Why are the doors still locked?

II SUNDAY EASTER Why are the doors still locked? 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 handsand 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.

One week later and they were still behind closed doors? They were still afraid, so they closed the doors and locked them tight. The gospel begins with the day of Jesus' resurrection. It's the continuation of last Sunday's Gospel, if you remember? Mary Magdalene had found the tomb empty and went to tell the disciples. Peter and the other disciple ran to the tomb and found it just as Mary Magdalene said, but they didn’t see Jesus. Funny we ended last Sunday in the middle of the story, but there was a very important part in the middle of today's gospel and last Sundays. Mary Magdalene remained in the tomb and Jesus appeared to her. The first appearance of the risen Jesus was to a woman because she alone stood there faithfully waiting. Now that's where we start today, Jesus had appeared to Mary and then he appeared to the disciples saying, "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you." Jesus' message is very obvious. "As the Father has sent me, so I send you." To send means to go. It does not mean staying behind closed doors, it does not mean waiting for more information. It does not mean taking a course and preparing materials to decide how to evangelize. To send means, GO! To send means, Get off the couch and get going! It seems that Jesus was upset with Thomas, but at least Thomas had an excuse, they didn't. Thomas had not seen the Lord, but they had. They did know that Jesus had risen. What was they waiting for? The disciples were hiding in a familiar house. In a safe place. They were gathered together but Jesus was missing. The Gospel says that it was getting dark in Jerusalem, but also getting dark in the hearts of the disciples. They were a community without mission and without a goal, closed in on itself, without the ability to move out. None of them is thinking about going out on the roads and proclaiming the kingdom of God. With the doors closed, it is not possible to go out to meet others. The disciples were paralyzed with fear. With fear it is not possible to love the world as Jesus loved it. No, they have to open the doors and go on mission. 2000 thousand years later, what is our mission? As Jesus sent the first disciples, he continues to send us. But it seems that we still have the doors closed. We are still afraid to go out to meet others in the world where there is so much need. We stayed hidden in the room. In a safe place where no one will challenge us. To be behind closed doors means to be in a safe place. A place where everyone knows us, where there is no surprise, where everyone thinks alike. Sometimes we need this kind of environment. We have to rest, we have to recharge our batteries. But we have to open the doors and go out to meet the other, with others. We cannot be disciples of Jesus if we do not have a mission. If we are a church, we have to be an evangelizing church, that we have to go to the margins and proclaim the gospel. It's important for us as a church to move out, and to go on mission, and continue the mission of Jesus. I just got here so I don't know what the needs are, here in Torreón or around the rectory. We have 5 more weeks of Passover until we celebrate the feast of Pentecost. I'd like to know if there are others who are willing to meet with me and see what the needs are here and decide how we're are going to respond. Thomas had an excuse, we don't. We have seen the risen Lord. Now is the time to go out and evangelize. If we truly believe that Jesus is risen, we have to move and concentrate our efforts to evangelize. We cannot stay in our homes and churches with the doors closed. Filled with the Holy Spirit, we go out to share the good news, especially with those on the margins of our society.