First Reading: Acts 2 42-47

This idyllic account of the first Christians in Jerusalem reveals that lived faith is a communal experience. It is an experience that by no means isolates us but calls us into community entails the sharing on both the
spiritual and temporal levels. A person of faith is a person of community. It is in the formation of community that we truly express our faith. The
measure of the true nature of our faith is life as lived community.



Second Reading: 1 Peter 1:3-9

The emphasis of this reading from Peter is on the future glory but a future glory achieved through present faithfulness. The present moment however is
not just a pathway to the future but the opportunity for joyful living. Future glory is elevated as our final reward and reception of our inheritance, but joyful living is the reality to which we are called.


Gospel: John 20:19-31

This resurrection account has Jesus not only appearing to his disciples but also sending them forth with the gifts of his breath, the gift of the Spirit. Pentecost and the resurrection flow from the same moment. This
Gospel also deals with the issue of doubt and the difficulty in believing in the resurrection. In this short Gospel passage we encounter the heart of our faith. We encounter the call to belief, the gift of the spirit and the struggle to live the faith beyond doubt. It is the Spirit who calls us into faith and enables us to live beyond doubt.