Second Sunday of Easter In our Gospel text today we are told the story of the Apostle Thomas who refused to believe that Christ had risen from the dead. His fellow Apostles tried to convince him that Jesus had actually risen from the dead but Thomas replies to them that unless he can put his finger into the holes the nails have made he will not believe.
Of course we know very well how some time afterwards Jesus makes another appearance and invites Thomas to place his finger into those very holes and of how Thomas replied with the most memorable phrase, ‘My Lord and my God.’ These beautiful words indicating the most profound belief in Christ’s resurrection echo down through the ages in the Church and they are often to be found on the lips of the faithful at the moment of the elevation in the mass. Seeing the precious elements of the Eucharist changed into the Body and Blood of Christ there could be no words more appropriate to put on our lips than those of Thomas the Apostle, ‘My Lord and my God.’ You will notice in the first part of the reading that Christ introduces himself to the startled Apostles with the words, ‘Peace be with you.’ These words frequently occur in the Gospels whenever the Risen Lord makes an appearance. Sometimes he says, ‘Do not be afraid,’ which amounts to the same thing more or less.
I think that these words are obviously meant to tell the Apostles not to be alarmed at what they are seeing; but surely they also mean much more than this. What is being said is that the gift of the Risen Lord is one of profound peace to all those who believe. Knowing and believing that Christ has risen from the dead completely changes us. It opens up a whole new avenue of understanding and faith. Believing in the resurrection doesn’t stop with the bare fact of a risen body but leads to a most profound understanding of the salvation that Christ by means of his resurrection has won for us. Belief that Christ is risen leads directly to belief in heaven, belief in the forgiveness of sins, belief in the communion of saints, belief in the power and efficacy of the Eucharist and numerous other important elements of the Christian Faith. Accepting the doctrines and beliefs of the Church brings us a profound satisfaction and contentment. Believing all that the Church believes means that our lives are filled with meaning and purpose. It brings us to an understanding of man and his place and role in the world.
It means that we appreciate how we are contaminated by sin but also of how we are redeemed through the saving death of Jesus. Our faith helps us to appreciate the meaning of our journey through this life on Earth and permits us to look forward with great joy and anticipation to the delights of life everlasting in heaven. Our beliefs help to keep us on the right track in life, enabling us to avoid sin and to establish firm moral principles. They help us to be outward looking, to have a sense of purpose and moral integrity. In short our beliefs help us to become responsible and loving citizens of this Earth; people who are therefore greatly valued by those around us. These beliefs and doctrines that flow directly from our faith in Christ’s resurrection give us a sense of purpose and a great confidence that we are living our lives in conformity with God’s will. But that does not mean that we are not on occasion troubled by doubt. Thomas the Apostle could be regarded as the patron saint of doubters. He wants practical proof, he wants to see with his own eyes and touch with his own fingers before he can come to faith in the Risen Lord. Often enough we find ourselves thinking in the same way. We too want proof, we don’t like everything depending on the strength of our own faith when so often we experience doubts about the beliefs of the Church.
Sometimes these doubts are about the rightness or wrongness of particular moral acts. We might think that the Church is being too strict in some areas or that it is out of touch with modern life. One of these areas that is drawing attention at the moment is the plight of those who are divorced and remarried and the bar on then receiving Holy Communion. This is one of the things being considered by the Synod on the Family to be held in Rome in October. I wouldn’t expect things to change very much except that there might be steps taken so that those who are divorced can more easily obtain an annulment if it is appropriate. The Church has to keep things in balance; it has to maintain fidelity to the words of Christ, ‘What God has joined, let no man put asunder,’ and be open to the problems and tensions of people living in the modern world. This is not easy but it is understandable that the Church looks more to the wisdom of Christ rather than to the demands of a secular society. After all it is Christ who understands the human heart better than anyone else; it is he who knows what is truly good for us.
Just because something is difficult that does not mean it is bad; on the contrary it is only by doing things that are difficult that we achieve true greatness. Doubts can also occur about some other areas of doctrine. Sometimes these doubts are more like temptations such as the temptation to believe that Christ is not the Son of God; that he has no power or that belief in him is useless. These doubts can be difficult to deal with. They come into our minds at unexpected moments and try to lead us away from Christ and his Church. We should realise that such temptations come from the Evil One and their purpose is to destroy our faith, disrupt our attendance at mass and decrease our devotion to prayer.
In such difficult moments it is good to call on the assistance of St Thomas asking him to help strengthen our faith. We may feel that our faith is very weak and in some situations we find ourselves unable to resist persuasive arguments against it; frequently too we don’t feel strong enough to convince our children of the truths of the Gospel because we cannot find the right answers to their questions. In these situations we must remember that we are part of a greater whole. We belong to the Church and among its members there are people with varying degrees of faith, some very strong others very weak.
But our faith is shared and the weak are strengthened by those with more faith. We might sit in Church wondering about our own lack of faith but are then inspired by those around us who respond with a strong voice and who clearly believe very firmly. Faith is the common property of the members of the Church, it is shared and we all benefit from our collective beliefs. The final words of Jesus in today’s text should be a consolation to us all, ‘You believe because you can see me. Happy are those who have not seen and yet believe.’