Msgr. Pope on Why Christ Did Not Stay Continually with His Disciples after the Resurrection

"After Christ rose from the dead, He appeared to His disciples at certain places and times, but did not seem to stay with them continuously. On the first Easter Sunday, He appeared six times in rather rapid succession: first to Mary Magdalene, then to the women at the tomb, third as the women left the tomb, fourth to Peter, fifth to the two disciples going to Emmaus, and sixth to the ten Apostles in Jerusalem (when Thomas was not present). . . .

"In His public ministry, Jesus seemed to be with His disciples nearly all the time. However, after His Resurrection he would appear, converse, and teach, but then be absent from them bodily. For example, John 20:26 says that 'after eight days' Christ appeared to the disciples, suggesting that He was not otherwise present to them during that period.

"While it is true that we do not have an exact calendar of His appearances and not every appearance is necessary recorded, it seems apparent that the Lord was not constantly with the disciples during the forty days prior to His ascension.

"Why is this?"

In a recent commentary Charles Pope (pastor of Holy Comforter-Saint Cyprian Parish, Washington, DC) reflected on some of the reasons why "it was fitting that Christ was not with them continuously during the forty days prior to the ascension."

To access Msgr. Pope's complete post, please visit:

Community in Mission: Why Did Christ Not Stay Continually With His Disciples After the Resurrection? (4 APR 24)