"Peace be with you." 

 

 

19When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you." 20After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. 21Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you." 22When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit. 23If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained."

24But Thomas (who was called the Twin), one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. 25So the other disciples told him, "We have seen the Lord." But he said to them, "Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe."

26A week later his disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were shut, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you." 27Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe." 28Thomas answered him, "My Lord and my God!" 29Jesus said to him, "Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe."

30Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book. 31But these are written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name.

John 20: 19-31

 

The Doubting Thomas

The Apostle Saint Thomas when he sees the Risen Jesus

FERREIRA, Ruben

Present day

 

https://rubenelferreira.wixsite.com/rubenfinearts/sacred-art?lightbox=dataItem-jftnhzng

 

About Ruben:  https://rubenelferreira.wixsite.com/rubenfinearts/blank-mpvle

 

 

 

 

 

Faith is to believe what we do not see

and the reward of this faith

is to see what we believe.

~ St. Augustine

 

 

 

Faith consists in believing when

it is beyond the power of reason to believe.

~ Voltaire

 

 

 

 

 

Easter Sunday - 2022

Several of us gathered at Mother Cabrini Shrine in the morning.

 

Rev. Kimra Perkins led us in prayer and communion and inspiration

before everyone else (not I) climbed the 300+ steps to the statue of Mother Cabrini 

and came back down to pray and light a candle in the chapel.

 

Then we had Brunch at Kimra and Randy’s home.

(Kimra in pink, Randy in back on the right)

 

Gorgeous view!

 

My contribution to Brunch … Mother’s yearly Easter Bunnies.

 

The Hat contest.

 

Casey Sacks

It was wonderful to see Casey back visiting

from West Virginia where she is the President of West Virginia’s

Bridge Valley Community & Technical College.

 

Soap bubble time.

Bill and Dr. Marsha Manning

Bill, you are supposed to do it outside!

 

Friday morning Rotary

Russell Hammond, Sondra Kellogg

 

Alas!  Our show at the Arvada Center for tomorrow was cancelled because so many

cast and crew members have Covid.

 

Gorgeous day today!

Snow tomorrow.

 

 

 

To one who has faith,

no explanation is necessary.

To one without faith,

no explanation is possible.

~ Thomas Aquinas

 

 

 

 

 

April 24, 2022  Second Sunday of Easter - Year C

 

Previous OPQs may be found at:

     http://www.dotjack.com/opq.htm

 

4John to the seven churches that are in Asia:

Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne, 5and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth.

To him who loves us and freed us from our sins by his blood, 6and made us to be a kingdom, priests serving his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

7Look! He is coming with the clouds;

every eye will see him,

even those who pierced him;

and on his account all the tribes of the earth will wail.

So it is to be. Amen.

8"I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.

Revelation 1:4-8

 

 

Agnus Day, by James Wetzstein

Agnus Day appears with the permission of www.agnusday.org

 

 

Cupolas of the Church of the Deposition of the Robe

Masters of Pskov

1484 - 1849

Moscow

Russia

 

In the first chapter of Revelation, the author writes of the "seven churches of Asia." Covering vast stretches of the world, "Asia" today encompasses many Christian church traditions across time. This beautiful church, on Cathedral Square in the Kremlin in Moscow, has a name unusual to western Christians. It honors Mary, the mother of Jesus, marking a miraculous act performed by her robe in 860. 

https://diglib.library.vanderbilt.edu//diglib-fulldisplay.pl?SID=2019042761329228&code=ACT&RC=54328&Row=13

 

 

color_white_1.jpg

 

 

Acts 5:27–32 

Psalm 118:14–29 or Psalm 150 

Revelation 1:4–8 

John 20:19–31

 

THE WORD:

Scene 1 takes place on Easter night.  The terrified disciples are huddled together, realizing that they are marked men because of their association with the criminal Jesus.  The Risen Jesus appears in their midst with his greeting of “peace.”  John clearly has the Genesis story in mind when the evangelist describes Jesus as “breathing” the Holy Spirit on his disciples:  Just as God created man and woman by breathing life into them (Genesis 2: 7), the Risen Christ re-creates humankind by breathing the new life of the Holy Spirit upon the eleven.

In scene 2, the disciples excitedly tell the just-returned Thomas of what they had seen.  Thomas responds to the news with understandable skepticism.  Thomas had expected the cross (see John 11: 16 and 14: 5) – and no more.

The climactic third scene takes place one week later, with Jesus’ second appearance to the assembled community – this time with Thomas present.  He invites Thomas to examine his wounds and to “believe.”  Christ’s blessing in response to Thomas’ profession of faith exalts the faith of every Christian of every age who “believes without seeing”; all Christians who embrace the Spirit of the Risen One possess a faith that is in no way different less than that of the first disciples.  The power of the Resurrection transcends time and place.

 

First Reading Acts 5:27-32

27When they had brought them, they had them stand before the council. The high priest questioned them, 28saying, "We gave you strict orders not to teach in this name, yet here you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and you are determined to bring this man's blood on us." 29But Peter and the apostles answered, "We must obey God rather than any human authority. 30The God of our ancestors raised up Jesus, whom you had killed by hanging him on a tree. 31God exalted him at his right hand as Leader and Savior that he might give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. 32And we are witnesses to these things, and so is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey him."

Psalm 118:14-29

14The LORD is my strength and my might;

he has become my salvation.



15There are glad songs of victory in the tents of the righteous:

"The right hand of the LORD does valiantly;

16the right hand of the LORD is exalted;

the right hand of the LORD does valiantly."

17I shall not die, but I shall live,

and recount the deeds of the LORD.

18The LORD has punished me severely,

but he did not give me over to death.



19Open to me the gates of righteousness,

that I may enter through them

and give thanks to the LORD.



20This is the gate of the LORD;

the righteous shall enter through it.



21I thank you that you have answered me

and have become my salvation.

22The stone that the builders rejected

has become the chief cornerstone.

23This is the LORD's doing;

it is marvelous in our eyes.

24This is the day that the LORD has made;

let us rejoice and be glad in it.

25Save us, we beseech you, O LORD!

O LORD, we beseech you, give us success!



26Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the LORD.

We bless you from the house of the LORD.

27The LORD is God, 

and he has given us light.

Bind the festal procession with branches,

up to the horns of the altar.



28You are my God, and I will give thanks to you;

you are my God, I will extol you.



29O give thanks to the LORD, for he is good,

for his steadfast love endures for ever.

Second Reading Revelation 1:4-8

4John to the seven churches that are in Asia:

Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne, 5and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth.

To him who loves us and freed us from our sins by his blood, 6and made us to be a kingdom, priests serving his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

7Look! He is coming with the clouds;

every eye will see him,

even those who pierced him;

and on his account all the tribes of the earth will wail.

So it is to be. Amen.

8"I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.

Gospel John 20:19-31

19When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you." 20After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. 21Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you." 22When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit. 23If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained."

24But Thomas (who was called the Twin), one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. 25So the other disciples told him, "We have seen the Lord." But he said to them, "Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe."

26A week later his disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were shut, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you." 27Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe." 28Thomas answered him, "My Lord and my God!" 29Jesus said to him, "Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe."

30Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book. 31But these are written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name.