By Hilary Scheppers

The Gospel Today

“It is my Father’s will that whoever sees the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and that I should raise that person up on the last day.”  ~John 6:40

The Gospel today is to believe in Him, and you shall have eternal life. But how do we believe? Well, an obvious solution would be to find proof. People go looking for Jesus’ body. They need evidence of His resurrection. They need evidence to believe.

 And as the Easter season continues, we are still looking for evidence of our Risen Lord. Like Thomas, we can be determined to “find” Christ in the material world: “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe” (John 20:25).

 Looking for Evidence

A couple of years ago, I spent some months volunteering in the southeastern region of Peru. I went with a group of university professors, wildlife scientists and veterinary or zoology students, to research the parrots and assist in conservation efforts, which meant we spent much of our time looking at birds (and other aspects of creation).

I was interested in looking for God’s hand in all things. I was looking for evidence of His presence in the river, on the horizon, in the awfully large cicadas that fell onto my head in the night. I’d walk the trails and climb the trees, observing everything.

Yet, throughout, I wondered how I would find evidence of Christ. He seemed more difficult to prove. How does Jesus and His truth fit into this wilderness? And as someone who was surrounded by scientific reasoning, it seemed ludicrous to have a belief in something unobserved.

Observing Christ

It seems like we have been given a difficult task to trust and believe, especially in a time of global sickness. But we are Easter people who have heard of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection. We can observe Jesus’ mystery, and we can come to know Him.

 Just like the scientists who come to know birds through deep observations, we can come to know Jesus through deep observation — of scripture and thanksgiving. Spending time in Adoration and God’s Word helps us to know Jesus. If we are struggling to believe, we can be turned around by the Word to trust Him with our life.

 When have you struggled to believe in Christ? How are you spending time in the mysteries?

Prayer after reading: Precious Lord, I believe Your ways are not our ways. I trust You with my life.

 

About the author:

Hilary Scheppers is a religious poet and writer from Minnesota. She holds an MFA in Writing from Sarah Lawrence College and a B.A. in Humanities/Theology from Loyola Marymount University. Her poetry and nonfiction appear or are forthcoming in Parabola, Apofenie, Breadcrumbs, and elsewhere. Her favorite bird is either the mourning dove or the oropendola.  Twitter: @hiloschpprs