It is one of the most honest Easter questions a person can ask: If Jesus truly rose from the dead, why didn’t He appear to everyone?
On The Inner Life, a caller named Timothy raised that very concern. Why, he wondered, did Christ seem to appear only to the Apostles and disciples, rather than to the whole world? Wouldn’t that have made belief easier?
Father Sam Martin answered with both realism and faith. First, he noted that we do not know every person the risen Christ appeared to. Scripture tells us Jesus appeared to more than just the Twelve, including a group of 500 at one point. He also pointed to the dramatic conversion of Saul, later St. Paul, as powerful evidence that the risen Lord continued to reveal Himself even after the first Easter.
Still, Father Martin did not pretend the question is simple. Instead of appearing to the world all at once on a grand stage, Jesus formed a small group, then sent them out to make disciples. That was part of His divine pedagogy.
Most strikingly, Father Martin turned the question back toward the spiritual life. “It’s time for you and me to wrestle with these things,” he said. Faith is not forced. Each person must freely respond to the truth. And the fruits matter. Father Martin reflected that living the Catholic faith has made him “a little more childlike, a little more inclined to be grateful, a little more forgiving.” That, too, is evidence that Jesus is alive and still keeping His promises.
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