2nd Sunday of Easter (Divine Mercy Sunday) - Cycle A

1st Reading: Acts 2:42-47

The Baptisms (Continuation)
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[42] And they (the brethren) devoted themselves to the Apostles' teaching and
fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. 

The Early Christians
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[43] And fear came upon every soul; and many wonders and signs were done
through the Apostles. [44] And all who believed were together and had all things
in common; [45] and they sold their possessions and goods and distributed them
to all, as any had need. [46] And day by day, attending the temple together and
breaking bread in their homes, they partook of food with glad and generous hearts,
[47] praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their
number day by day those who were being saved.

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Commentary:

42-47. This is the first of the three summaries contained in the early chapters of
Acts (cf. 4:32-35 and 5:12-16).. In simple words it describes the key elements in
the ascetical and liturgical-sacramental life of the first Christians. It gives a vivid
spiritual profile of the community which now--after Pentecost--extends beyond the
Cenacle, a contemplative community, more and more involved in the world around
it.

42. "The sacred writer", St. John Chrysostom observes, "draws attention to two
virtues in particular--perseverance and fellowship and tells us that the Apostles
spent a long period instructing the disciples" ("Hom. on Acts", 7).

"The Apostles' teaching": the instruction normally given new converts. This is not
the proclamation of the Gospel to non-Christians but a type of "catechesis" (which
became more structured and systematic as time went on) aimed at explaining to
the disciples the Christian meaning of Sacred Scripture and the basic truths of
faith (out of this grew the credal statements of the Church) which they had to
believe and practise in order to attain salvation.

Catechesis--an ongoing preaching and explanation of the Gospel within the
Church--is a phenomenon to be found even in the very early days of Christianity.
"An evangelizer, the Church begins by evangelizing itself. A community of belie-
vers, a community of hope practised and transmitted, a community of fraternal
love, it has a need to listen unceasingly to what it must believe, to the reasons
for its hope, to the new commandment of love" ([Pope] Paul VI, "Evangelii
Nuntiandi", 15).

If catechesis is something which converts and in general all Christians need,
obviously pastors have a grave duty to provide it. "The whole of the book of the
Acts of the Apostles is a witness that they were faithful to their vocation and to
the mission they had received. The members of the first Christian community
are seen in it as 'devoted to the Apostles' teaching and fellowship, to the brea-
king of bread and prayers'. Without any doubt we find in that a lasting image
of the Church being born of and continually nourished by the word of the Lord,
thanks to the teaching of the Apostles, celebrating that word in the Eucharistic
Sacrifice and bearing witness to it before the world in the sign of charity" (John
Paul II, "Catechesi Tradendae", 10).

The "fellowship" referred to in this verse is that union of hearts brought about by
the Holy Spirit. This profound solidarity among the disciples resulted from their
practice of the faith and their appreciation of it as a peerless treasure which they
all shared, a gift to them from God the Father through Jesus Christ. Their mutual
affection enabled them to be detached from material things and to give up their
possessions to help those in need.

The "breaking of bread" refers to the Blessed Eucharist and not just to an ordi-
nary meal. This was a special way the early Christians had of referring to the
making and distribution of the Sacrament containing the Lord's Body. This
expression, connected with the idea of banquet, was soon replaced by that of
the "Eucharist", which emphasizes the idea of thanksgiving (cf. "Didache", IX,
1). From Pentecost onwards the Mass and Eucharistic communion form the
center of Christian worship. 'From that time onwards the Church has never failed
to come together to celebrate the Paschal Mystery, reading those things 'which
were in all the Scriptures concerning Him' (Luke 24:27), celebrating the Eucharist
in which 'the victory and triumph of His death are again made present' (Council
of Trent, "De SS. Eucharista", Chapter 5), and at the same time giving thanks to
God" (Vatican II, "Sacrosanctum Concilium", 6).

By receiving the Eucharist with a pure heart and clear conscience the disciples
obtain the nourishment needed to follow the new life of the Gospel and to be in
the world without being worldly. This connection between the Eucharist and
Christian living was something Pope John Paul II vigorously reminded Catholics
about when he said in Dublin, "It is from the Eucharist that all of us receive the
grace and strength for daily living--to live real Christian lives, in the joy of knowing
that God loves us, that Christ died for us, and that the Holy Spirit lives in us.

"Our full participation in the Eucharist is the real source of the Christian spirit that
we wish to see in our personal lives and in all aspects of society. Whether we
serve in politics, in the economic, cultural, social or scientific fields--no matter
what our occupation is--the Eucharist is a challenge to our daily lives..

"Our union with Christ in the Eucharist must be expressed in the truth of our lives
today--in our actions, in our behavior, in our lifestyle, and in our relationships with
others. For each one of us the Eucharist is a call to ever greater effort, so that we
may live as true followers of Jesus: truthful in our speech, generous in our deeds,
concerned, respectful of the dignity and rights of all persons, whatever their rank
or income, self-sacrificing, fair and just, kind, considerate, compassionate and
self-controlled. [...] The truth of our union with Jesus Christ in the Eucharist is
tested by whether or not we really love our fellow men and women; it is tested by
how we treat others, especially our families. [...] It is tested by whether or not we
try to be reconciled with our enemies, on whether or not we forgive those who hurt
us or offend us" ("Homily in Phoenix Park", 29 September 1979).

43. The fear referred to here is the religious awe the disciples felt when they saw
the miracles and other supernatural signs which the Lord worked through His
Apostles. A healthy type of fear, denoting respect and reverence for holy things,
it can cause a great change of attitude and behavior in those who experience it.

An outstanding example of this sense of awe is St. Peter's reaction at the mira-
culous catch of fish: "Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord": as St. Luke
explains, "he was astonished, and all that were with him, at the catch of the fish
they had taken" (Luke 5:9).

44. Charity and union of hearts lead the disciples to sacrifice their own interest
to meet the material needs of their poorer brothers and sisters. The sharing of
possessions referred to here was not a permanent, "communistic" kind of sys-
tem. The more well-to-do Christians freely provided for those in need. Each of
the disciples retained ownership of such property as he or she had: by handing
it over to the community they showed their charity.

"This voluntary poverty and detachment", Chrysostom comments, "cut at the
selfish root of many evils, and the new disciples showed that they had under-
stood the Gospel teaching.

"This was not recklessness of the kind shown by certain philosophers, of whom
some gave up their inheritance and others cast their gold into the sea: that was
no contempt of riches, but folly and madness. For the devil has always made it
his endeavor to disparage the things God has created, as if it were impossible to
make good use of riches" ("Hom. on Acts", 7).

A spendthrift who wastes his resources does not have the virtue of detachment;
nor can someone be called selfish because he retains his property, provided that
he uses it generously when the need arises. "Rather than in not having, true
poverty consists in being detached, in voluntarily renouncing one's dominion over
things.

"That is why there are poor who are really rich. And vice-versa" ([St] J. Escriva,
"The Way", 632).

46. In the early days of the Church the temple was a center of Christian prayer
and liturgy. The first Christians regarded it as God's house, the House of the
Father of Jesus Christ. Although Christianity involved obvious differences from
Judaism, they also realized that Christ's message was an extension of Judaism;
for a while, it was quite natural for them to maintain certain external aspects of
the religion of their forefathers.

In addition to this legitimate religious instinct to venerate the one, true, loving
God, whom Jews and Christians adore, St. Jerome suggests that prudence
may have dictated this practice: "Because the early Church was made up of
Jews," he says, "the Apostles were very careful not to introduce any innova-
tions, in order to avoid any possible scandal to believers" ("Epistle", 26, 2).

However, the temple was not the only place in the holy city where Christians
met for prayer and worship. The reference to "breaking bread in their homes"
reminds us that the Christian community in Jerusalem, as also the communi-
ties later founded by St. Paul, did not yet have a building specially reserved for
liturgical functions. They met in private houses--presumably in suitable rooms
specially prepared. For financial as well as policy reasons (persecutions, etc.)
it was not until the third century that buildings designed solely for liturgical
purposes began to be erected.

2nd Reading: 1 Peter 1:3-9

Praise and Thanksgiving to God
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[3] Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By his great mercy
we have been born anew to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ
from the dead, [4] and to an inheritance which is imperishable, undefiled, and
unfading, kept in heaven for you, [5] who by God's power are guarded through faith
for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. [6] In this you rejoice, though
now for a little while you may have to suffer various trials, [7] so that the genuine-
ness of your faith, more precious than gold which though perishable is tested by
fire, may redound to praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
[8] Without having seen him you love him; though you do not now see him you
believe in him and rejoice with unutterable and exalted joy. [9] As the outcome
of your faith you obtain the salvation of your souls.

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Commentary:

3-12. This passage, a hymn of praise and gratitude to God, developing what is
proclaimed in v. 2, is more explicit about the action of each Person of the
Blessed Trinity: by making his choice of Christians, God the Father has destined
us to a marvellous heritage in heaven (vv. 3-5); to attain this we need to love and
believe in Jesus Christ our Lord (vv. 6-9); the Holy Spirit, who earlier proclaimed
salvation by the mouth of the Old Testament prophets, is now, through those who
preach the Gospel, announcing that salvation has arrived (vv. 10-12).

3-5. When the fruits of the Redemption are applied to us, a kind of rebirth takes
place. St Peter is the only New Testament writer to use the Greek term trans-
lated here "we have been born anew" (cf. also 1:23). However, the same idea
occurs elsewhere: St John speaks of the action of the Holy Spirit at Baptism as
causing one to be born again (cf. Jn 3:1ff; also, e.g., 1:12-13; 1 Jn 2:29; 3:9); St
Paul refers to "a new creation" to describe the effects of Redemption (cf., e.g.,
Gal 6:15; 2 Cor 5:17); and St James calls Christians the "first fruits of his
creatures"(Jas 1:16-18).

Through this being born again, God destines us "to a living hope", which centers
on the inheritance of heaven, here described as "imperishable" (it is eternal),
"undefiled" (it contains no evil) and "unfading" (it will never grow o Id). The sacred
writer uses these adjectives of negation to show that heavenly things are not
subject to any of the imperfections and defects of earthly things.

For those Christians who stay true to their calling, their inheritance is "kept in
heaven". This key theme will be addressed in various parts of the letter (cf. 2:18-
25; 3:13-17; 4:12-19; 5:5-11); the letter is very much aimed at encouraging the
faithful to bear sufferings with joy, knowing that they are a means to and a gu-
arantee of heaven.

3. God brought about the work of Redemption "by his great mercy". For God,
who is rich in mercy, out of the great love with which he loved us, even when we
were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ" (Eph 2:4-5).
And just as the work of Creation is a manifestation of God's omnipotence, so his
new Creation is an expression of his mercy (cf. "Summa Theologiae", II-II, q. 30,
a. 4; cf. note on 2 Cor 5:17).

"Through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead": the resurrection of our
Lord marks the climax of his salvific work, for it assures men of their redemption
and their own resurrection. In its Easter liturgy the Church joyfully reminds of this:
"He is the true Lamb who took away the sins of the world. By dying he destroyed
our death; by rising he restored our life" ("Easter Preface", I).

6-9. Hope of obtaining the inheritance of heaven gives Christians joy in the midst
of trials which test their faith. At the center of that faith is Jesus, whom they
strive to love above all, thereby attaining "unutterable and exalted joy", a foretaste
of the joy of heaven itself.

Exhortations to be joyful in the midst of affliction occur often in the New Testa-
ment (cf., e.g., Mt 5:11-12; 2 Cor 1:3-7; Jas 1:2) and reflect a deep Christian
conviction, which St. Bede refers to in his commentary: "St Peter says that it is
good to suffer trials because eternal joys cannot be obtained except through the
afflictions and sorrows of this passing world. 'For a little while', he says, however,
because when one receives an eternal reward, the afflictions of this world--which
appeared so heavy and bitter--seem then to have been very short-lived and slight"
("Super 1 Pet. Expositio, ad loc.").

Christian joy is the fruit of faith, hope and love. "You should realize that God
wants us to be happy and that, if you do all you can, you will be happy, very, ve-
ry happy, although you will never be a moment without the Cross. But that Cross 
s no longer a gallows. It is the throne from which Christ reigns" (St J. Escriva,
"Friends of God", 141).

7. The refining of gold by fire is often referred to in Scripture (cf., e.g., Ps 66:10;
Prov 17:3; 1 Cor 3:12-13; Rev 3:18) to explain that the sufferings of this life help
to improve the quality of one's faith. "If I experience pain," St Augustine teaches,
"relief will come in due course. If I am offered tribulation, it will serve for my puri-
fication. Does gold shine in the craftsman's furnace? It will shine later, when it
forms part of the collar, when it is part of the jewelry. But, for the time being, it
puts up with being in the fire because when it sheds its impurities it will acquire
its brilliant shine" ("Enarrationes in Psalmos", 61, 11).

The thought of Christ coming in glory (cf. 1:5-13; 4:13) should greatly encourage
the Christian to bear trials cheerfully.


Gospel Reading: John 20:19-31

Jesus Appears to the Disciples
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[19] On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors shut where
the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and
said to them, "Peace be with you." [20] When He had said this, He showed
them His hands and His side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the
Lord. [21] Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with you. As the Father has
sent Me, even so I send you." [22] And when He had said this, He breathed on
them, and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit. [23] If you forgive the sins of
any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained."

[24] Now Thomas, one of the Twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when
Jesus came. [25] So the other disciples told him, "We have seen the Lord."
But he said to them, "Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and place
my finger in the mark of the nails, and place my hand in His side, I will not
believe."

[26] Eight days later, His disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was
with them. The doors were shut, but Jesus came and stood among them, and
said, "Peace be with you." [27] Then He said to Thomas, "Put your finger here,
and see My hands; and put out your hand, and place it in My side; do not be
faithless, but believing." [28] Thomas answered Him, "My Lord and my God!"
[29] Jesus said to him, "Have you believed because you have seen Me?
Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe."

[30] Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which
are not written in this book; [31] but these are written that you may believe that
Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His
name.

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Commentary:

19-20. Jesus appears to the Apostles on the evening of the day of which He
rose. He presents Himself in their midst without any need for the doors to be
opened, by using the qualities of His glorified body; but in order to dispel any
impression that He is only a spirit He shows them His hands and His side: there
is no longer any doubt about its being Jesus Himself, about His being truly risen
from the dead. He greets them twice using the words of greeting customary
among the Jews, with the same tenderness as He previously used put into this
salutation. These friendly words dispel the fear and shame the Apostles must
have been feeling at behaving so disloyally during His passion: He has created
the normal atmosphere of intimacy, and now He will endow them with transcen-
dental powers.

21. Pope Leo XIII explained how Christ transferred His own mission to the
Apostles: "What did He wish in regard to the Church founded, or about to be
founded? This: to transmit to it the same mission and the same mandate which
He had received from the Father, that they should be perpetuated. This He
clearly resolved to do: this He actually did. 'As the Father hath sent Me, even so
I send you' (John 20:21). 'As Thou didst send Me into the world, so I have sent
them into the world' (John 17:18). [...] When about to ascend into Heaven, He
sends His Apostles in virtue of the same power by which He had been sent from
the Father; and He charges them to spread abroad and propagate His teachings
(cf. Matthew 28:18), so that those obeying the Apostles might be saved, and
those disobeying should perish (cf. Mark 16:16). [...] Hence He commands that
the teaching of the Apostles should be religiously accepted and piously kept as
if it were His own: 'He who hears you hears Me, and he who rejects you rejects
Me' (Luke 10:16). Wherefore the Apostles are ambassadors of Christ as He is
the ambassador of the Father" ([Pope] Leo XIII, "Satis Cognitum"). In this
mission the bishops are the successors of the Apostles: "Christ sent the Apos-
tles as He Himself had been sent by the Father, and then through the Apostles
made their successors, the bishops, sharers in His consecration and mission.
The function of the bishops' ministry was handed over in a subordinate degree
to priests so that they might be appointed in the order of the priesthood and be
co-workers of the episcopal order for the proper fulfillment of the apostolic mis-
sion that had been entrusted to it by Christ" (Vatican II, "Presbyterorum
Ordinis", 2).

22-23. The Church has always understood--and has in fact defined--that Jesus
Christ here conferred on the Apostles authority to forgive sins, a power which
is exercised in the Sacrament of Penance. "The Lord then especially instituted
the Sacrament of Penance when, after being risen from the dead, He breathed
upon His disciples and said: "Receive the Holy Spirit...' The consensus of all
the Fathers has always acknowledged that by this action so sublime and words
so clear the power of forgiving and retaining sins was given to the Apostles and
their lawful successors for reconciling the faithful who have fallen after Baptism"
(Council of Trent, "De Paenitentia", Chapter 1).

The Sacrament of Penance is the most sublime expression of God's love and
mercy towards men, described so vividly in Jesus' parable of the prodigal son
(cf. Luke 15:11-32). The Lord always awaits us, with His arms wide open,
waiting for us to repent--and then He will forgive us and restore us to the dignity
of being His sons.

The Popes have consistently recommended Christians to have regular recourse
to this Sacrament: "For a constant and speedy advancement in the path of virtue
we highly recommend the pious practice of frequent Confession, introduced by
the Church under the guidance of the Holy Spirit; for by this means we grow in
a true knowledge of ourselves and in Christian humility, bad habits are uprooted,
spiritual negligence and apathy are prevented, the conscience is purified and the
will strengthened, salutary spiritual direction is obtained, and grace is increased
by the efficacy of the Sacrament itself" ([Pope] Pius XII, "Mystici Corporis").

24-28. Thomas' doubting moves our Lord to give him special proof that His risen
body is quite real. By so doing He bolsters the faith of those who would later on
find faith in Him. "Surely you do not think",

[Pope] St. Gregory the Great comments, "that is was a pure accident that the
chosen disciple was missing; who on his return was told about the appearance
and on hearing about it doubted; doubting, so that he might touch and believe by
touching? It was not an accident; God arranged that it should happen. His cle-
mency acted in this wonderful way so that through the doubting disciple touching
the wounds in His Master's body, our own wounds of incredulity might be healed.
[...] And so the disciple, doubting and touching, was changed into a witness of
the truth of the Resurrection" ("In Evangelia Homiliae", 26, 7).

Thomas' reply is not simply an exclamation: it is an assertion, an admirable act
of faith in the divinity of Christ: "My Lord and my God!" These words are an eja-
culatory prayer often used by Christians, especially as an act of faith in the real
presence of Christ in the Blessed Eucharist.

29. [Pope] St. Gregory the Great explains these words of our Lord as follows:
"By St. Paul saying 'faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of
things unseen' (Hebrews 11:1), it becomes clear that faith has to do with things
which are not seen, for those which are seen are no longer the object of faith,
but rather of experience. Well then, why is Thomas told, when he saw and
touched, 'Because you have seen, you have believed?' Because he saw one
thing, and believed another. It is certain that mortal man cannot see divinity;
therefore, he saw the man and recognized Him as God, saying, 'My Lord and
my God.' In conclusion: seeing, he believed, because contemplating that real
man he exclaimed that He was God, whom he could not see" ("In Evangelia
Homiliae", 27, 8).

Like everyone else Thomas needed the grace of God to believe, but in addition
to this grace he was given an exceptional proof; his faith would have had more
merit had he accepted the testimony of the other Apostles. Revealed truths
are normally transmitted by word, by the testimony of other people who, sent
by Christ and aided by the Holy Spirit, preach the deposit of faith (cf. Mark
16:15-16). "So faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes from
the preaching of Christ" (Romans 10:17). The preaching of the Gospel, there-
fore, carries with it sufficient guarantees of credibility, and by accepting that
preaching man "offers the full submission of his intellect and will to God who
reveals, willingly assenting to the revelation given" (Vatican II, "Dei Verbum",
5).

"What follows pleases us greatly: 'Blessed are those who have not seen and
yet believe.' For undoubtedly it is we who are meant, who confess with our
soul Him whom we have not seen in the flesh. It refers to us, provided we live
in accordance with the faith, for only he truly believes who practices what the
believes" ("In Evangelia Homiliae", 26, 9).

30-31. This is a kind of first epilogue or conclusion to the Gospel of St. John.
The more common opinion is that he added Chapter 21 later, which covers
such important events as the triple confession of St. Peter, confirmation of his
primacy and our Lord's prophecy about the death of the beloved disciple.
These verses sum up the inspired writer's whole purpose in writing his Gospel --
to have men believe that Jesus was the Messiah, the Christ announced by the
prophets in the Old Testament, the Son of God, so that by believing this saving
truth, which is the core of Revelation, they might already begin to partake of
eternal life (cf. John 1:12, 2:23; 3:18; 14:13; 15:16; 16:23-26).

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Source: "The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries". Biblical text from the
Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of
the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.

Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States. We encourage readers to purchase
The Navarre Bible for personal study. See Scepter Publishers for details.

[참고: 이 파일은 저서명 "가톨릭 교회의 말씀 전례에 따른 성경공부 해설서"(엮은이: 소순태, 출판사: 가톨릭출판사)의 각주의 연장으로 마련되었습니다].