What a glorious Easter! St. Simon was radiant last Saturday at the Easter Vigil and at Easter Sunday Masses. The church was full, the music soared, and the joy was palpable. Many of you who come faithfully every week did something beautiful: you welcomed those who joined us for the first time or for the first time in a long while. You smiled, you made room, you said hello. You met people right where they were. That is the Gospel in action. Thank you.
“If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.” We hear that warning all the time, and it serves us well against scammers and swindlers. But at Easter, the Gospel turns that phrase on its head. The Resurrection is so good that it can only be true. And today, on this Second Sunday of Easter, the readings invite us deeper into that astonishing claim.
The Gospel of John brings us back to the locked room where the frightened disciples are hiding. Jesus appears among them, risen and alive, and his first word is “Shalom.” Peace. In Hebrew, shalom means far more than the absence of conflict. It carries the sense of wholeness, of every relationship restored, of creation set right. Jesus speaks that word into their fear, and everything begins to change.
Then he does something extraordinary. He shows them his wounds. The Risen Christ still bears the marks of the cross. His glory does not erase his suffering; it transforms it. And when he breathes on the disciples and sends them out as the Father sent him, he is telling them that this wounded, merciful love is now theirs to carry into the world.
But Thomas was not there. When the others tell him what happened, he cannot accept it. And honestly, who can blame him? He had watched Jesus die. He had seen the nails, the blood, the finality of it all. A secondhand report of a happy ending was not enough. Thomas needed to see for himself how cruelty and death could be overcome. He needed to encounter the living Christ, wounds and all.
What happens next is one of the most tender moments in all of Scripture. Jesus does not scold Thomas. He does not lecture him about the weakness of his faith. Instead, Jesus meets Thomas exactly where he is. “Put your finger here. See my hands. Put your hand into my side. Do not be unbelieving, but believe.” And Thomas, overwhelmed, utters the deepest profession of faith in the entire Gospel: “My Lord and my God!”
That phrase is worth sitting with. Thomas does not say, “I believe now” or “You were right.” He says, “My Lord and my God.” It is total surrender, total recognition. And it comes precisely because Jesus met him in his doubt, in his struggle, in his need to touch the wounds before he could trust the promise.
There is a profound lesson here for all of us, and for the kind of church we are called to be. Jesus meets people where they are. He met the disciples in their fear and breathed peace into them. He met Thomas in his doubt and offered his wounds as proof. He does not demand that people arrive with perfect faith before he shows up. He comes first. He always comes first.
We are called to do the same. As a parish, as a community of faith, we are called to meet people where they are: in their doubts, in their struggles, in their questions, in their pain. We are not called to judge them or shame them or set conditions on God’s love. We are called to be a church that pours forth love and mercy, just as Christ poured forth love and mercy from his wounded side.
The First Reading from the Acts of the Apostles paints a picture of what this looks like in practice. The early Christians devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, to communal life, to the breaking of bread, and to prayer. They shared everything they had. When one person was in need, the community responded. Their way of life was so compelling that “every day the Lord added to their number.”
Now, we may not hold all our assets in common the way those first believers did. But we do share something even as powerful: the gift of God’s love made real through our care for one another. Every time you welcome a stranger, visit someone who is sick, sit with a friend who is grieving, offer forgiveness when it would be easier to hold a grudge, you are living the life of that early community. You are being the hands of the wounded and risen Christ.
That is why our Easter celebration was so moving. It was not just the music and the flowers, though they were magnificent. It was the way you showed up for one another. It was the spirit of welcome and joy that filled this place. It was too good to be true, and yet it was true, because Christ was alive among us.
I want to take a moment to express my deep gratitude to all the ministry groups who served throughout Lent at our Friday Stations of the Cross and Soup Suppers. I heard that no two evenings felt the same, yet each one drew our community more deeply into prayer and reflection. Because of you, our community was able to gather, be nourished (both physically and spiritually), and walk more intentionally with Christ through Lent.
Thank you to all the ministers who served throughout this extraordinary Holy Week. From the dramatic proclamation of the Passion on Palm Sunday through the solemn beauty of Holy Thursday, the stark reverence of Good Friday, the breathtaking Easter Vigil, and the exuberant joy of Easter Sunday, our parish was transformed again and again. Each liturgy required hours of preparation, and our church was reconfigured multiple times across the week by volunteers who worked behind the scenes with no expectation of recognition. Our Liturgy Council Chair, Erika with Liturgy Council members and Minister Coordinators (Carol, David, Margo, Julie) together with our Mass Coordinators, Altar Servers, Lectors, Eucharistic Ministers, Greeters, Ushers, Photographers, Tech Ministers, Musicians, Cantors and Choir Members all gave so generously of their time and talent.
Thank you to our Liturgy Director, Meredith, and to John, Jed, Tamami and all the musicians, choir members and cantors who created an experience of prayer and beauty that lifted every heart. Thank you Clare and the Art and Environment Ministers who turned our worship space into a place of awe. Thank you Kerby and all the Tech Ministers who supported all the liturgies in every location with sound, projection and livestream so we can reach those at home or traveling. Special thanks to Kalena and the youth for a moving re-enactment on Good Friday evening.
I’d like to thank our staff: Victor, Baldy, Joan, Donna, Madelyn and so many staff members who worked tirelessly to ensure every detail was in place behind the scenes. Rachel kept everyone informed regularly with Ana’s help and Kim and her team reached out to those online. Fr. Thanh, Fr. Dat, and our altar servers served with grace and devotion. To every single person who contributed, whether your name is known or not: THANK YOU. You made the Risen Christ visible in this community.
As we continue through this Easter season, let us carry the spirit of Thomas’s encounter with us. Let us be a people who are not afraid of doubt, because we know that Jesus meets us in it. Let us be a church that pours forth mercy, because we have been touched by the wounds of Christ and found in them the source of all healing. And let us believe what sounds too good to be true: that love is stronger than death, that mercy is stronger than sin, and that the Risen Lord is alive among us, inviting each one of us to say with Thomas, “My Lord and my God!”
This weekend, I am excited to announce our 2026 Pilgrimage to Spain — Saints, Sacred Vineyards & Spiritual Renewal — September 15–27, journeying together through the landscapes of St. Teresa of Ávila, St. John of the Cross, and St. Ignatius of Loyola. Registration is now live HERE.
This week, please let us pray for “peace” in our world everywhere, especially in Iran and Ukraine.
God Bless,
Fr. Brendan