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Joseph G. Donders tells a story like this; some days ago I read a story about a man who was so alone and lonely that nobody ever shook his hands, patted his shoulders, gave him a friendly push in the ribs, hugged, or even touched him.

The Holy Spirit abides in each of us. In my mind at least there are two aspects to this concept of abiding. That we recognize and acknowledge that spirit of God is within and around each of us. This is one aspect of what I’ve been saying around the summary of the law the two commandments. Not so much worrying about loving God as receiving the love of God. And so, opening our hearts and spirits to receive the spirit abiding in and around us.

I don’t know if I was the only one, but when I was growing up and approaching adulthood chronologically, I was under the impression and looking for some sort of switch that would occur in me it would turn me from teenager without any responsibility into a responsible adult.

I don’t know about you, but I don’t like big change, and I always feel a sense of sadness and abandonment when a person or family who are involved and have roles leave and move away or die. And yes, it is also in personal life as well.

A certain medieval monk announced he would be preaching next Sunday evening on “The Love of God.” As the shadows fell and the light ceased to come in through the cathedral windows, the congregation gathered. In the darkness of the altar, the monk lighted a candle and carried it to the crucifix.

You do not believe because you do not belong to my sheep. I don’t know if I’m the only one, but this feels like Jesus is playing the exclusion game, who is in and who is not. In some way it feels like a circular argument.

Last week the disciples were huddled in the upper room behind locked doors out of fear, this week they are trying to put their lives back together after their world has come to an end. The person they’ve been following all this time thinking he was the Messiah is now dead. The only thing they know to do is to try to put back together their lives the way they were before Jesus came along.

Today’s Gospel reading continues with the resurrected Jesus appearing to his disciples. Our Gospel story is twofold: it is a story about frightened disciples hiding behind the locked doors of the Upper Room where they had last felt safe and loved only a few nights earlier, when they had shared the Last Supper with Jesus. The locked doors were also symbolic of their fear.

The story continues the resurrection, but it doesn’t end there with the message of eternal life there is more to that. There are four things that happened of significance in today’s gospel. Jesus calls Mary by name. He tells her not to hold onto him. He asks her to do something and she does it.