Do not be unbelieving but BELIEVE!

II Sunday of Easter John 20, 19-31 On the evening of that first day of the week, when the doors were locked, where the disciples were,for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, "Peace be with you." When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side.The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with you.As the Father has sent me, so I send you." And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit.Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained." Thomas, called Didymus, one of the Twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples said to 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 into the nailmarks and put my hand into his side, I will not believe." Now a week later his disciples were again inside and Thomas was with them. Jesus came, although the doors were locked, and stood in their midst and said, "Peace be with you." Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here and see my hands, and bring your hand and put it into my side,and do not be unbelieving, but believe." Thomas answered and said to him, "My Lord and my God!" Jesus said to him, "Have you come to believe because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed." Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples that are not written in this book. But these are written that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that through this belief you may have life in his name. Thomas wouldn’t believe. He wanted some proof to believe that Jesus had risen from the dead. Some people just need proof. They won't believe it's raining unless they go outside and get wet. They don’t think the salsa is picante unless they taste it. Or that the paint is wet unless they touch it. They don’t believe the news but call it fake news. If there is a beggar on the street they don’t believe that he will use the money for food. They don’t believe the word of their spouse unless there is a witness. They just can't believe. They have to see in order to believe. They need to have proof. Thomas was one of these kinds of guys. He did not believe in the resurrection of Jesus. Some of the disciples had seen the Risen Lord, they told Thomas but he didn’t believe. He needed proof, he wanted to see for himself. They are still people today who need proof. They don’t believe in Jesus, they don’t believe in the Resurrection, or in the church or in anything. They are looking for a place to stick there fingers, they want to touch something with their hands. We, as Church are called to be that place. For people who need proof in order to believe they should be able to come here and touch and see and feel the presence of Jesus. Obviously Jesus is present in the Eucharist, that is what brings us here on Sunday morning to this celebration, but for someone who doesn’t believe I don’t think that that will convince them. How can we be a church that is a living proof of the existence of God? How can we live our lives so others may come to believe through us? Last year the theme of Holy Redeemer Parish was a church of open doors. After years of the pandemic and doors closed Fr. Roberto and the pastoral team opened the doors of Holy Redeemer. Not just physically but actually, going out of the way to make Holy Redeemer a place of welcome. A priority was the youth, we have tried to allow the young people of our neighborhood know they are welcome here. In August we also began the Mass of inclusion here. Especially for the LGBTQ+ community. Not just saying that they were welcome but going out of our way to create a safe place for the gay community. The first reading creates an ideal picture of the Christian community. I am sure that we are far from perfect but an important point is that there was no needy person. I am proud of the social ministry of our parish. The way people reacted to the needs of people after the earthquake in Acapulco. The concern for the immigrants, children with special needs. These are not just nice things that we do to celebrate the Reyes, we are called to be a community who is concerned about the poor. It is a concrete sign of the risen Christ among us. Last Sunday I heard that our church was packed for the services. Not only did many people come but there were beautiful services. Alive music, well prepared lectors, servers, beautiful decorations. All of this is a sign of the resurrected Jesus, it is something that we can touch. People are looking for community. People need to touch Jesus, I am convinced that if we are a church of welcome, if we remember the most needy, if we have life giving celebrations we will be a community where the risen Jesus can be found. So, for those who need proof, I say come here to Holy Redeemer and find the risen Jesus. Put your finger here and see Jesus’ hands. Take your hand here, put it into our side. Do not be unbelieving but believe.