Lecture 4 — Christ appears to the apostles

^20:19^ Now when it was late that same day, the first day of the week, and the doors were shut, where the disciples were gathered together, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst, and said to them: peace be with you. [n. 2524]

^20:20^ And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. The disciples therefore were glad, when they saw the Lord. [n. 2533]

^20:21^ He said therefore to them again: peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, I also send you. [n. 2536]

^20:22^ When he had said this, he breathed on them; and he said to them: receive the Holy Spirit. [n. 2538]

^20:23^ Whose sins you will forgive, they are forgiven them; and whose sins you will retain, they are retained. [n. 2541]

2523. Having described how Christ appeared to the holy women, the Evangelist now tells of his appearance to the apostles:

first, his appearance at Jerusalem before all except Thomas;

second, his appearance when Thomas was present: and after eight days (John 20:26);

third, the events near the Sea of Tiberias, after this, Jesus showed himself again (John 21:1).

About the first, he mentions two things.

First, the apparition of the Lord;

second, the doubts of the disciples, at now Thomas, one of the twelve (John 20:24).

Three things are done regarding the first:

first, we see our Lord appear:

second, we see a duty imposed on the apostles, he said therefore to them again: peace be with you.

third, our Lord gives them a spiritual gift, when he had said this, he breathed on them.

He does three things about the first:

first, he mentions the circumstances of Christ’s appearance;

second, the details of the appearance: Jesus came and stood in their midst;

third, the result of this, the disciples therefore were glad, when they saw the Lord.

The Evangelist mentions four circumstances in our Lord’s appearance to the disciples.

First, he mentions the time of day, when it was late;

second, what day it was, that same day;

third, the condition of the place, the doors were shut;

and fourth, the state of the disciples, where the disciples were gathered together, for fear of the Jews.

2524. The time of our Lord’s appearance was in the evening; and there were two literal reasons for this. First, he wanted to appear when they were all together; consequently, he waited until evening, so that those who had been at various places during the day would be found together in the evening, when they gathered together.

Second, our Lord appeared to strengthen and comfort them. And so he chose a time when they would be more afraid and in need of comfort and strength; this was in the evening: God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble (Ps 46:1).

There is also a mystical reason: for at the end of the world our Lord will appear to the faithful in the middle of the night when the cry is heard that the bridegroom is coming to reward them. And when evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to the steward: call the laborers and pay them their wages (Matt 20:8).

2525. The day Christ appeared was the very day on which he arose, for it was the evening that same day, the first day of the week, Sunday, concerning which, it is said, **on the first day of the week **(John 20:1).

In what way it is said, the first day of the week, has already been explained.

From the Gospels we can see that our Lord appeared five times on that day: once to Magdalene alone, which we just considered, and again to her when she was returning to the disciples with the other women, when they approached and held our Lord’s feet (Matt 28:9). The third time was to the two disciples on the road to Emmaus (Luke 24:13). The fourth time was to Simon Peter; but how, when or where he appeared we do not know, but just that he appeared: the Lord has risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon (Luke 24:34). The fifth time was when he appeared to all the disciples together in the evening, as John mentions here. This is the reason why we sing: this is the day which the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it (Ps 118:24).

We can also understand from these events that on the day of the general resurrection Christ will appear openly to all women, sinners, pilgrims, apostles and apostolic men, because every eye will see him, every one who pierced him (Rev 1:7).

2526. The place is described as having the doors shut. The literal reason for this being that it was late, during the night, and also for fear of the Jews. From Christ’s point of view the doors were shut so he could show them his power by entering through closed doors.

2527. Regarding this point, some say that to enter through closed doors is a property of the glorified body. They say that due to some inherent property in a glorified body, it can be simultaneously present in the same place as another body. Thus, this is accomplished without a miracle.

But this position cannot stand, for the fact that a non-glorified human body cannot be simultaneously in the same place as another body is due to its very nature. Consequently, if the glorified body has an inherent ability to be in a place occupied at the same time by another body, it must be because it lacks the property which now prevents this in the case of a non-glorified body. But this latter property cannot be separated or destroyed from a body, since it is not a mathematical bulk, as they say, but the very dimensions of the quantified body through which it has a local position. Thus the Philosopher, when he argues against those who posit ideas and matter, asserts that even on the assumption that the entire region above the earth is a vacuum, no sense-perceptible body could exist there in the same place as another body because of their quantitative dimensions. Now no property of a glorified body can remove the dimensions from a body and have it still remain a body. Thus we should say that Christ did this miraculously, by the power of his divinity, and that whenever something similar happens with the saints, it is miraculous and requires a new miracle. Augustine and Gregory teach this explicitly. Augustine says: do you want to know how Christ could enter through closed doors? If you understood how, it would not be a miracle. Where reason falls, faith instructs. And he adds: he was able to enter with the doors shut, who was born without his mother’s virginity being taken away. So, just as Christ’s leaving the womb of his virgin mother was a miracle of his divine power, so was his entering through closed doors.

2528. In the mystical interpretation we can understand that Christ appears to us when our doors, that is, our external senses, are closed in prayer: but when you pray, go into your room and shut the door (Matt 6:6). It is also a reminder that at the end of the world those who are prepared will be admitted to the marriage feast, and then the door will be shut (Matt 25:10).

2529. We should imitate the conduct of the apostles, for they are described as gathered together. This too is not without its mystery: for Christ came when they were united together, and the Holy Spirit descended on them when they were united together, because Christ and the Holy Spirit are present only to those who are united in charity: for where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in the midst of them (Matt 18:20).

2530. Now three things are mentioned about the appearance of Christ:

the way he showed himself;

the greeting he gave them;

and the way he gave them definite evidence of his real presence.

2531. Christ showed that he was present with them beyond any doubt because Jesus came and stood in their midst. Jesus came, personally, as he had promised: I go away, and I come unto you (John 14:28). And he stood in their midst, so that each one could recognize him with certainty. Thus the Jews who did not know him are blamed: but there is one who stands in your midst, whom you do not know (John 1:26). Again, Jesus stood among them, the disciples, to show that he was human like them: with a garland of brethren around him, he was like a young cedar on Lebanon (Sir 50:12). Again, he stood in their midst, lowering himself, for he lived among them as one of them: if they make you master of the feast, do not exalt yourself; be among them as one of them (Sir 32:1); I am among you as one who serves (Luke 22:27). Also, he wanted to show that we ought to stand among the virtues: this is the way, walk in it; do not turn aside to the right or to the left (Isa 30:21). One who goes beyond the middle road of virtue goes to the right; one who falls short of the middle road goes to the left.

2532. He greets them with the words, peace be with you. It was necessary to say this because their peace was disturbed in many ways. Their peace with God was troubled; they had sinned against him, some by denying him, others by running away: you will all fall away because of me this night; for it is written, ‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered’ (Matt 26:31). To cure this Jesus offers them the peace of reconciliation with God: we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son (Rom 5:10), which he accomplished by his suffering.

Their peace with themselves was disturbed because they were depressed and hesitant in their faith. And he offers his peace to cure this: great peace have those who love your law (Ps 119:165).

Their peace with others was disturbed because they were being persecuted by the Jews. And to this he says, peace be with you, to counter the persecution of the Jews: peace I leave with you; my peace I give unto you (John 14:27).

2533. Jesus gives them sure proof that it is really himself by showing them his hands and side. When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side, because in them the marks of his passion remained in a special way: see my hands and my feet, that it is I myself (Luke 24:39). And when in glory he will show himself in the same way: if anyone love me, he will keep my word (John 14:23), and I will manifest myself to him (John 14:21).

2534. Now the effect of his appearance is mentioned: this was the joy in the hearts of the disciples when they saw the Lord, as he had promised: I will see you again, and your heart will rejoice (John 16:22). This joy will be complete for the good in their native land, when they have the clear vision of God: you will see and your heart will rejoice; and your bones will flourish like the grass (Isa 66:14).

2535. Now he charges the apostles with their ministry:

first, he grants them the bond of peace;

second, he charges them, as the Father has sent me.

2536. He said therefore to them again: peace be with you. He said this to counter a twofold anxiety. The first time he said, peace be with you, was to combat the anxiety caused by the Jews; but when he said the second time, peace be with you, this was to deal with the anxiety to come from the gentiles: in me you may have peace. In the world you will have distress (John 16:33). He said this because they were about to be sent to the gentiles.

2537. Accordingly, Jesus immediately enjoins them, as the Father has sent me, I also send you. This shows that he is the intermediary between us and God: there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus (1 Tim 2:5). This was a source of strength for the disciples: for they recognized the authority of Christ, and knew that he was sending them by divine authority. They were also strengthened because they recognized their own dignity, the dignity of being apostles; for an apostle is one who is sent.

As the Father has sent me, I also send you: that is, as the Father, who loves me, sent me into the world to suffer for the salvation of the faithful, for God did not send his Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through him (John 3:17), so I, who love you, send you to undergo suffering for my name, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves (Matt 10:16).

2538. Jesus makes them adequate for their task by giving them the Holy Spirit, God, who has qualified us to be ministers of a New Covenant, not in a written code but in the Spirit (2 Cor 3:6).

Whence follows, when he had said this, he breathed on them. In this giving of the Spirit, he first grants them a sign of this gift, which is, that he breathed on them. We see something like this in Genesis, when God breathed into his nostrils the breath of life (Gen 2:7), namely natural life, which the first man corrupted, but Christ repaired this by giving the Holy Spirit.

We should not suppose that this breath of Christ was the Holy Spirit; it was a sign of the Spirit. So Augustine says, in On the Trinity: this bodily breath was not the substance of the Holy Spirit, but a fitting sign that the Holy Spirit proceeds not just from the Father but also from the Son.

2539. Note that the Holy Spirit was sent over Christ, first, in the appearance of a dove, at his baptism (John 1:32), and then in the appearance of a cloud, at his transfiguration (Matt 17:5). The reason for this is that the grace of Christ, which is given by the Holy Spirit, was to be distributed to us by being proliferated through the sacraments. Consequently, at Christ’s baptism the Holy Spirit descended in the form of a dove, which is an animal known for its fecundity; through teaching, the Spirit descended in a luminous cloud. That Christ is seen to be a teacher, listen to him (Matt 17:5). The Spirit descended over the apostles the first time through a breath to indicate the proliferation of grace through the sacraments, whose ministers they were. Thus Christ said, whose sins you will forgive, they are forgiven them: go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit (Matt 28:19).

The second time the Spirit descended on them in tongues of fire to indicate the proliferation of grace through teaching; and so we read in Acts that right after they were filled with the Holy Spirit they began to speak (Acts 2:4).

2540. We see the words used when the Spirit was given, receive the Holy Spirit.

But did they receive the Holy Spirit then? It seems not, for since Christ had not yet ascended, it was not fitting that he give gifts to us. Indeed, according to Chrysostom, there were some who said that Christ did not give them the Holy Spirit at that time, but prepared them for the future giving of the Spirit at Pentecost. They were brought to this opinion because Daniel could not endure his sight of an angel (Dan 10:8), and so these disciples could not have endured the coming of the Holy Spirit unless they had been prepared. But Chrysostom himself says that the Holy Spirit was given to the disciples, not for all tasks in general, but for a specific task, that is, to forgive sin. Augustine and Gregory say that the Holy Spirit has two precepts of love: love of God and of neighbor. Therefore, the Holy Spirit was given the first time on earth to indicate the precept of the love of neighbor; and the Spirit was given the second time from heaven to indicate the precept of the love of God.

2541. Third, we see the fruit of the gift, whose sins you will forgive, they are forgiven them. This forgiving of sins is a fitting effect of the Holy Spirit. This is so because the Holy Spirit is charity, and through him, charity is given to us: God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit which has been given to us (Rom 5:5). Now it is only through love that sins are forgiven, for love covers all offenses (Prov 10:12); love covers a multitude of sins (1 Pet 4:8).

2542. We can ask here why we read, whose sins you will forgive, they are forgiven them, for only God forgives sins? Some say that only God forgives the sin, while the priest absolves only from the debt of punishment, and pronounces the person free from the stain of sin.

This is not true: for the sacrament of penance, since it is a sacrament of the new law, gives grace, as does baptism. Now in the sacrament of baptism, the priest baptizes as an instrument, and yet he confers grace. It is similar in the sacrament of penance, the priest absolves from the sin and the punishment as a minister and sacramentally, insofar as he administers the sacrament in which sins are forgiven.

The statement that God alone forgives sins authoritatively is true. So also, only God baptizes, but the priest is the minister, as was said.

2543. Another question arises from the statements, receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you will forgive, they are forgiven them. It seems from this that one who does not have the Holy Spirit cannot forgive sins.

We should say about this that if the forgiveness of sins was the personal work of the priest, that is, that he did this by his own power, he could not sanctify anyone unless he himself were holy. But the forgiveness of sins is the personal work of God, who forgives sins by his own power and authority. The priest is only the instrument. Therefore, just as a master, through his servant and minister, whether good or bad, can accomplish what he wills, so our Lord, through his ministers, even if they are evil, can confer the sacraments, in which grace is given.

2544. Again, there is a question about, whose sins you will forgive, they are forgiven them.

We should say, as we already did, that in the sacraments the priest acts as a minister: this is how one should regard us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God (1 Cor 4:1). Thus, in the same way that God forgives and retains sins, so also does the priest. Now God forgives sins by giving grace, and he is said to retain by not giving grace because of some obstacle in the one who is to receive it. So also the minister forgives sins, insofar as he dispenses a sacrament of the Church, and he retains insofar as he accounts someone unworthy to receive the sacrament.