Other Sunday and Holy Day Readings
SECOND SUNDAY OF EASTER: DIVINE MERCY SUNDAY (Cycle A)
The Octave of Easter is the eight days from Easter Sunday to the second Sunday of Easter, as the ancients counted, with Easter Sunday counting as day #1 and the Second Sunday of Easter counting as day #8 when Jesus appeared to the Apostles in the Upper Room a second time (Jn 20:26-29). During these eight days, the Church shares with us the Gospel stories of the Resurrection of Christ. Today is also celebrated as Divine Mercy Sunday, a celebration inaugurated in 2000 by St. Pope John Paul II when he canonized St. Faustina Kowalska. The Church established Divine Mercy Sunday based on the devotion to the Divine Mercy by Saint Faustina Kowalska from her reported visions and conversations with Christ. The day is associated with special promises from Jesus and indulgences issued by the Church.
Readings:
Acts 2:42-47
Psalms 118:3-4, 13-15, 22-24
1 Peter 1:3-9
John 20:19-31
All Scripture passages are from the New American Bible unless designated NJB (New Jerusalem Bible), IBHE (Interlinear Bible Hebrew-English), IBGE (Interlinear Bible Greek-English), or LXX (Greek Septuagint Old Testament translation). CCC designates a citation from the Catechism of the Catholic Church. In the Hebrew text, the word LORD or GOD rendered in capital letters is God's Divine Name, YHWH (Yahweh).
God reveals His divine plan for humanity in the two Testaments, which is why we read and relive the events of salvation history contained in the Old and New Testaments in the Church's Liturgy. The Catechism teaches that the Liturgy of worship reveals the unfolding mystery of God's plan as we read the Old Testament in light of the New and the New Testament in light of the Old (CCC 1094-1095).
The Theme of this Sunday's Readings: Faith, Mercy, and
Community
The covenant relationship we share with our Savior, Jesus
Christ, is founded on fellowship within the Christian community through
communion with each other and with the life of Christ the Redeemer in the
Eucharist. A covenant relationship with the Most Holy Trinity also requires
communicating with God through prayer, knowing the will of God through studying
the Old Testament Scriptures and the New Testament teachings of Jesus Christ,
and putting those teachings into practice through acts of mercy toward our
brothers and sisters in the human family.
The First Reading describes the fellowship of the New Covenant community in Jerusalem. St. Luke, the inspired writer of the Gospel of Luke and Acts of the Apostles, tells us in the Book of Acts that three characteristics identified the members of the Jerusalem faith community. They were devoted to hearing and putting into practice the teaching of the Apostles, they lived communally as a family, sharing their resources, and they centered their religious life on the Eucharist. These are the same three characteristics that must be present in every faith community to thrive spiritually.
In the Responsorial Psalm, we hear the voice of a mysterious, unnamed king of Israel after God led him to victory over his enemies. The king's success is a manifestation of God's steadfast covenant love and faithfulness. Then the psalmist calls upon three different groups: the covenant people, the ministerial priesthood, and the faithful, who are obedient to the Law and fear offending God. All are called upon to praise God for His mercy that endures forever. We recall this psalm in the Liturgy during Holy Week, Easter Sunday, and Easter Week because of its fulfillment in Jesus Christ, our Savior and divine King to whom God gave victory over His enemies. We are the New Covenant people of Christ's Kingdom called to give God praise and glory! When we pray this psalm, we remember the Passion of the Christ and thank God for raising Him from death to life to rule all nations as King of kings and Lord of lords!
In the Second Reading, St. Peter praises God, whom he identifies as the source of mercy. Peter praises God for two benefits of His divine mercy: new birth to a "living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead" and the promised security of our inheritance from Christ that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading. All earthly treasures are subject to time and decay, but our divine inheritance cannot perish and will never lose its glory because God keeps it in Heaven for us. Not only is our future inheritance secure in Heaven, but even now on earth, God safeguards us through our faith in Christ Jesus and the Sacrament of Baptism for the salvation He has already revealed. We will receive that promised salvation in all its fullness when Christ returns in glory.
In the Gospel Reading, Jesus came to His Apostles supernaturally. Locked doors could not stop Him. Jesus's greeting to the disciples (except for Thomas, who was absent) was the customary greeting of the Jews of His time, "Peace be with you." Our priests use these very words as they stand in "persona Christi," in the Person of Christ, greeting the congregation at Mass. In His greeting, Jesus reassured the Apostles, who must have felt ashamed of their conduct after His arrest, by lovingly re-establishing the intimacy they had previously enjoyed with Him. Jesus showed them His wounded hands and pierced side to dispel any impression that they saw a ghost or imposter. Instead, they witnessed the risen, glorified body of Jesus the Messiah, who breathed His spirit upon the leaders of His Kingdom of the Church and gave them the authority to make judgments in binding or forgiving sins. A Week later (eight days as the ancients counted), on the following Sunday (the first day of the week), Jesus returned to the eleven Apostles in the Upper Room, allowing St. Thomas to touch His wounds and to proclaim, "My Lord and my God!"
Christ comes to His Church today as He came to them in the days and weeks after His Resurrection. He comes as Christ the Servant-King (Psalms Reading) to encourage our faith and belief in Him. He appeared in the same way to the Apostles in the Gospel Reading, and He assures us, through the Sacrament of the Eucharist, of our promised salvation that is both a present and future reality (Second Reading).
The First Reading Acts 2:42-47 ~ True Christian Fellowship
42 They devoted themselves to the teaching of the
apostles and to the communal life, to the breaking of bread and to the prayers.
43 Awe came upon everyone, and many wonders and signs were done through the
apostles. 44 All who believe were together and had all things in common; 45 they
would sell their property and possessions and divide them among all according
to each one's need. 46 Every day they devoted themselves to meeting together in
the Temple area and to baking bread in their homes. They ate their meals with
exultation and sincerity of heart, 47 praising God and enjoying favor with all
the people. And every day the Lord added to their number those who were being
saved.
St. Luke, the inspired writer of Acts of the Apostles, tells us three characteristics identified the Jerusalem New Covenant community members. See Acts 2:42-47 and CCC 949, 1329, 1342-43, 2624.
You will recall that many members of Jesus's faith community were from Galilee in the north and had left their former occupations to follow Him. Those who lived in Jerusalem helped to support the Galileans and the poor who joined the community by selling property and material goods and sharing the money to support the fledgling Church in Jerusalem. Although "breaking bread" suggests a typical Jewish meal in which the father or the one presiding over the meal broke the bread and pronounced a blessing before dividing it. For Christians, "breaking the bread" became the phrase describing the Eucharist and the Agape supper they ate before the Eucharist. At this point in the early Church, they celebrated in private homes, like the Upper Room (Acts 2:42, 46; 20:7, 11; 24:35; 1 Cor 10:16; 11:20-34; Didache, 9:3-4). They still attended the daily Liturgy of Worship at the Temple since, at this stage, they did not see a dividing line between Old and New Covenant worship. To them, Christ was simply the fulfillment of what came before. God blessed them through a daily increase in their numbers until the day came when the small community in Jerusalem had spread the Gospel of salvation to the ends of the earth, as Jesus commanded them (Mt 28:19-20; Mk 16:15; Lk 24:26-27; Acts 1:8).
Responsorial Psalm 118:3-4, 13-15, 22-24 ~ God's Mercy
Endures Forever
The response is: "Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good,
his love is everlasting." Or "Alleluia."
2 Let the house of Israel say, "His mercy endures
forever." 3 Let the house of Aaron say, "His mercy endures forever." 4 Let
those who fear the LORD say, "His mercy endures forever."
Response
13 I was hard-pressed and was falling, but the LORD helped
me. 14 My strength and my courage is the LORD, and he has been my Savior. 15 The
joyful shout of victory in the tents of the just.
Response
22 The stone which the builders rejected has become the
cornerstone. 23 By the LORD has this been done; it is wonderful in our eyes. 24
This is the day the LORD has made; let us be glad and rejoice in it.
Response
Psalm 118 is the last of the Hallel (literally "Praise God") Psalms. Psalms 113-117 recount the Exodus liberation and Israel's gratitude as a people and as individuals for God's mercy in redeeming them from slavery in Egypt. However, Psalm 118 is not in the same theme as the other psalms of the Hallel. Psalm 118 is the voice of a mysterious, unnamed king of Israel after God has given him victory over his enemies. The king's salvation/success is a manifestation of God's steadfast covenant love (hesed) and faithfulness. Then in verse 2, the psalmist addresses the covenant community. First, the psalmist calls upon "the house of Israel," referring to the covenant people as a whole. Then from within the community, the psalmist addresses the "house of Aaron," referring to the Aaronic ministerial priesthood and finally to "those who fear the LORD [YHWH]," the faithful who are obedient to the Law and fear offending God. All are called upon to praise God for His mercy that endures forever.
In verses 13-15, the king says he was distressed, but Yahweh came to his rescue. He urges the righteous to sing songs of victory to God for saving him. Finally, in verses 22-24, in their acclamation of Yahweh's works on behalf of His servant, the king, the covenant community acknowledges that God has established a new order through the victory won by His king. They compare their king to a "cornerstone" (foundation stone) of a new order, rejected by those "builders" who attacked him, but now, because of the Lord God, their king rules over them in victory.
We recall this psalm in the Liturgy during the Holy Week, Easter Sunday, and Easter Week because Jesus Christ, our Savior, is the king who fulfills this psalm. He is the "cornerstone" rejected by the "builders" that St. Peter identified as the Old Covenant religious authorities (see Acts 4:11 and 1 Pt 2:4-8). Jesus is God's servant-king to whom God gave victory over His enemies when Jesus emerged triumphant from the grave on Resurrection Sunday! The Jewish crowd chanted Psalm 118:26 when Jesus rode into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, and Jesus applied this psalm to Himself in His teaching during His last week in Jerusalem (Mt 21:9, 42; Lk 19:38). When we pray Psalm 118, we remember the Passion of the Christ and thank God for raising Him from the dead to rule all nations as King of kings and Lord of lords!
The Second Reading 1 Peter 1:3-9 ~ God's Mercy
Demonstrated
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
who in his great mercy gave us a new birth to a living hope through the resurrection
of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to an inheritance that is imperishable,
undefiled, and unfading, 5 kept in Heaven for you who by the power of God are
safeguarded through faith, to a salvation that is ready to be revealed in the
final time. 6 In this you rejoice, although now for a little while you may have
to suffer through various trials, 7 so that the genuineness of your faith, more
precious than gold that is perishable even though tested by fire, may prove to
be for praise, glory, and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 8 Although you
have not seen him you love him; even though you do not see him now yet believe
in him, you rejoice with an indescribable and glorious joy, 9 as you attain the
goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
In his letter to the Universal Church, St. Peter praises God the Father as the source of mercy. In verse 3, Peter offers what in the Jewish tradition is called a "berakah" (literal Hebrew = "blessing"). It acknowledges God's mercy as the basis for the New Covenant order made through the redemptive work of God the Son in God's divine plan for humanity's salvation. Speaking of God's mercy as the foundation for the blessings received in the New Covenant in Christ, we can appreciate that there is a continuity of the works of God's mercy in the Old Testament fulfilled in the redemptive work of Jesus, our Redeemer-Messiah.
In verses 3-5, St. Peter gives praise to God the Father for two benefits of His divine mercy:
However, these gifts and blessings do not keep us from experiencing suffering and persecution that test our faith (verse 6). Even so, we should have no fear in this mortal life because our belief in the power of God protects us. Our future inheritance in Heaven is secure through faith in accepting Jesus as our Lord and Savior, followed by our action in submitting to the Sacrament of Baptism (Mk 16:16). Even as we continue our earthly journey to eternal salvation, God continues to safeguard us through the ministry of the Holy Spirit.
In verse 7, St. Peter refers to the Second Advent of Christ. "Salvation" is Peter's general term for the sum of all we receive in Christ. It refers to our present condition as new creatures in Christ that comes through faith and the Sacrament of Christian Baptism but also points to our future destiny when Christ returns. Peter's point is that our salvation is both present and future. We already have it through faith and Baptism, but our salvation will not be complete until Christ comes again at the end of time (CCC 163).
The Gospel of John 20:19-31 ~ Living Faith
19 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." 20 When he had said
this, he showed them his hands and his side. The disciples rejoiced when they
saw the Lord. 21 Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with you. As the Father
has sent me, so I send you." 22 And when he had said this, he breathed on them
and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 Whose sins you forgive are forgiven
them, and whose sins you retain are retained." 24 Thomas, called Didymus, one
of the Twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. 25 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 nail marks and put my
hand into his side, I will not believe." 26 Now a week later [eight days 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." 27
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 [become
not unbelieving]." 28 Thomas answered and said to him, "My Lord and my God ["The
Lord of me and the God of me!"]. 29 Jesus said to him, "Have you come to believe
because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and have
believed." 30 Now, Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples
that are not written in this book. 31 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. [...] = literal Greek translation
IBGE, Vol. IV, pages 316-17.
It was Sunday afternoon, the eighth day since Resurrection Sunday, as the ancients counted without the concept of zero-place value. Their "evening" was late afternoon since the Jewish day ended at sundown and the next day began. The time was probably about the ninth hour, 3 PM, the time of the third hour of prayer when Jesus gave up His life on the altar of the Cross (Mt 27:46, Mk 15:34, Lk 23:44-46).
The disciples feared for their lives because the Sanhedrin might arrest them, try them for blasphemy, and arrange to have them condemned to death just as they had Jesus. Then, Jesus came to them supernaturally. Locked doors could not stop Him. Jesus greeted the disciples in the customary greeting of the Jews. His words were the same ones the priest uses as he stands in "persona Christi," in the Person of Christ, and greets the congregation.
Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them,
"Peace be with you." 20 When he had said this, he showed them his hands
and his side. The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord.
In His greeting, Jesus reassured the Apostles and disciples
that He had not abandoned them as they had abandoned Him. All of them, except
for St. John, must have felt ashamed of their conduct after His arrest in the
Garden of Gethsemane. He lovingly re-establishes the intimacy they previously
enjoyed with Him by showing them His wounded hands and pierced side to dispel
any impression that they were seeing a ghost or imposter. On the contrary, they
had evidence that they were witnessing the risen, glorified body of Jesus Christ!
Incidentally, for those concerned with the question of whether the nails were
in Jesus's hands or wrists, Fr. Brown pointed out in his commentary that both
the Greek and Hebrew words for "hand" include the wrist as part of the hand (see
Acts 12:7 where the chains fell off Peter's "hands;" chains were bound around a
prisoner's wrists; therefore the wrists were considered part of the hands).
21 Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with you. As the
Father has sent me, so I send you." 22 And when he had said this, he breathed
on them and said to them. "Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 Whose sins you forgive
are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained."
Jesus's act is the ordination of the Church's Magisterium. As
God the Father sent Jesus into the world, so will He send the Apostles out into
the world with the power and the authority of God the Father.
"Receive the Holy Spirit."
In the Greek text, the article "the" is missing. Some
scholars suggest the missing article indicates that, in this case, Jesus's
breath was not the giving of the personal Holy Spirit that they would receive
with the rest of the New Covenant Church at the Feast of Pentecost 50 days
later. They suggest it was instead an "effusion" of His Spirit. However, the
question remains why did Jesus breathe on them? What was the significance of
this act? The answer is found in the passage when God breathed upon man in the
first creation (Gen 2:7). In Hebrew and Greek, the word for "breath" is the same
as the word for "spirit." God first breathed into Adam to give him physical
life, and now Christ breathed His Spirit into the Apostles to give them
spiritual life. The Son of God was sending them forth, in the power of the Holy
Spirit, who would make all things "new" again, just as He did in the first
creation (see Gen 1:2).
The prophet Ezekiel envisioned this day when he wrote of the Messianic restoration of Israel: He said to me, "Prophecy to the breath; prophesy, son of man. Say to the breath, 'the Lord Yahweh says this: come from the four winds, breath; breathe on these dead, so that they come to life!'" I prophesied as he had ordered me, and the breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet, a great, an immense army (Ezek 37:9-10 NJB). Humankind, previously dead to sin, had been resurrected in Christ. The faithful remnant of the Old Israel had become the nucleus of the New Israel (CCC 877), the New Covenant universal [catholic] Church that would become an immense army of disciples converting the world through the spread of the Gospel.
23 "Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose
sins you retain are retained."
The Sacraments of the Church are visible signs instituted by
Christ to confer grace. In verse 23, Jesus established the Sacrament of Penance
(Reconciliation). Under the Old Covenant, the sinner placed his hands on the
animal, confessed his unintentional sins before the priest (there was no
forgiveness for intentional sins under the Old Covenant (Num 15:28-31), and the
animal died in his place. In the New Covenant, Christ became the Lamb of
sacrifice. However, we must still confess and repent before sins can be
forgiven and communion with God restored, even for mortal/intentional sins. Through
Jesus's actions in verses 22-23, the priests of the New Covenant carry out the
Son of God's authority to forgive or retain sins. The concept of private
confession of sins has never been part of the sacramental system of the Old or
New Covenants. Even though it is a healthy spiritual practice to confess our
shortcomings to God in our daily prayers, it is necessary to bring those venial
sins before the Lord in the Penitential Rite of the Mass to receive forgiveness
through the Eucharist. However, we must confess any mortal sins to an ordained
priest of the New Covenant Church as though to Christ Himself to receive
forgiveness (CCC 1434-39, 1855-59).
The Catechism of the Catholic Church explains that Jesus is the physician of our bodies and our souls. He both healed the sick and forgave their sins, and He has willed His Church, in the power of God the Holy Spirit, to continue His work of healing and salvation. In the Sacrament of Penance/Reconciliation, the sinner places himself before the merciful judgment of God, who heals and purifies hearts and souls. CCC#1422: "Those who approach the sacrament of Penance obtain pardon from God's mercy for the offense committed against him, and are, at the same time, reconciled with the Church which they have wounded by their sins and which by charity, by example, and by prayer labors for their conversion." Also, see CCC# 1423-1498.
So, how do we know Jesus meant for us to confess to a human priest and not just to Him? You must agree that in verse 22, in speaking to the Apostles, Jesus gave the Church the power to forgive individual sins and the power to retain them. How can the Church exercise this power to decide about particular acts of wrongdoing unless those sins are confessed openly to Christ through His priesthood? We have to specifically confess specific sins!
24 Thomas, called Didymus, one of the Twelve, was not
with them when Jesus came. 25 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 nail marks and put my hand into his side, I
will not believe."
Here John refers to the "Twelve" as a "perfect unity," even
though there are only eleven at this point (they would make the number twelve
again in Acts 1:23-26). Poor St. Thomas is always remembered for his remark in
verse 25, which must have come from his discouragement and fear. However, he
seems not to be remembered for his courageous statement in John 11:16 when he
declared that he was prepared to die with Jesus! One day, he would keep that vow
as he died a martyr's death for the love of his Savior. According to Church history,
St. Thomas was martyred at the altar of his Church in India. He had faithfully
carried the Gospel to what was then the end of the earth!
How many times have we been guilty of the same unbelief when we reject the teaching of Mother Church in favor of secular values and morals? How many Catholics in government have stated that the Church must remain separated from State, and since the Law of the land allows abortion, they argue how can they stand against it? Do they need to see the nails in His hands? How many of us question the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist or the perpetual virginity of His blessed mother? Do we need to see the wound in His side? To believe in the name of Jesus Christ is to accept all He taught and be obedient to His Church's teaching. There is no such thing as a "liberal Catholic." Liberal and conservative are political terms. There are orthodox, true doctrine Catholics, or there are failed Catholics. Catholicism is not a cafeteria-style religion. It is an all-or-nothing religion. Place your finger in His wounds, and like Thomas, cry out, "My Lord and My God!
26 Now a week later [eight
days 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."
It was eight days from the
previous Sunday, Resurrection Sunday, as the ancients counted; see Jn 20:19. The
7th day of Creation was what we identify as a Saturday. Sunday is
both the first and the eighth day. The number 8, in the symbolism of numbers in
Scripture, represented salvation, regeneration, and redemption. It became the
number of the New Covenant people, reflected in the earliest Churches
Christians built with eight sides; this included the church at Peter's house in
Capernaum and all the Byzantine Churches of the 4th-6th
centuries. Whenever archaeologists find an ancient foundation with eight sides,
they know they have found a Christian Church marking a holy site associated with
Christ.
Jesus came into the room like His entry a week earlier without using the door. The testimony that He came into the room despite the locked door proves that Jesus was not prematurely pronounced dead and later revived. The laws of physics did not apply to Him!
27 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 [become not unbelieving], but believe." 28 Thomas
answered and said to him, "My Lord and my God ["The Lord
of me and the God of me!"].
[...] = the literal Greek translation.
The literal Greek "become not unbelieving" in verse 27 gives
us a better sense of Thomas's spiritual condition. He had not yet fallen into unbelief,
but his doubt about Jesus's Resurrection had put him in danger of falling. Thomas
responded to Jesus's challenge by acknowledging Him as his Lord and his God. The
literal translation is "the Lord of me and the God of me." Both Peter
and Thomas knew how to humble themselves in sincere repentance. Judas was lost
because he would not repent and turn back to Christ. Thomas's profession of
faith is one of the strongest statements affirming the deity of Jesus in Sacred
Scripture.
29 Jesus said to him, "Have you come to believe because
you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed."
In Hebrews 11:1, the inspired writer tells us that Faith
is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things unseen. Thomas's
faith would have had greater merit if he had accepted the testimony of the
other Apostles instead of the exceptional proof he received through seeing and
touching Jesus's wounds. St. Paul wrote to the Church in Rome: So faith
comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes from the preaching of Christ
(Rom 10:17 NJB). That same preaching of Jesus Christ was passed from the Apostles
down the generations to us in the Church today, and we are bound to it. When we
accept the testimony of Christ passed down to us, we must not only believe but
also practice what we believe. Jesus's statement, "Blessed are those who
have not seen and have believed," is a benediction our Lord has pronounced
on all the future generations of believers!
30 Now, Jesus did many other signs in the presence
of his disciples that are not written in this book. 31 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.
John's statement in verse 30 suggests that other miraculous
signs were not recorded in his Gospel but in other books. In fact, as a rule, John
did not repeat what was in the Synoptic Gospels. Significantly, St. John used
the word "signs" instead of "miracles." The use of "signs" is a major theme in
the Gospel of St. John. Jesus performed supernatural acts that had a greater
significance beyond the miracle. Each miracle was a sign that pointed to a
theological truth. John built his Gospel around seven theologically significant
public signs that point to Jesus's divinity and His claim of being the promised
Redeemer-Messiah:
| #1 2:1-11 | The sign of water turned to wine at the wedding at Cana. |
| #2 4:46-54 | Healing the official's son. |
| #3 5:1-9 | Healing the paralytic. |
| #4 6:1-14 | The multiplication of the loaves to feed the 5,000 men. |
| #5 9:1-41 | Healing the man who was born blind. |
| #6 11:17-44 | Raising Lazarus from death. |
| #7 20:1-10 | The Resurrection of Jesus. |
Jesus performed eight miracles in John's Gospel, six of which are not found in the Synoptic Gospels. The eighth miracle was a private revelation of His divinity for the Apostles when Jesus walked on the water of the Sea of Galilee and calmed the storm.
The final and most significant public "sign" of His divinity was, of course, His Resurrection, the critical event of the Christian faith:
The Catechism teaches: "Finally, Christ's Resurrection, and the risen Christ Himself, is the principle and source of our future resurrection: 'Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep...for as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.' The risen Christ lives in the hearts of His faithful while they await that fulfillment. In Christ, Christians 'have tasted...the powers of the age to come' and their lives are swept up by Christ into the heart of divine life, so that they may 'live no longer for themselves but for Him who for their sake died and was raised.'" CCC 655
Catechism References (* indicates Scripture quoted or
paraphrased in the citation):
Acts 2:42-47 (CCC 2178*);
2:42 (CCC 3*, 857*, 949, 1329*, 1342, 2624);
2:46 (CCC 584*, 1329*, 1342)'
2:47 (CCC 2640*)
Psalms 118:22-24 (CCC 587*, (756*)
1 Peter 1:3-9 (CCC 2627*); 1:3 (CCC 654*); 1:7 (CCC 1031*)
John 20:19 (CCC 575*, 643*, 645*, 659*); 20:20 (CCC 645*); 20:21-23 (CCC 1087*, 1120*, 1441*); 20:21 ((CCC 730, 858); 20:22-23 (CCC 976, 1485); 20:22 (CCC 730*, 788*, 862, 888, 890, 1287); 20:23 (CCC 1461*, 2839*); 20:24-27 (CCC 644*); 20:26 (CCC 645*, 659*); 20:27 (CCC 645*); 20:28 (CCC 448); 20:30 (CCC 514*); 20:31 (CCC 442*, 514)
Appearances of the risen Christ (CCC 448*, 641*, 642*, 643*, 644*, 645*, 646*)
Sanctifying presence of the risen Christ in the liturgy (CCC 1084*, 1085*, 1086-1089)
The Sunday Eucharist (CCC 1342*, 2177, 2178*)
Our new birth in the Resurrection of Christ (CCC 654*, 655*)
"I believe in the forgiveness of sins" (CCC 976*, 977*, 978-980, 981*, 982*, 983, 1441*, 1442*)
Communion in spiritual goods (CCC 949*, 950, 951*, 952*, 953*, 1329*, 1342*, 2624*, 2790*)
Michal E Hunt, Copyright © 2014; revised 2023 Agape Bible Study. Permissions All Rights Reserved.