EVEN AFTER RESURRECTION HE WAS IN THE FLESH 

Rev. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara, CSsR

Homily for the Third Sunday of Easter, Year C

St. Gerard Majella Church 

Sunday, April 14, 2013

Two weeks ago, we started the celebration of the miracle of the Lord’s resurrection from the dead.  The visit of Mary Magdalene and others who went to the tomb and found the stone rolled away led to the breaking of the Good News: “He is risen; he is not here.” But after the resurrection of Jesus, what else happened? 

According to St. Luke, Jesus appeared to two men, one was named Cleopas, on the road to Emmaus the afternoon of the resurrection. He accompanied them to their homes, and it was when he broke bread with them, that their eyes opened and they now recognized him (Luke 24:31).

According to St. John, Jesus appeared to the disciples as they were gathered behind locked doors late Sunday evening with a greeting of peace: “Peace be with you!” During this appearance, Thomas was absent. John goes on to say that Jesus appeared again in the same place a week later (John 20:26-29). This time Thomas was there and he was able to see for himself that the Lord is indeed risen when Jesus showed him the nail prints in his hands and his side that was pierced. 

For St. Paul, Jesus appeared to Peter and then to all Twelve Apostles. Then he appeared to more than five hundred of his followers at once...Then he appeared to James, and afterward to all the Apostles. St. Paul also claims he appeared also to me (1 Corinthians 15:5-8). The Acts of Apostles also tells us that Jesus made several appearances to his disciples over the course of forty days: “For forty days after his death he appeared to them many times in ways that proved beyond doubt that he was alive. They saw him, and he talked with them about the kingdom of God” (Acts 1:3).

But it seems the last appearance of Jesus happened much later, not in and around Jerusalem like other appearances, but at the Sea of Tiberias. In this last appearance, Jesus came to his disciples who had spent the night on the Sea looking for fish but got nothing. Standing on the shore, he said to them, “Children, have you caught anything to eat?” They replied him, “No.” Then he asked them to cast their net on the right side of their boat for a catch. They did what he asked them to do and caught plenty of fishes. This miracle made the beloved disciple to say: “It is the Lord!” With some of the fishes they caught, Jesus prepared breakfast for his disciples and ate with them. 

Now, there are people out there who say that the appearances of the Risen Lord were just visions which the disciples had. Some would even say that they were not visions but hallucinations. But Sacred Scripture go far out to insist that the Risen Lord was not a vision, not an hallucination, not even a ghost, but a real person. First, the tomb was empty; second, the Risen Lord had a real body that still had the marks of the nails in his hands and the spear thrust in his side. 

Today’s Gospel story testifies even further that the risen Jesus was not a ghost. His appearances were not visions or dreams or hallucinations. They were not a figment of the disciples’ imaginations. He is truly risen! He rose in his flesh. He was in the flesh even after resurrection. The tomb was empty. A vision or a ghost is likely not going kindle a charcoal fire on the seashore. A vision or a ghost wouldn’t cook a meal, share it and eat of it. But in today’s Gospel, John tells us that the Risen Lord did all these things. Jesus was in the flesh even after resurrection. When he came to Thomas, he said to him: “Put your finger here and see my hands, and bring your hand and put it into my side...” A ghost does not have a body that can be touched by others. A ghost cannot eat. A ghost is bodiless. But the Risen Jesus had flesh; he had body. He fed his disciples; he also ate and drank with them. What appeared to the disciples was Jesus who had conquered death through his death and had come back. And guess what he said on his first appearance: "Peace be with you," which means, "I got this! Worry no more! I have your back. I am with you. I will journey with you through thick and thin. I will help you in every step of the way. If you must carry that cross, I will help you carry it. I will lighten the weight so it doesn't crush you. You cannot walk alone. I am right beside you, behind you, and ahead of you. Be calm! Be hopeful! Be still! Stop the panic! This too shall pass away! Your storm today will pass away. Your tears today will pass away. Your sorrows today will pass away. Your failures today will pass away. Your present ugly condition is not going to be your destination. I will turn all the stumbling block into stepping stone to glory, abundance, and fulfillment. Shalom! I have come to turn things around. Just lean on me. Depend on me. Ride on my back! You will surely get to the finish line of your dreams and aspiration.