We have seen the Lord

Chapter 20 of the Gospel of John paints a gradual revelation of the risen Christ, on the first day of the week, that culminates in the story of Thomas. The line - ‘I have seen the Lord,’ is first spoken by Mary Magdalene. Then later, that same evening, Jesus enters behind the closed doors, and greets the disciples. They then in turn tell Thomas, who arrives after the event, the same words - ‘We have seen the Lord’.

Having lost loved ones myself, I can well imagine the deep joy in which those words were spoken. It must have been from the deepest recesses of their hearts. A joy mingled with awe, disbelief giving way to wonder, and sorrow transforming into an uncontainable hope.

To see the one they had loved and lost now physically alive must have shattered the finality of death in their minds, opening their hearts to a new reality where death no longer had the last word. Their testimony was born of a profound encounter.

Today we cannot say the same, hence the reason Jesus told Thomas further along in this week’s Gospel ‘Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.’

We believe through their witness and testimony ‘What we have seen and heard we announce to you’ St John. Through an unending succession of preaching and witnessing, their experience is passed along. And our belief in their testimony, we refer to as faith. It is like passing on an inheritance from one generation to the next.

We come to ‘see the Lord’ through- the Church, the Holy Spirit, Contemplation and Study and putting belief into action - producing insight into faith. When, inwardly, we do come to see the Lord - our lives change - and we experience our own unique joy.

Friend, I encourage us to pass along this joy of faith. There are so many trapped in lives without hope, persons longing for a new beginning, so many in despair that need Good News. Through our testimonies of faith and our guidance we can lead them to new lives of Hope.

I encourage us all to use this publication as part of our toolkit to bring hope to those in need. Share the posts and the publication, give it as a gift, and build on it with our own testimonies. Together we can change the world one person at a time through networking.