"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

 

image001.jpg

The Incredulity of Saint Thomas

CARAVAGGIO

1601-1602

Sanssouci

Potsdam

Germany

 

The Incredulity of Saint Thomas is without any accessories or any indication of setting. It is tensely concentrated, compact within a solid Romanesque archway formed by the outline of the four figures clustered intimately together against a dark background. The focus is on Saint Thomas's right hand, firmly guided by Christ's, as the stolid doubter carefully prods the wound with his index finger. Tellingly, the hands of the other two apostles are concealed, although their curiosity is undisguised and scarcely less restrained than Thomas's. All three apostles are portrayed as rustic materialists without imagination or tact. They do not question Christ's identity but are fascinated by his wound as a tangible phenomenon, physical evidence of His existence as a man in their corporeal world, although no longer of it. Christ, who is understanding, indulgent rather than reproachful, is without a halo or any other sign of His divinity. His trim athletic torso contrasts with Thomas's burly form, and His physiognomy is more refined than the apostles'. But He comes to them as a man made of flesh and blood rather than as a disembodied spirit, so His resurrection is apprehended in their literal terms, and is all the more miraculous. The message is again one of faith; Christ's words were: "Because thou hast seen me, Thomas, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen and have believed"

 

The motif of the hands is an old one, the device of Saint Thomas's finger perhaps inspired by a  Dürer print. Surprisingly, only Malvasia, the propagandist for Bolognese painting, faulted the picture as indecorous. It was much copied, even while Caravaggio was still alive. Cardinal del Monte, Ciriaco Mattel, Prince Ludovisi, and the duke of Savoy all owned versions of it, so its lack of obvious mysticism and its psychological penetration must have struck a contemporary response.

https://www.caravaggio.org/the-incredulity-of-saint-thomas.jsp

 

 

 

 

Faith is to believe what we do not see

and the reward of this faith

is to see what we believe.

~ St. Augustine

 

 

 

Moral excellence comes about as a result of habit.

We become just by doing just acts, 

temperate by doing temperate acts,

brave by doing brave acts.

~ Aristotle

 

 

 

 

Easter Sunday

Mother Cabrini Shrine up on the hillside.

5922587219402365146.jpeg

Ray, Junna, Abby, Tina, and Eugene Yoshioka, Carolyn Alexander

 

image003.jpg

Rev. Kimra Perkins gave us a communion kit, 

a meditation pamphlet for those climbing the 373 steps up 

to the shrine, and a prayer.

(I sat in the chapel at the bottom of the steps!)

 

TrueVine Cup - Prefilled Communion Cups - 6 Cup Sample Pack (3 Bread & Juice, 3 Gluten Free Bread & Juice).jpeg

 

Then we all went to Kimra and Randy’s home for a Pancake Brunch.

IMG_7928.jpg

Randy Sackerson, Kimra Perkins, Marsha Manning

 

IMG_7932.jpg

Dr. Marsha and Laurie Davis preparing the pancakes.

 

1478585281589032964.jpeg

Girl Pic

 

2459511004999965506.jpeg

Boy Pic

 

8092498843815974016.jpeg

Junna, Abby, and Eugene Yoshioka

 

4711769927767876498.jpeg

Tina Yoshioka, Carolyn Alexander, Annette Bradley

 

IMG_7934.jpg

Tina

 

1000013292.jpeg

The foot-long wooden dinosaur puzzles that Randy made for Ray and Tina!

Randy said the hardest part was painting the pieces!

84404a7b-b493-4e5d-b13a-71819428889b-1_all_32107.jpeg

 

Book Club at Sharron’s place at Wind Crest

IMG_7950.jpg

Joan Evashevski, Sharron Leonard, Kelly Selva, Lynn Gilbert, Van Farnsworth

YUM!

 

IMG_7958.jpg

Our Area Rotary Fundraiser for Dolly Parton’s 

Imagination Library was held at Wild Game.

https:/imaginationlibrary.com

 

IMG_7961.jpg

Carolyn Alexander with Todd “Dolly” Bastian.

 

IMG_7962.jpg

Rocco Dodson with his daughter, Anna.

 

At age 11, Ana spoke to our Evergreen Rotary Club about her trip to her birth country of Peru.  Deeply moved by the poverty she had witnessed, we passed the hat and collected $500.  Anna went on and founded Peruvian Hearts as a 501(c)(3) charitable nonprofit organization. Her story drew national attention and the recognition she received helped establish a network of support for Peruvian Hearts. 

Ana was selected as a CNN Hero in 2007 and named one of People Magazine’s Heroes Among Us in 2008. At age 17, she spoke at the UN Headquarters in New York on the International Day of Peace and in 2009 at age 18 received a Caring Award and was inducted into the Caring Hall of Fame in Washington, D.C.

Her story has been shared in publications such as National Geographic for Kids, Time for Kids, and two children’s books have been authored about Ana’s inspiring story. Peruvian Hearts and Ana were featured in the 2014 documentary film about Archbishop, Desmond Tutu, Children of the Light.  

 https://peruvianhearts.org/about/

attachment.png

IMG_7968.jpg

Erica Sprenkel bid on Laurie Romberg’s 

moose drawing and was thrilled to win it!

 

 

 

Justice is conscience, not a personal conscience

but the conscience of the whole of humanity.

Those who clearly recognize the voice 

of their own conscience

usually recognize also the voice of justice.

~ Alexander Solzhenitsyn

                                                           

 

 

 

 

April 27, 2025  Second Sunday of Easter Year C    

 

Previous OPQs may be found at: 

     http://www.dotjack.com/opq.htm

 

 

John 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, and 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, and made us to be a kingdom, priests serving his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.
Look! 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.

"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

 

Also…

 

In his right hand he held seven stars, and from his mouth came a sharp, two-edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining with full force. — Revelation 1:16

 

Agnus Day, by James Wetzstein

image010.png

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

 

 

Screenshot 2025-04-26 at 1.23.09 PM.png

Cupolas of the Annunciation Cathedral

Masters of Pskov

1484 - 1849

Moscow

Russia

 

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

 



Agnus Day, by James Wetzstein

image013.png

Agnus Day appears with the permission of www.agnusday

 

john-20_29-img_4084-blessed-have-not-seen-yet-believed.jpeg

 

 

image015.jpg

LECTIONARY

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.