Important Dates in the Lives of Jesus and Mary 

Those Who Saw and Those Who Believed 

    The first appearance to the Apostles, on the evening of the first day of the Resurrection, is described in the 

Gospel of Luke in verses 36 and following (Lk 24:36ff). At this point in time, some of the Apostles still did not 

believe that Jesus had risen from the dead; they considered whether they might be seeing a ghost (Lk 24:37). 

Not all of the Apostles reacted this way, as is clear from the earlier statement in Luke's Gospel:   `The Lord 

has risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon!'   (Lk 24:34). Clearly the Apostle Peter believed in the 

Resurrection of Jesus Christ, even before Christ appeared to the Apostles that first evening. 

     Then the other disciple, who reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; for as yet they 

did not know the scripture, that he must rise from the dead.  (Jn 20:8 9). 

    The Apostle and Gospel writer John also believed in the Resurrection before seeing the risen Christ (Jn 

20:8). Verse 9 does not mean that John and Peter disbelieved in the Resurrection, but only that they had not 

understood references to the Resurrection of Christ in Sacred Scripture (Jn 20:9). Their belief was, at that time, 

based on seeing the tomb and grave clothes, and not based on their understanding of Sacred Scripture. Until 

that time, they had not understood what Sacred Scripture foretold about the Resurrection of Christ. If they had 

understood, they would have been expecting the Resurrection, but not so. 

    Blessed Anne Catherine says that John and Peter understood the meaning of Sacred Scripture concerning 

the Resurrection only after they saw the empty tomb and empty grave clothes.  John instantly believed in the 

Resurrection, and they both understood clearly the words addressed to them by Jesus before his Passion, as 

well as the different passages in Scripture relating to that event, which had until then been incomprehensible to 

them. 

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 Once they saw the evidence of the empty tomb and the empty grave clothes, they both believed in 

the Resurrection (because of what they saw) and, finally understood the references to the Resurrection in 

Sacred Scripture. 

    Even though Peter and John believed, many of the other Apostles, by the end of that same day, still did not 

believe in the Resurrection. That is why Jesus showed them His hands and His feet, invited them to touch 

Him, and ate something in front of them (Lk 24:38 43). Jesus showed those Apostles who did not yet believe 

that He had truly risen from the dead and was not merely a spirit. The Gospel of John tells us that when Jesus 

appeared again on the eighth day of the Resurrection, He spoke similarly to Thomas and showed him His 

wounds, inviting Thomas to touch His wounds (Jn 20:26 29). However, the description given by the Gospel of 

Luke (Lk 24:36 43), in which Jesus also shows His wounds to the Apostles, occurred on the evening after the 

Resurrection (Sunday evening). The Gospel of John tells us that Jesus showed His wounds to the Apostles that 

first Sunday, when Thomas was absent (Jn 20:20). Then, on the following Sunday, Jesus showed again His 

wounds specifically to Thomas (Jn 20:24 29). The Apostles were startled and frightened at the appearance of 

Christ (Lk 24:37), because this occurred on Resurrection Sunday and was the first appearance of Jesus to most 

of them. Also, many of the Apostles at this point in time did not yet believe in the Resurrection, so Jesus 

invited them to touch Him as proof to them of His Resurrection. If this description was of the second 

appearance to the Apostles (as a group) on the eighth day after the Resurrection, they would not have been as 

startled and frightened and disbelieving, because they would have seen Jesus on the previous Sunday and 

would have had a week to take it all in. 

    The next passage of the Gospel of Luke, however, may have taken place the following Sunday,  on the 

eighth day of the Resurrection. This section begins with the words,  Then he said to them .  (Lk 24:44). At 

first glance, it might seem that this discourse is a continuation of the previous verses, but the word  Then  

does not imply immediacy. The use of the word  then  in Sacred Scripture tells us that one event occurred 

after another one event occurred,  then  a second event occurred. But the second event does not necessarily 

follow the first by only a few seconds or minutes. 

    A clear example of this use of the word `then' to indicate order, but not immediacy, is found a few verses 

further in the Gospel of Luke.  Then he led them out as far as Bethany, and lifting up his hands he blessed 

them. While he blessed them, he parted from them and was carried up into heaven.  (Lk 24:50 51). After 

describing the words of Jesus to the Apostles (Lk 24:36 43 and 44 49), the Gospel of Luke uses the word 

 then  to begin the description of the Ascension of Jesus into Heaven. Even though the word  then  is used, 

we know that the Ascension did not occur that same day, neither on the Sunday of Jesus' first appearance to 

the Apostles, nor on the following Sunday. There were further appearances of Jesus to the Apostles and 

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