SECOND SUNDAY OF EASTER (SUNDAY OF DIVINE MERCY) – C
Acts 5:12-16
Revelation 1:9-13,17-19
John 20:19-31
Thomas gets a bum rap. Oooh, Doubting Thomas, boo, hiss: but doubt is not a bad thing. If you think about it the opposite of belief is not doubt but certainty. Two plus two equals four. I don’t have to believe it because I am certain of it. However, most of life requires belief, faith, not certainty. I must have faith that when going through the intersection after the light turns green that the car coming on the cross street won’t T-bone me – but am I certain about it, no. The astronauts sitting on top of the rocket getting ready to blast into space have faith that the billion or so parts (each of which, by the way, went to the lowest bidder) will work as intended and get them home again. Tommy has faith that if he plants the right seeds, waters them and weeds them that in a few weeks he’ll have a rich harvest of tomatoes and peppers and onions. Having doubt in one’s belief can be a good thing in our perilous world. It makes you cautious when driving, double checking your work when unsure, taking precautions in the garden in case of a cold snap. Did you ever notice the most important words in the world – “I love you” – require faith? Those words do not produce certainty but instead become something we believe with all our heart. Spouses have to believe they are loved. Children must believe they are loved. Belief, not certainty is what makes love possible. Having faith makes life worth living.
The doubts of Thomas make sense. Just because other people told him, doesn’t mean he should believe it. Their story was, after all, rather far-fetched. He had just seen Jesus cruelly executed. He was supposed to believe he was alive just because of the hysterical opinions of his clearly overwrought companions. Thomas’ doubts are not what is most interesting but rather how he chose to resolve those doubts. Thomas knew that talk was cheap, that belief is more than words. Belief must be based on action, on something concrete. Couples believe the “I love yous” when they are accompanied by care and concern and communication and consolation and compassion. Children believe their parents “I love you” because they are nourished and nurtured, cherished and treasured. It is no wonder, then, that Thomas wanted to see something concrete that where he could place his belief. “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands and put my finger into the nail marks and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.”
Thomas would only believe when he could touch the wounds. Jesus had famously asked this disciples, “Who do you say that I am?” Peter spoke for the group when he recognized Jesus as the “Christ, son of the Living God.” He said that because he had concrete evidence. Jesus had cured the sick, he had raised the dead, he had multiplied the loaves and fish, he had changed water into wine, he had walked on water, he had preached to thousands, he had taught the good news, he had welcomed sinners, he had been transfigured before them. When things were going well, the disciples came to believe. But when things go from bad to worse belief wavered. That Thomas doubted is human nature. When one party in a relationship feels misunderstood and misused it is hard to believe the “I love you.” When a child is chided and punished they can wonder what “I love you” means. Thomas was right to think that the only way to restore belief, the only way to have faith was a concrete action. The death of Jesus made Thomas doubt. Until he could confront that doubt head on it would not be possible for him to believe again.
Doubting Thomas might be the patron saint of our age. Modern Americans certainly are a skeptical people, now more than ever. In 2000 almost half of Catholics attended Church regularly. Currently only one third do. And it is the younger age cohorts that attend the least. We don’t practice as previous generations did. There are plenty of reasons why but I think they all can be summed up in “I don’t get anything out of it anymore.” That does not mean that people have lost their hunger for the spiritual dimension in life. Human beings are made for more and we know instinctively that there is a truth, a reality which is more than what is right in front of us. They want to believe in something but many people nowadays don’t see Church, religion, Bible and catechism connecting with their life. People want less presentation and more presence, less head and more heart, less beatitude and more belonging.
Thomas came up with the right strategy. If you want to come to belief, you must touch the wounds. If you want to know who God is, if you want to understand how God works, if you want to be part of the plan of God, if you want to experience God’s presence in your life, you must touch God’s wounds. We must touch the wounds in our own hearts and find there that God is loving us no matter what we have done or what has been done to us. We must touch the wounds in our families where despite the best of intentions we have managed to fritter away the love of those closest to us through anger and resentment. We must touch the wounds of our society where the sick, the poor, the homeless, the lonely, the depressed, the dying all have a claim on us since they are a manifestation of the wounded Christ. Jesus told Thomas to touch his wounds and “do not be unbelieving but believe.” This Easter season reminds us that it was not the successful Jesus of miracles but the wounded Jesus of the cross who rose on Easter. Only when we touch the wounds can we believe that Jesus is truly risen.
