I Send You

I Send You

Second Sunday of Easter (Or Sunday of Divine Mercy)

Reading 1                                                              ACTS 4:32-35

The community of believers was of one heart and mind, and no one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they had everything in common. With great power, the apostles bore witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great favor was accorded them all. There was no needy person among them, for those who owned property or houses would sell them, bring the proceeds of the sale, and put them at the feet of the apostles, and they were distributed to each according to need.

Reading 2                                                                   1 JN 5:1-5

Beloved: Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is begotten by God, and everyone who loves the Father loves also the one begotten by him. In this way, we know that we love the children of God when we love God and obey his commandments. For the love of God is this, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome, for whoever is begotten by God conquers the world. And the victory that conquers the world is our faith. Who indeed is the victor over the world but the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?

Gospel                                                                     JN 20:19-31

On the evening of that first day of the week, when the doors were locked, where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, "Peace be with you." When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you." And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained."

Piety
My life goes on in endless song
Above earth's lamentations, 
I hear the real, though far-off hymn
That hails a new creation.

Through all the tumult and the strife
I hear it's music ringing, 
It sounds an echo in my soul.
How can I keep from singing?

Study

Jesus must have been concerned that the disciples might forget what he needed them to do in the world.  When he appears to them throughout the Easter season, there is no small talk.  He appears in very dramatic fashion and delivers a very pointed message and mission.

There are three commandments delivered on Divine Mercy Sunday.

• Peace be with you.
• Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.
• Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained.

Anything important and worth saying is worth repeating.  Jesus duplicates his wish that the disciples have peace of mind, body, and soul.  He knows how worried they are since the trial and execution of God’s Friday.  But if they (and we) are to get about the broader mission of the church, they (and we) have to get over those fears and have the gumption needed to tackle the larger commandments of the day.

First, Jesus gives them his own mission.  They have the bring the Light of Christ to the darkness of the world.  Then, he gives them the gifts of the Holy Spirit.  We witness the first Confirmation Ceremony as we get a preview of the Pentecost when the Holy Spirit will bring the gifts that will equip the disciples for the mission in the world.  

Action

The Men’s 118^th Cursillo “ended” on Divine Mercy Sunday in 2009.  Whether you were on that weekend or another of more than 185 different weekends in Arlington Diocese over the past 50 years, you were like the disciples in the Upper Room as the weekend started to break open into your Fourth Day:   unsure and unsecure of what comes next.

Like Easter, the weekend experience is only the first step toward a lifetime of growth and Total Security.  What we do with the toolbox collected outside the tomb or on the weekend experience can positively shape your lives when we leave Missionhurst, San Damiano, St. Joseph’s, or any other location to lead life with a renewed sense of the friendship with Jesus so we can fully rely on God.

The weekend portion of Cursillo covers a lot of ground theologically and spiritually.  Like the disciples locked in the Upper Room, we have to put this together and consider how this program will help us break out of our comfort zone as we go back to our family, work and other environments.

We have many sources of apparent security.  We have Social Security.  We have Homeland Security.  We have a National Security Agency. We have personal security, transportation security, data security, food security, and financial security.   Yet for all the focus on security, we seem to remain pretty…unsecure. #ifyouseesomethingsaysomething

Take to heart Jesus’ words today and apply them to the sense of security you need in your Fourth Day.

As the Father sent Jesus, so Jesus send us into the world.  But we are not sent empty-handed.  Like the gift to the disciples, we go with the Holy Spirit and the Divine Mercy of the Lord. If you see something, say something!

Pour your heart into the active ministry you are called to perform. What is your Easter action? Faith is the Victory over the world.  With Faith, we have the tools to rise above Earth’s lamentations and insecurity to celebrate a new creation in endless song.