(Image depicting Jesus, Thomas, Mary Magdalene and Disciples was generated by AI)
Welcome:
Presider:
Welcome, beloved community.
On this Second Week of Easter, we gather in the presence of the Risen Christ—
not as strangers to the mystery,
but as seekers, as questioners, as companions on the journey.
Today, we are invited into a sacred encounter.
The Risen Christ comes among us and speaks these tender, powerful words:
“Come… touch… see…”
Come—just as you are, with your hopes and your fears.
Touch—the places in your life that long for healing and hope.
See—the presence of divine love alive within you and among us.
Here, like Thomas…
like Mary Magdalene…
like all the disciples…
We are invited to encounter Love that still bears wounds—
and yet lives.
Come. Touch. See.
Amen. Alleluia.
Gathering Song: “All Are Welcome” – Marty Haugen
https://youtu.be/qRcdtSrHzp0
Greeting
Presider:Bridget Mary
In the name of the Holy One—
our Creator, Christ, and Spirit—
who comes through locked doors
and breathes peace into our lives.
All:
Amen.
Transformation Rite
When fear closes our hearts like locked doors—
and we struggle to trust your presence:
All:
Risen Christ, breathe your peace into us.
Presider:
When doubt weighs heavily on us—
and we feel uncertain in our faith:
All:
Risen Christ, meet us with compassion.
Presider:
When we fail to recognize you
in those who are wounded or excluded:
All:
Risen Christ, open our eyes and hearts.
Presider:
When we carry wounds—past or present—
that need healing and hope:
All:
Risen Christ, transform our pain into new life
Gloria
Glory to God in the highest,
and peace to God’s people on earth… (or sung version)
https://youtu.be/udjH7EON5IY
Opening Prayer: Jeanne
Presider:
Let us pray:
God of resurrection and new beginnings,
you meet us in our doubt
and call us into deeper faith.
Breathe your Spirit upon us,
that we may become a community of peace,
a people of compassion,
and a living sign of your presence in the world.
May we – like Thomas – come- touch and see.
All:
Amen.
LITURGY OF THE WORD
Reader:Pat Ferkenhoff
First Reading Acts 12: 5-16
Many signs and wonders were done among the people
at the hands of the apostles.
They were all together in Solomon’s portico.
None of the others dared to join them, but the people esteemed them.
Yet more than ever, believers in Jesus,
great numbers of men and women, were added to them.
Thus they even carried the sick out into the streets
and laid them on cots and mats
so that when Peter came by,
at least his shadow might fall on one or another of them.
A large number of people from the towns
in the vicinity of Jerusalem also gathered,
bringing the sick and those disturbed by unclean spirits,
and they were all cured.
These are the sacred words in the Acts of the Apostles and we respond to them by saying: Thanks be to God.
Responsorial : “Be Strong” by the Martins
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xCfkruqYCWI&t=190s
Second Reading: Bob Ferkenhoff
“Blessed Are Those Who Dare to Touch”
(A Contemporary Feminist Reflection for the Second Week of Easter inspired by the Gospel of John 20:24–29 in the spirit of Elisabeth Schüssler Fiorenza and Elizabeth A. Johnson)
Thomas has often been called “the doubter,”
but perhaps that name tells us more about our discomfort with questions
than it does about Thomas himself.
In a feminist reading of this Gospel,
Thomas is not weak in faith—
he is courageous in desire.
He refuses secondhand belief.
He refuses to rely on the testimony of others—
even the gathered community—
until he can encounter the Risen Christ for himself.
And Jesus does not shame him.
Jesus meets him.
In patriarchal systems, questioning has often been discouraged—
especially among those whose voices were already marginalized:
women, the poor, those outside the circle of power.
But in the Gospel, questioning is holy.
As Elisabeth Schüssler Fiorenza reminds us,
discipleship is not passive obedience—it is engaged, critical, living faith
within a community of equals.
Thomas embodies this.
He stands in the tradition of all who have said:
“I need to see. I need to touch. I need to know this truth in my body.”
And Jesus responds with radical openness.
“Put your finger here…
Reach out your hand…”
This is not a distant, disembodied resurrection.
This is a wounded, risen Christ
who invites intimacy,
who honors experience,
who trusts the seeker.
Elizabeth A. Johnson writes of the living God as one who meets us in the fullness of our humanity—
not in spite of our questions,
but within them.
Thomas becomes, then, a model of faith—not its failure.
He teaches us that:
Faith is not certainty—it is relationship.
Faith is not silence—it is honest seeking.
Faith is not submission—it is encounter.
And perhaps most importantly:
Thomas stands alongside Mary Magdalene,
the Samaritan woman,
and all the others whose witness came through experience.
In a Church that has often privileged authority over encounter,
Thomas reminds us:
No one owns the Risen Christ.
Each person is invited to touch, to see, to believe.
These are the sacred words adopted from the writings of Elizabeth Johnson and Elisabeth Schussler Fiorena and we respond by saying:
All: Thanks be to God
Alleluia (Eightfold) – Jan Phillips shortened
https://youtu.be/IC4nbwmQDVw
Gospel: Jeanne
On the evening of that first day of the week,
when the doors were locked, where the disciples were,
for fear of the Jews,
Jesus came and stood in their midst
and said to them, “Peace be with you.”
When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side.
The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord.
Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you.
As the Father has sent me, so I send you.”
And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them,
“Receive the Holy Spirit.
Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them,
and whose sins you retain are retained.”
Thomas, called Didymus, one of the Twelve,
was not with them when Jesus came.
So the other disciples said to him, “We have seen the Lord.”
But he said to them,
“Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands
and put my finger into the nail marks
and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.”
Now a week later his disciples were again inside
and Thomas was with them.
Jesus came, although the doors were locked,
and stood in their midst and said, “Peace be with you.”
Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and see my hands,
and bring your hand and put it into my side,
and do not be unbelieving, but believe.”
Thomas answered and said to him, “My Savior and my God!”
Jesus said to him, “Have you come to believe because you have seen me?
Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.”
Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples
that are not written in this book.
But these are written that you may come to believe
that Jesus is the Messiah, the Only Begotten, so that through this faith you may have life in Jesus’ name. These are the sacred words in the Gospel of John and we respond to them by saying:
All: Thanks be to God
Homily: Bridget Mary Meehan
There is a moment in today’s Gospel that I find deeply moving.
Thomas says, in essence:
“I will not believe unless I can touch.”
For centuries, he has been labeled “Doubting Thomas.”
But I believe Thomas is not doubting—
Thomas is honest.
He is honest about his longing.
Honest about his grief.
Honest about his need for a real encounter with the Risen Christ.
And Jesus meets him there.
Not with judgment.
Not with correction.
But with invitation:
“Put your finger here…
Reach out your hand…”
This is the kind of God we believe in—
a God who welcomes our questions,
who honors our humanity,
who meets us in our longing.
From a feminist perspective, this matters deeply.
Because so many—especially women and those on the margins—
have been told not to question,
not to trust their own experience,
not to claim their voice.
But in the Gospel, we see something very different.
Mary Magdalene encounters the Risen Christ and becomes the first apostle to the apostles.
The Samaritan woman becomes an evangelist to her people.
And Thomas insists on his own experience—and is blessed in it.
As Elisabeth Schüssler Fiorenza describes it,
this is a movement of discipleship of equals.
Each person is invited into relationship with the Holy—directly, personally, fully.
And so today, Thomas becomes our teacher.
He shows us that faith is not about having all the answers.
It is about being willing to seek, to question, to encounter.
Where do we see this today?
We see it when someone dares to question a system that excludes.
We see it when a person reclaims their dignity after years of shame.
We see it when inclusive communities open their tables to all.
Each of these is a moment of resurrection.
So perhaps the invitation this week is not small at all—it is daring, it is transformative:
Do not be afraid of your questions.
They are holy.
Do not settle for secondhand faith.
You were created for encounter.
Trust your experience of the Holy One moving in your life—
in your wounds,
in your longings,
in your moments of awakening love.
For the Risen Christ is not locked in the past.
Christ is here—alive, breathing, present among us now.
Still speaking.
Still inviting.
Still calling each of us by name:
“Come…
Touch…
See…”
Touch the wounds of the world—
and discover they are places of grace.
See with new eyes—
and recognize Christ in every face, every struggle, every act of courage and compassion.
And when we dare to respond—
when we move from fear into trust,
from doubt into relationship,
We become resurrection people.
We become living sacraments of love.
And then, like Mary Magdalene, like Thomas,
we are sent—
not with certainty, but with fire in our hearts—
to proclaim with our lives:
Christ is here—
in us, among us, and working through us.
Amen. Alleluia.
Community Sharing: Where is the Risen Christ inviting us to come, touch and see?
Statement of Faith:
Bob F: and All:
We believe in the Holy One, a divine mystery
beyond all definition and rational understanding,
the heart of all that has ever existed,
that exists now, or that ever will exist.
We believe in Jesus, messenger of the Divine Word,
bringer of healing, heart of Divine compassion,
bright star in the firmament of the Holy One's
prophets, mystics, and saints.
We believe that We are called to follow Jesus
as a vehicle of divine love,
a source of wisdom and truth,
and an instrument of peace in the world.
We believe in the Spirit of the Holy One,
the life that is our innermost life,
the breath moving in our being,
the depth living in each of us.
We believe that the Divine kindom is here and now,
stretched out all around us for those
with eyes to see it, hearts to receive it,
and hands to make it happen.
Prayers of the Community
Pat F:
Loving God,
we pray for the Church,
that it may open locked doors
and welcome all as equals.
All:
Spirit of Peace, hear our prayer.
Pat:
For those who doubt, struggle, or feel excluded—
that they may encounter the living Christ in compassion.
All:
Spirit of Peace, hear our prayer.
Pat:
For a world wounded by violence and division—
that we may become bearers of reconciliation and hope.
All:
Spirit of Peace, hear our prayer.
Pat:
For all who suffer in body, mind, or spirit—
that they may know healing and peace.
All:
Spirit of Peace, hear our prayer.
Liturgy of the Eucharist
Preparation of the Gifts
Presider: Bridget Mary
Blessed are you, Holy One, through your goodness we have this bread to offer,
fruit of the earth and work of human hands.
It will become for us the Bread of Life.
All:
Blessed be God forever.
Presider: Jeanne
Blessed are you, Holy One, through your goodness we have this wine to offer,
fruit of the vine and work of human hands.
It will become our spiritual drink.
All:
Blessed be God forever.
Invitation to Prayer
Presider: Bob F
Pray, my sisters and brothers,
that our sharing in this sacred meal
may reveal the risen Christ alive among us.
All:
May our offering become a blessing for the world,
revealing God’s love, healing, and peace.
Prayer Over the Gifts
Presider: Pat F:
God of new life,
you come through locked doors
and breathe peace into our fear.
Receive these gifts
and transform them—
as you transform us—
into signs of your mercy and love in the world.
All:
Amen.
Eucharistic Prayer
Presider: Jeanne
The Holy One be with you.
All:
And also with you.
Presider: Jeanne
Lift up your hearts.
All:
We lift them up to the Holy One.
Presider:Jeanne
Let us give thanks to our loving God.
All:
It is right to give God thanks and praise
Preface: Bob and Pat alternate
Presider:
Loving God,
you are always with us,
even when fear closes our hearts
like locked doors.
In Jesus, the Risen Christ,
you come among us, saying, “Peace be with you.”
You breathe your Spirit into us
and send us forth as companions in healing and hope.
Even in our doubt—like Thomas—
you meet us with compassion, not judgment.
You invite us to touch your wounds
in the suffering of the world
and to recognize your presence
in our midst.
And so, with all creation,
we sing your praise:
Holy, Holy, Holy, New Denise Hackert Stoner
https://youtu.be/9XywpRw3OPw
All:
Holy, Holy, Holy One, God of love and life,
heaven and earth are full of your glory.
Hosanna in the highest.
Blessed are all who come in your name.
Hosanna in the highest.
Epiclesis (Calling Down the Spirit)
Presider Bridget Mary and all (with hands extended): Please join me in praying:
All: Holy One,
send your Spirit upon these gifts of bread and wine
and upon us, your people.
May they become for us
the Body of Christ,
alive in this community,
and the Blood of Christ,
the life poured out for all.
Institution Narrative
Presider and All:
On the night before he died,
Jesus gathered with his friends at table.
He took bread, blessed it, broke it, and gave it to them, saying:
All: “Take this, all of you, and eat.
This is my body, given for you.
Do this in memory of me.”
(Brief pause)
Presider Jeanne and All: After supper, he took the cup, gave thanks, and shared it, saying:
“Take this, all of you, and drink.
This is the cup of my love,
poured out for you and for all
for the healing of the world.
Do this in memory of me.”
Memorial Acclamation: The Mystery of Faith
Presider Jeanne and All:
Christ has died.
Christ is risen.
Christ lives among us now and forever.
Anamnesis and Offering
Presider: Bridget Mary
Remembering Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection,
we offer ourselves—
a people of peace,
a people of mercy,
a people sent forth to heal and to love.
Presider: Jeanne and All:
Through Christ, with Christ, in Christ,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
all glory and honor are yours,
Loving God, forever and ever.
All:
Amen.
Doxology - Great Amen Sung"
The Prayer of Jesus
Presider: Pat Ferkenhoff
Let us pray as Jesus taught us:
Pat Ferkenhoff and All:
Our Father and Mother,
who art in heaven,
hallowed be your name.
Your kin-dom come,
your will be done,
on earth as in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
and forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
Amen.
Sign of Peace : Bob Ferkenhoff
Presider:
The Risen Christ stands among us and says,
“Peace be with you.”
Let us share that peace with one another.
Breaking of the Bread
Presider:Jeanne
This is Jesus, the Bread of Life,
broken and shared for all.
All:
We are the Body of Christ.
Invitation to Communion
Presider: Bridget Mary
This is the table of love, not exclusion.
All are welcome here—
all who seek healing, peace, and hope.
All:
Amen.
Communion Song: There’s a Hidden Hallelujah
https://youtu.be/JOvXCb1h71w
Prayer After Communion
Presider: Jeanne
God of resurrection,
you have nourished us at this table
with the Bread of Life and the Cup of Love.
Send us forth
to be signs of your peace,
to touch the wounds of the world with compassion,
and to proclaim with our lives:
All:
“My Savior and my God!”
INTRODUCTIONS, THANKSGIVING, AND ANNOUNCEMENTS: Bridget Mary
Closing Blessing and Sending Forth
Presider:Jeanne
Like the disciples,
we have encountered the Risen Christ in this sacred gathering.
Now we are sent forth—
not as people who have all the answers,
but as people who carry peace,
and hope into the world.
Blessing
Presider (All raise hands in mutual blessing
Bridget Mary
May the Spirit of Love
empower you
to touch the wounds of the world with compassion,
to recognize Christ in every person,
and to be signs of healing and justice wherever you go.
All:
Amen
Final Blessing
Presider: Jeanne
And may the blessing of the Holy One—
Creator, Christ, and Holy Spirit—
be with you and remain with you always.
All:
Amen.
Sending Forth
Presider: Bridget Mary
Go in peace
to love and serve—
to question and to believe—
and to “come, touch and see.”
All:
Alleluia, alleluia!
Closing Song: This Little Light of Mine by Bruce Springsteen
https://youtu.be/R0qAYq1GVec ( begin at 23: and stop around 2:50)
