SECOND SUNDAY OF EASTER

Stay with me while we have a brief nature lesson.

Frogs have incredibly special skin.  Their skin is actually critical to their survival. They don’t just wear their skin; they drink and breathe through it.  Frogs don’t swallow water the way you and I do. Instead, they absorb water through their skin, which is why they stay close to water.  

Frogs shed their skin regularly to stay healthy.  Some shed weekly, while others shed daily. They rely on the art of camouflage to avoid predators by blending into their surroundings or even changing color to match their background.  Frogs have what we could call a super skin. 

What do you call scientists who study frogs?  Herpetologists. 

After listening to today’s gospel, I think the Risen Christ, in His glorified body, has a type of super skin because He was able to pass through the locked doors of the upper room.  How did Jesus get inside the locked room where the disciples were hiding, scared for their lives?  The Scriptures don’t tell us, so let’s just imagine it was because of His glorified body, complete with a super skin.

What is easy for us to imagine is the intense fear, terror and anxiety the disciples were feeling.  They were at risk because they had openly followed Jesus before He was condemned as a common criminal.  They assumed they were next in line to be executed, which is why they were hiding in the securely locked upper room. 

Perhaps their conversation went something like this:

“We wouldn’t be in this trouble if Judas hadn’t betrayed us,” whispered James.

John quickly responded in a muffled tone, “Get off it, James. We are all sometimes like Judas.  Each of us has been a coward and betrayed Jesus, except for Mary, of course,” as John gestured toward Mary, the mother of Jesus.

Mary quickly responded, “Judas, poor Judas, let us take some time and pray for him right now.  That is what Jesus would have us do.”  All of them bowed their heads and prayed for Judas.

The silence of their prayer was suddenly disrupted by a loud knock on the bolted door.  Peter immediately placed his finger on his lips and, with his other hand, signaled for quiet and calm. They all sat as still as stones, with their hearts pounding like bass drums.  They were too terrified to move and felt trapped.  Perhaps the Roman soldiers, or the Jewish leaders who had killed Jesus, had finally found them.

Then, inside their locked room, they heard a gentle voice they all recognized: “Peace be with you.”

The stale odor of the enclosed room was suddenly swallowed up by the fragrance of lilies. The darkened room was filled with the radiant light of a single candle.  The Risen Christ, the glorified Christ, greeted them again, “Peace be with you.”  

It was Mary Magdalene who broke the silence and joyfully exclaimed, “I told you! You see before you, at this very moment, what I saw in the garden.”

It was Peter who spontaneously ran to the Risen Christ, fell to his knees, and said, “Master, forgive me for denying you and running away at Calvary.” 

Nathaniel followed suit, “I too was fearful, Jesus.  Forgive me for being cowardly and leaving you.”

“My friends, my friends, Nathaniel and Peter, all of you, do not be imprisoned by your guilt, shame, shortcomings, weakness or sins.  Know that I love you.”  Then Jesus said it again, “Peace be with you.”  Only this time He added a directive. “As the Father has sent me, so I send you.”

Hopefully, everyone takes this instruction to heart. 

We are the faithful who Jesus refers to later in the gospel,  “Blessed are those who have not seen and believe.”  We accept that description of ourselves:  blessed because we have not seen, yet we believe.

Here is a story to illustrate that you can believe even when you cannot see what you believe in.

A teacher asked one of her students, “Tommy, do you see the tree outside?” 

“Yes,” Tommy replied. 

“Tommy, do you see the grass outside?”  Again, he replied, “Yes.” 

“Do you see the sky?” “Yes.”

“Do you see God in the sky?”  “No.” 

The teacher concluded, “That is my point, class.  He can’t see God because God doesn’t exist.”

Then another student raised his hand. “Mrs. Jones, may I ask Tommy a few questions too?” 

“Tommy, do you see the tree outside?”  “Yes.”  “

Tommy, do you see the grass outside?”  “Yes.” 

“Do you see Mrs. Jones?” “Yes.” 

“Do you see her brain?” “No.” 

“Then, according to what we learned today, she doesn’t have one.” 

“Blessed are those who have not seen and believe.”  Easter Faith is believing without seeing or totally understanding.  We need to see ourselves as blessed, not simply because of the many physical comforts we have, but because “Blessed are those who have not seen and believe.”

Frogs have super skin, which helps them breathe. We have a super faith, which calls us to believe and to joyfully share our faith with everyone we meet.