These are commentaries on the Eucharistic Lectionary that are written for the Sunday bulletins of Trinity Episcopal Church in San Francisco. They may be reprinted for use in parish bulletins only with the ascription: Copyright © 2007, Michael T. Hiller.
The first readings during the Sundays of Easter are from the Acts of the Apostle, a continuation of St. Luke's Gospel, and mark the formation of the movement that grows from the Easter hope sown by the Marys, and by Peter. In this Sunday's reading Peter, under arrest by the Temple Police admits that he cannot but speak of the remarkable things he has witnessed. This is quite a turn-a-round when compared to his weak witness prior to the cock's crow in the Passion Narrative.
The Epistle readings are from the Book of Revelation. One of the canon clergy at The Cathedral Church of Saint John the Divine, in New York City, commented that these readings needed to be shouted from the lectern in order to appreciate their full impact and meaning. As we read through them over the next Sunday's, I suspect that you will catch his drift. Transcendence is not spoken of nor witnessed in soft tones.
The Gospel for this Sunday is the doubting Thomas Gospel
the patron saint of many a modern churchgoer. None-the-less, despite
his doubts and his empiricism, he still exclaims, "My Lord and my God!"
In our doubts, wonder, silence, and awe in this season, it is a good thing
to look at Thomas' approach. Probing the wounds, looking with a discerning
eye, asking questions, these are all a part of a dynamic faith. Many who
say they believe today, have no understanding of the underlying history,
myth, and faith that has been brought by those who walked before us. In
our age we need to ask the same questions, so that our witness can be vigorously
applied to our time and community.
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4/10/07