Love conquers all fear.
The resurrection signifies, makes real, God’s infinite love for us, for all. Those disciples, despite hearing from Mary Magdalene that the Lord had risen, still were scared.
They knew the Jewish leaders used the Romans to kill their leader, their friend; and feared they were next. Leaders had to get rid of this threat to their way of life, their way of understanding God, their way of power; this threat to the social order.
They knew the Jewish leaders used the Romans to kill their leader, their friend; and feared they were next. Leaders had to get rid of this threat to their way of life, their way of understanding God, their way of power; this threat to the social order.
So their fear kept them locked away. They would not go out and do great things.
And I wonder too, if they also were not a little fearful of Jesus? He is Risen, but they had fled him and Peter had denied him. He is Risen..but was he risen to accuse them? To Punish them? To take his Vengeance for their actions? They don’t know.
I bet all of us, if we pause for a moment and think, we will have those times in our lives when we really screwed up, made a big mistake…and we remain haunted by it. It plays again and again and again in our heads; and our inners just get all twisted and knotted. Maybe we trusted in someone who ended up breaking our hearts? Maybe we did the breaking of a heart? Maybe it was as simple as not showing up when we were supposed to; to help someone?
How could we be so stupid! How could we do such a thing! We beat ourselves and punish ourselves. It will even make us think twice about maybe taking a risk, so as to not make the mistake again, or get burned again. We can become inhibited by our fear, our grief.
Then here is this amazing scene.
Jesus breaks through the fears, the locked door. Jesus, the risen lord comes, not with recriminations, not with accusations, not with aggression, anger, vengeance, punishment…
Jesus comes in Peace; wholeness. He breathes on them the renewing, creating Spirit of God; the Love of God; the forgiveness of God; the mercy of God. They become renewed. This makes the change happen. Fear turns to joy. They start to already spread the good news. We read how they go to find their missing friend Thomas, because they want him to share in the good news. And Thomas too, has the same experience of Jesus’ forgiveness.
He will be changed. Our tradition says that he will go out all the way to India and share the good news to the people there; and we have in our diocese those spiritual descendants.
We receive the same Spirit, the same breath of life. It comes in Baptism, renewed in Confirmation. And we receive Each Week the Love of God, through the Risen Lord, in the bread and wine that become his living body and blood. Eucharist is thanksgiving for the very real of Love made visible for us.
Children this evening and then for the coming weeks will for the first time receive God’s very love, God’s very compassion, God’s mercy in the bread and wine, and they will make it part of their lives and bodies. Our hope is that this Sacrament makes real in their lives and our lives the wisdom to understand God; and to accept God’s forgiveness.
So that they do not have to be fearful of punishment by God; so that they remain firm in God’s love for them, need not fear any other human person who seeks to demean them; and also never seek to hurt another person as well.
We will all be scared, we will all make mistakes, we will all have regrets. This is part of the human condition.
What Jesus shows us is that we no longer need to be controlled by any of this. God breathes life into us, so that we can go forward and also do Great and Mighty Act! Like love others, forgive others, accept forgiveness, be generous, live humbly..
And much more.
And much more.
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