If I lived at the time of Christ and caught Jesus’ eyes while passing him in the streets, would I recognize him as the Messiah? You and I are made in the image and likeness of God. We are the adopted children of the Father. Would my soul be drawn to Christ as two magnets are drawn to one another? I believe that when we are in full and perfect communion with Christ, our entire being will be drawn to the Lord and instinctively rejoice in the glory of God. But on this earth – a world broken by sin – our eyes are clouded and we do not see clearly.

Can you imagine being Thomas and finding out that while you were gone from the Upper Room, the resurrected Jesus appeared to the other disciples? And then, according to the evangelist John, it was a full week later when Jesus returns to that room. If I were Thomas, I would probably be consumed with thoughts about how unfair the situation was – that I was being asked to believe without seeing while the other disciples were able to see the glorified Christ. And, of course, we don’t know how Thomas reacted, except that he demanded to see and touch the wounds of Christ.

Today we celebrate the Lord’s resurrection, the pinnacle of the Church’s entire liturgical year. As disciples, we know that Christ’s resurrection is not something that happened to him alone; his resurrection offers us the promise that all who believe in him will one day rise with him. But the new life Christ promises is not something we have to wait for the next life to experience! Everything we have been doing throughout Lent to prepare for today’s celebration also gives us a foretaste of the fullness of life we will share with him at our own resurrection.

GROW: Pay attention to the prominence of Scripture in today’s Mass. At Masses where there’s a Procession or the Solemn Entrance, we’ll hear the Gospel reading proclaiming Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem. During our regular Liturgy of the Word, we’ll also read through the lengthy account of Christ’s passion (this year, from the Gospel of Matthew). Following the reading of the passion a brief homily may be given, but there may also be a period of silence rather than a homily.

GROW: The raising of Lazarus marks an irreversible turning point in Jesus’ ministry. It’s impossible to publicly raise someone from the dead and continue to fly beneath the radar. It’s no surprise that the next time we meet Jesus, he’ll be greeted with Hosannas and palm branches as the promised Son of David. But we also know that by raising Lazarus, Jesus attracts the attention of his enemies and sets himself on a course that ultimately leads to the cross. In our own life of discipleship, there may be times when we will have to step up and make a decisive and public choice for our faith or our values.

GROW: There has been much commentary over the centuries about Jesus’ use of saliva and mud to heal the man born blind. One of the most profound interpretations I have read reminds us that in Genesis, God made man out of “the dust of the ground.” (Gen 2:7) Jesus’ use of mud in the Gospel suggests that he is re-creating the blind man before him. The man receives a whole new life, such that even those who see him after his healing question whether he is the same person as before:

GROW: As the Israelites wandered in the desert, Moses heard their cries and recognized their deeper need, not simply for water, but for hope. And so Moses calls upon the Lord, who gives them water in the desert, revealing his trustworthiness. In the big and little ways that we ask the same question – “Is the Lord in our midst or not?” – our loving and generous Father reminds us that he has not abandoned us and that his goodness will ultimately prevail.

GROW: What struck me when I first read this passage from the Book of Genesis, in which the Lord speaks to Abraham, is God’s proclamation that it is through his will and his work that the blessings and goodness of Abraham’s future will come about. It is not a vague statement, in which the subject is omitted. God clearly says, “I will make your name great.” Abraham was a faithful servant of God and sought to obey God’s will, but that is not what made his name memorable. It is due to God’s will and generosity that Abraham’s blessings came about.