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In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and

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of the Holy Spirit, Amen. I've heard a question

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asked by some. It seems quite sensible. At first,

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the question being, why didn't Jesus appear to

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more people after the resurrection? For example,

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make another Palm Sunday type of procession,

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an appearance with everybody. Wouldn't that have

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convinced people? Wouldn't that have presented

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proofs that are undeniable? Wouldn't that have

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established the kingdom of God on earth? Well,

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that is the problem, isn't it? Because the kingdom

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of God is not a place on earth. The kingdom of

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God is within. The kingdom of God does not have

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an earthly ruler. The kingdom of God does not

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have an earthly capital city. Kind of got a bureaucracy

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with the church a little bit. But the kingdom

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of God is not of this world, but that kind of

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kingdom would be of this world. The kingdom of

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God is for this world. It's located in the heart

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of the disciples that confess him. that live

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according to his commandments, that live and

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speak according to his name, as it says in the

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scriptures, his name. And Christ's appearances

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are never for spectacular reasons anyway, for

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coercing someone or forcing someone or convincing

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someone. Our Lord is not a show -off. He's humble.

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On Palm Sunday, he rode on a donkey. not a war

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horse. Here's the rule of the spiritual life.

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All attempts to coerce, manipulate, trick, force

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people in any way to believe in Christ are futile.

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Absolutely. And remember what I said a few weeks

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ago. The king of glory, as it says on the cross

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there at the top, is king because of the cross.

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He invites us to pick up our cross. And this

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is not something people want to do unless they

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know that sin has broken them and destroyed them.

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And without God, they have nothing. The Lord,

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this king, invites us to deny ourselves. This

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is not seeker -friendly on the top of things,

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right? It's daunting to those who think they

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can find their own lives in themselves. If you

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seek for your own life, you will lose it, Jesus

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says. This is daunting because we only find ourselves

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in Christ. And love for Jesus Christ is given

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birth... By being near him. Whether you understand

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anything about him or not. To be near him. Believing

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the words of life. Love, anyway, it's never won

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over by spectacle. That's just being impressed.

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And that wears off. That wears off. Today is

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Thomas Sunday. It's the day... in which Christ

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appears a week later, that's why it's today,

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after the resurrection, to the apostles who are

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gathered in the upper room. They're joyful they

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have seen the Lord. Thomas doesn't believe them.

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Why should he? Why should he believe Peter, who

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denied the Lord? They knew by then that's what

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happened. Why should he believe the women? Nobody

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believed them, coming back from the tomb that

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was empty. Why should he believe anyone? He was

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sensible. And Jesus invites him to come closer,

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right? And he says, blessed are those who have

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not seen, but they believe. It's as if Christ

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is saying, today I present myself to you, Thomas,

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and the apostles, living. But from now on, for

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everyone else, It will be the kingdom itself.

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The kingdom is Christ. The kingdom is God. The

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kingdom is the church itself. That will make

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me present. From now on, it's as if Jesus is

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saying, whenever and wherever you gather together

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in my name, you will be living. You will be a

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living image of me. Of course, what is meant

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by this is more than Many people think the word

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church means. We mean the living, glorified body

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of Christ where sins are forgiven, where the

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good news is preached, where burdens are set

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down, where divine food is offered, where we

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have fellowship with the saints and the apostles

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and the mother of God and each other. God is

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in his kingdom and the kingdom is in God. The

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kingdom is the body of God, the body of the church.

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The body of Christ. It's as if Christ is saying,

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I have found a way to keep you from falling away

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from me. Unless, of course, you deliberately

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choose that. It's as if Christ is saying, in

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my wisdom, in my infinite love, I have found

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the perfect way, which is also the most human

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way, and the easiest way for you to love me and

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to possess me. It's as if Christ is saying, when

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you gather together in my name, when you join

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together for worship in this life -giving assembly,

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I live in you. I become you. You become my flesh

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and my blood. Do you remember Jesus said to the

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apostles, it's important for you that I go away.

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For if I don't go away, the Holy Spirit won't

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come. But if I go away, the Holy Spirit comes

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and he makes Christ present everywhere. This

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is what Jesus is saying. In other words, if Jesus

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said, because you cling so closely to the earth

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and are not willing to be raised up from there.

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You are not capable of becoming living revelations

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of God, the image of God as I made you. It's

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as if Jesus is saying, that's why I stoop down

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and I humble myself and become as you are. There

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I am in the midst of you. Tell me then, Jesus

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says, what more can I do for you? How low shall

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I bend? How close shall I come to you? How deeply

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shall I enter into your life you're being? Tell

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me. In order to touch me, Jesus says, you don't

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even have to stretch out your hand. You gather

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together. And this, each one of us, and as our

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community becomes the living witness of the kingdom

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of God, the living witness of the resurrection,

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and blessed are those who see it then and believe.

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Because it's authentic and true. This means,

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brothers and sisters, it's not so much important

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how we feel when we receive communion. What's

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most important is how we prepare for it and how

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we act later. We become witnesses of something.

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Will it be authentic according to what Christ

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has given? His flesh and blood, his body, where

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people seeing you and seeing us will say, Christ

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did rise. That's why we sing, having beheld the

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resurrection of Christ, let us worship the holy

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Lord Jesus. We don't sing, having believed in

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the resurrection of Christ. No, we see through

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a glass darkly. But then we will see clearly

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that this room, this holy place, This temple

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is filled with the angels of God, is filled with

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the worship of God, is filled with those who

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are waiting for the resurrection, who worship

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the resurrected one. Blessed are those who believe

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without seeing. Christ is risen.