This Sunday's Gospel Reading can be divided easily into two sections, the first section, the appearance of Jesus to the disciples (without Thomas) and the second, the encounter between the risen Jesus and Thomas. The first section is dealt with here.

For those of us in parish ministry, whether, clergy or laity, this story of the post-resurrection appearance of Jesus to his disciples is a source of inspiration, yet at the same time, it sounds a note of warning. It demonstrates in a powerful way how the “quality of presence” of the risen Jesus, transforms the outlook of his despondent followers ( …they were filled with joy when they saw the Lord … ).

Read imaginatively, it evokes images of the various kinds of people we encounter on a daily basis, who like the disciples are locked in prisons or “closed rooms” of one kind or another.

It makes the point for us that so much of ministry involves doing just what Jesus did at first with the fearful disciples, he stood among them. This means a certain kind of presence to people – respectful, empathetic, non-interfering, presence. This is the presence that transforms.

The reading begins with John situating the disciples at a particular time and place . Both of these help us to enter imaginatively into the context of the disciples: “ In the evening of that same day… the doors were closed in the room where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews. ” For the ancients, the approach of night (evening) was often a time of fear and anxiety. In much of the ancient world, night was the time when demons were abroad.

Night was also understood as a time when human beings can no longer work and are in danger of stumbling as they travel. The disciples then are in a place of fear and uncertainty.

Hostile forces abound and they must throw up their defenses. The doors were closed in the room … here we are reminded of a closed confined space. They are imprisoned by their fear of the “ Jews ” .

The “ Jews' ” here can be understood as hostile forces in the lives of men and women: anger, suspicion, resentment, guilt, irresponsibility, pessimism, sadness . It is because of these forces surely, that often the doors are closed in the room where we are.

The turning point comes when Jesus enters the room. John tells us “ …Jesus came and stood among them… ” He does not use the closed door but simply steps inside the room. The effect is transformative: “ He said to them, ‘Peace be with you'…the disciples were filled with joy when they saw the Lord. ”

The phrase “stood among them” reminds us what good pastoral work is about: The pastoral worker steps inside the closed rooms of our fear, anger, timidity, hurt etc. He or she stands with us in the night of our terror. This is one of the first tasks of ministry, to be there, empathetically and nothing else.

Henri Nouwen points out that the friend who can be silent with us in a moment of despair or confusion, who can stay with us in an hour of grief and bereavement, who can tolerate not-knowing, not-curing, not-healing and face with us the reality of our powerlessness, that is the friend who cares, these are the people who mean the most to us.

The reading at the same time confronts us with our inadequacies in this area of our lives as Christians and as ministers. One of the bitterest lessons for myself and I'm sure for many others is that often it is much easier to make people close their doors than to open them.

The uncomfortable reality we inhabit is that there are many Catholics who carry within them the scars inflicted by people associated with “the Church”. We find them in our places of work and our parish offices, we encounter them in the bars and rum-shops and in the supermarkets, they sit at the rear of our parish liturgies, and some have even attended our fine colleges and convents.

The final blessing : “ As the Father sent me… ” reminds us of a liturgy of praise and thanksgiving. When people find themselves free of the “Jews ”, they feel themselves empowered.

Gospel prayer

Lord, we thank you for the men and women who appeared to us and “stood among us” in the closed rooms of our self-doubt, our hatred, our anger, our hurt, our guilt. We thank you for the pastors who listened patiently to us and received all our bitterness and disappointment at life.

They gave us a sense that we were not alone as we faced the hostile forces around us and so helped us to find the courage we needed. We felt that we in our turn could at last go out to others and “forgive their sins”. Forgive us the times when instead of standing with others in their terror we made them close their doors even more tightly. Amen.

Gospel Meditations for April are by Spiritan Fr Dexter Brereton, parish priest of Toco/Matelot.