Breath of the Spirit Reflection: Does the Resurrection Make You Shudder?

April 7, 2021

Gregory McCollum

Breath of the Spirit is our electronic spiritual and liturgical resource for our members and potential members. Nothing can replace your chapter or other faith community but we hope you will find further support here for integrating your spirituality with your sexuality and all the strands of your life.<div style=box-sizing: border-box; class=oldwebkit><div style=box-sizing: border-box; class=mobile-full>April 11th 2021: The Second Sunday of EasterActs 4:32 35 1 John 5:1 6 John 20: 19 31Reflection by Marianne SeggermanForgive me if I shudder a bit: at the thought of that scene in todays gospel when Jesus invites Thomas to put a finger into the nail marks to put a hand into the wide cut left by a soldiers sword. I shudder at the thought of such an intimate action and the visceral response it surely caused. Surely the gospel writer meant for us to shudder at that story at the reality of Jesus raised from the dead raised not as a ghost but raised with a body (recall that later in the story Jesus eats with the disciples). And yet not a body exactly like ours either as the Risen One enters rooms through locked doors and disappears into thin air. When I learned of this story in parochial school it came with the lesson that true faith meant that we should not question the Churchs teachings. Ironically it was only through questioning that Thomas was offered this intimate invitation to touch the risen Christs body. I shudder too at the first reading. It does not suggest anything so intimate as touching Christs body but it does suggest that the first Christians took the idea that we are the one Body of Christ much more seriously than we do. This reading presents a picture of an early Christian community with seemingly socialist practices. I use the term socialist in its historical meaning a moral code that views the equitable distribution of wealth as a goal to strive for since today that term has been used as a bogeyman by some. It is a sad irony that one major change wrought by Christianity was to loosen the bonds of tribe which were ultimately supplanted by individualism and then a capitalism where a rich Christian could have more than they could ever need right alongside a poor Christian who might never have enough. That does not seem to be what Jesus had in mind at least as the early Church understood it! Instead Jesus urged well-off followers to do what this community was doing sell their possessions and give to the less fortunate. Perhaps this community was acting in such an unselfish manner because they believed that the Second Coming if not immanent would be in their lifetimes. So they are on their best behavior.  Whatever the reason it appears that Jesus the radical would approve. Do I shudder just a bit at the thought of giving up some of my own personal possessions some of my power in order to lift up my less privileged neighbor? In the second reading John makes it sound so easy: if we love God and Gods children then we obey Gods commands. But to which commands does John refer? Surely John writing to Greeks does not mean all 613 laws in the Hebrew Scriptures. Might the gospel writer mean the two great laws love God with your whole heart and love your neighbor as yourself that Jesus articulates? Whatever John refers to the writer sees a clear connection between our love for God and our behavior. This too can make me shudder as at times I find it much easier to convince myself that I love God than to treat my fellow creatures with dignity and respect. If I love God only as much as I treat others with benevolence then perhaps I dont love God as much as I thought. In the end what might this weeks readings tell us about following Jesus? Is the message about giving to the poor? Treating all our neighbors with reverence and care? Questioning our understandings as a way to experience God more intimately? All of these could be true. But maybe there is a deeper question upon which all of those questions rest: if closeness with God makes me shudder why am I not shuddering all the time?</div></div><div style=box-sizing: border-box; color: #555555; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue' Helvetica Arial sans-serif; font-size: 14px; class=oldwebkit></div>__[caption align=left]<img src='https://www.dignityusa.org/sites/default/files/seggerman.png'>[/caption] Marianne Seggerman joined the chapter of Dignity New Haven around 30 years ago. That chapter is no longer alas but she continues to attend the biannual conference. In her day job she is a computer programmer living (and for the moment working) in Westport Connecticut. She is in a long-term relationship with a person raised Jewish who converted to the Mormon faith.<a style=color: #2fa4e7; box-sizing: border-box; background-color: transparent; href=https://www.dignityusa.org/civicrm/mailing/subscribe>Get Breath of the Spirit scripture reflections in your inbox every week</a>

Breath of the Spirit Reflection: Does the Resurrection Make You Shudder?

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