The Jesus who resurrected on Easter is not exactly the same Jesus who had entered Jerusalem a week earlier, maybe cleaned up a little after his Passion and somewhat rested from the ordeal; this is a Jesus completely changed in appearance and seen only by those who knew him and had some faith in him.  Those who do see him report his return, but even most of those who had known him and had faith in him did not believe what they heard from the others about the continuing – although different – presence of the risen Christ. 

And then there is us.  Do we believe in Christ at all, even if we don’t see him?  Certainly somewhat, but do we also believe that he is alive now and still at work to offer healing, forgiveness, hope, and life to all who seek him?  We find it hard – at least at times – to trust and to believe, but besides simply having faith we must also seek Jesus as he now is: he is completely changed in appearance and is alive in the beggar, the braggart, the person who follows a different political star than I do, and even in the members of our families.  Do I find him there, love and serve him there, grow as I search for him, find him again, and then go on to find him in still other people and situations? 

If we don’t try to do that, and I mean to really put forth an effort in practical and personal terms, if we just bear a dead faith, simply a repetition of only what we learned in catechism and can speak about only in those terms, we certainly won’t be successful in finding Christ where he is in the world today, not even in our own selves, and Christ will not be able to send us forth as he does the Eleven at the end of today’s Gospel reading.