Homily: Thursday in the Octave of Easter

Thursday in the Octave of Easter (Lk. 24:35-48) “Who is He?

It’s hard to imagine what Jesus looked like after he rose from the dead. There are various descriptions. His new form of life sounds like nothing that ever been before.

On the one hand he was a spiritual being. He appeared and disappeared in different places. He also walked through locked doors when he came to see his disciples.

On the other hand, he had a physical body. He allowed the disciples to touch his flesh. He also would share meals with his apostles. He had to have a physical body to do these things.

Jesus was not a ghost (purely spirit). Jesus was not a resuscitated body. He was somehow a hybrid of both a body and a spirit. We realize that this is what we are. But Jesus was not like we are.

Perhaps we could say that when Jesus rose from the dead, he revealed who he always was. He was a living breathing representation of the incarnation. He was fully human and fully divine.

We can be comforted by the fact that when we experience resurrection, we will feel something familiar. We will retain the body that we have always had. We can also be excited because we will have a new spiritual way of being. We will no longer have to worry about sickness or death. Hunger and poverty will be a thing of the past. All the anxieties that we have about the future will be gone.

We look at what Jesus experienced when he came out of the grave and say to ourselves that we will share in the new life he had for all eternity. We can let our imaginations go and dream of how wonderful resurrection will be.

1.    Do I think that I will be reunited with my body after I experience resurrection? Do I like that idea or not?

2.   Resurrection is part of Christian belief. How do I imagine it will be?

 Dear Parishioners,

            On April 21st we will be having a final commemoration of our one hundredth year. There will be a special Mass at 11 a.m. During that Mass a permanent donor book will be blessed that will be on display in the Damien Center.

            Following Mass, we will have food and will have a display of historical material at Culemans Hall. Everyone is invited to attend this Mass and to pray thanking God for all the wonderful events that have taken place at Sacred Heart Church over the decades.

            May Our Lady of Peace pray for us,

            Fr. Mark