Homily Second Sunday of Easter - April 12, 2026

 Today's readings can be found here.

            Peter has always been my favorite disciple. He’s so easy to relate to.  I think he was a lot like most of us.  He was a simple fisherman, not educated as a scholar of the Law like Paul was.    He didn’t feel worthy to be a follower of Jesus.  When Jesus first called Peter, he asked Jesus to leave him since he was a sinful man.  His faith wasn’t as strong as it could have been.  When Jesus to told him to walk on the water, Peter began to doubt and to sink.  He didn’t always understand what Jesus was trying to tell him.  Jesus had to rebuke Peter for thinking like humans instead of thinking like God.  Peter even denied knowing Jesus after Jesus was arrested.  And yet Jesus made Peter the rock of His church.

            Peter’s writing style is very much like him.  It’s direct and easy to understand.  He doesn’t use rhetoric or arguments in his letters the way Paul does.  In our second reading, Peter expresses our faith beautifully and simply.  Even though we haven’t seen Jesus, we believe in Him and love Him.  Because of this, we rejoice with joy to attain the goal of our faith: the salvation of our souls.  In the Gospel, Jesus calls us blessed since we have not seen Him and yet believe in him.

            Why do we believe in Jesus?  The disciples believed in Him because they walked with Him.  They heard His words and saw the things He did.  It’s easy to believe when you have that direct experience.  Most of us are Catholics because of a choice our parents made.  They baptized us into the faith and raised us to receive the Sacraments.  But at some point, all of us, cradle Catholics or converts to the faith, needed to make the choice for ourselves.  Whether we believe in Jesus or not.  What made you come to believe?

            I had to give this some deep thought myself.  I walked away from my faith for a time.  What brought me back?  There are many reasons but it boils down to the fact that I’ve had personal encounters with Jesus and with the Holy Spirit.  Those encounters have come through prayer.  They’ve come from being at Mass and in the presence of Jesus.  It’s through the Eucharist that I’ve encountered Jesus most often, both physically and spiritually.  I’m convinced that all the blessings in my life are a result of my belief in Jesus and in His Real Presence in the Eucharist.

            Take time this next week.  Reflect on why you believe in Jesus.  What is it that draws you to the Catholic faith?  Then take the next step.  Believing and having faith is a wonderful thing.  Our Gospel tells us that Jesus gave the disciples His peace and they rejoiced.  Believing in Jesus can bring us peace and joy as well.  But Jesus then tells the disciples that as the Father sent Him, so he sends them.  We’re called to go out and do as Jesus did.  To love God, our neighbors, and our enemies.  To forgive others.  To share our belongings with each other as the early Christian community did.  To praise God in everything we do.

            Why do we believe in Jesus?  Thomas wouldn’t believe what the other disciples told him.  He came to believe once he saw Jesus.  Like many of us, Peter had a rocky journey in becoming a disciple of Jesus.  But he believed and eventually understood what Jesus told Him.  That we are blessed because we believe in Jesus though we have not seen Him.  That this belief and faith will lead to the salvation of our souls.  What can we do to be a better follower of Jesus?  How can we deepen this belief in Jesus and attain this salvation for ourselves?