Reflections on the Sunday Readings for 4/12/09 by Dawn

You can find the full Scripture Readings for this Sunday at http://www.usccb.org/nab/readings/041209.shtml

Then the other disciple also went in,
the one who had arrived at the tomb first,
and he saw and believed.
For they did not yet understand the Scripture
that he had to rise from the dead.
John 20:8-9

All week long I've been thinking about this part of the Gospel. Peter and "the disciple Jesus loved" have just gone into the tomb and they're trying to grasp the situation. The wording is perfect: they believed, but they did not yet understand.

That pretty much describes me to a T - I believe, but I don't yet understand:

• I believe in the Trinity, but I don't understand how there can be three Gods in one
• I believe in eternal life, but I don't understand how I can live forever
• I believe in the resurrection, but I don't understand how Jesus could rise from the dead.

This Gospel gives me hope! I'm not alone in my lack of understanding. This doesn't mean, however, that I'm excused from learning about my faith. Quite the contrary, I must constantly be looking to understand more. Everyday, I come that much closer to comprehending the Truth - it's a journey.

As Catholics we are often intimidated by our Protestant brothers and sisters who can quote Scripture passages left and right. We end up thinking we know nothing, and are sometimes tempted to give up on the whole thing. With the teens I work with, if you ask them to tell you what they know about the Bible, or to quote a passage, you'll get limited results. But if you ask them to tell you their favorite story from Scripture, you'll get a detailed account, usually with an interpretation that will astound you.

As I said on our podcast this week, if those two disciples had gone back home and kept what they saw to themselves because they didn't understand it, we wouldn't be where we are today. The same is true for us - just because we don't understand Transubstantiation (the bread becoming the Body of Christ), doesn't mean we shouldn't share our faith with our family and friends. This doesn't mean shouting on the intercom at your workplace that everyone is going to Hell unless they turn back to God. It means doing little things - telling your kids where you've seen God at work in your life; telling a coworker that's going through a tough time, that you'll pray for them - and then really doing it; or visiting an elderly neighbor and taking the time to chat with them. Through these little things, everyday we come close to understanding Truth.

As we begin this Easter season don't beat yourself up for not understanding - start with the believing and work from there.


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