Spreading The Light

Scripture Reflection for the second Sunday of Easter (April 12, 2015)

Scripture Readings:
Acts 4: 32-35
Psalm 118
I John 5: 1-6
John 20: 19-31

Last Saturday, I attended a beautiful Easter Vigil at my home parish. The church was decorated with colorful flowers, everyone was dressed in new Easter clothes, and there were smiles everywhere. Unfortunately, I did not initially see or experience fully what was around me; the church was in darkness. When the Easter Candle was lit and brought into the church, the colors could be seen a bit more clearly. It wasn’t until the Light of Christ was passed to the parishioners and their individual candles lit that the vibrancy of the surroundings were fully experienced.

I have a feeling a similar process was going on in the lives of the Apostles after Jesus’ death in this Sunday’s readings. In the Gospel, we first see the Apostles huddled in a locked room, living in fear that what had happened to Jesus would soon happen to them. They might have heard some mumblings that Jesus was no longer found in the tomb, but they couldn’t be sure. Jesus then appeared before them, bringing his message of peace. The Apostles checked to make sure they were not dreaming, and “rejoiced” when they found him to be real. Before Jesus breathed on them and gave them the gift of the Holy Spirit, he said, “As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” We also hear about Thomas, the absent apostle, who would not believe until he had seen “the mark of the nails in his hands and put [his] finger into the nailmarks, and put [his] hand into his side.” Later Jesus appeared to him, too, and helped him believe. The Light of Christ was given to them and now they had a call to give it to others.

The first reading from the Acts of the Apostles, explained what happened after the Apostles took that Light into their community. We learn that “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…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.” The apostles, no longer fearful of what might happen to them, were living out the commandment that Jesus had given to them in that locked room: “As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” Their Light is no longer a small flame, but rather a roaring fire, spreading to those who witness it. It shines brighter when everyone serves their neighbor.

After experiencing the Resurrection in the Easter Vigil, I couldn’t go to sleep. I kept feeling like I needed to do something to help share my faith with those around me. After all, when Jesus appeared to his followers, he never said, “stay here and keep this to yourself.” So I’m trying something different this year and I invite you to do the same: I gave up something for Lent, so why not do something for Easter to help my community. It might be asking others to join you in prayer or not step down when issues of faith arise with your family or friends. It could be looking at financial giving and seeing if you can do a bit more. Or it could be reviewing the various ministries in your parish and making a commitment to help bring joy by saying yes to something new. The Apostles didn’t build a loving community of believers by themselves, so invite your community to join you in spreading the Gospel message to others. Remember: just like how one small candle can light up a church, one intentional act of love can light up a community.

Image: La flamme de l'espoir... by Hugo. Found on Flickr under a Creative Commons License.