Gospel John 20:19-31
On the evening of that first day of the week, when the doors were locked, where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, “Peace be with you.” When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained.” Thomas, called Didymus, one of the Twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples said to him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “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.” Now a week later his disciples were again inside and Thomas was with them. Jesus came, although the doors were locked, and stood in their midst and said, “Peace be with you.” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and see my hands, and bring your hand and put it into my side, and do not be unbelieving, but believe.”
Thomas answered and said to him, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus said to him, “Have you come to believe because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.”
Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples that are not written in this book. But these are written that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that through this belief you may have life in his name.
Homily
There have been a few occasions in my life when I have found it very difficult to forgive, the wound was too raw, the pain too great and yet when I found the strength to forgive and to reconcile I found a peace which I was missing. Forgiveness and reconciliation always brings peace. It was this peace which Jesus gave to his disciples when he appeared to them on the evening of that first day of the week, the evening of the resurrection. In doing this Jesus signaled to his disciples that he had forgiven them their cowardice and abandonment. Jesus was showing himself as the God of mercy and compassion.
It is that mercy and compassion which brings Jesus to the room where the disciples are hidden a second time. On this occasion, Thomas who was absent at the first appearance of Jesus to his disciples and had stated rather loudly his disbelief is now present. Again Jesus wishes his disciples and now with them Thomas, peace. Jesus then tells Thomas, “Put your finger here and see my hands, and bring your hand and put it into my side, and do not be unbelieving, but believe.” Thomas answered and said to him, “My Lord and my God!”
The question must now be asked; why did Thomas change his stance? It appears to me that Jesus was giving Thomas another message of love. Open wounds are very painful things, nerve ends are very raw. To put one’s finger into raw open wounds is to cause tremendous pain to the wounded person. In inviting Thomas to put his finger into the hole made by the nails and to put his hand into the wound made by the lance, Jesus is telling Thomas that he is willing to undergo further pain for his sake so that he might believe. Thomas is overtaken by this commitment to love for his sake and then proclaims the first act of faith of the post resurrection period; “My Lord and my God!”
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In this exchange with Thomas, Jesus proved once again that Mercy is his very nature.
This has tremendous implications for us as we go about fulfilling the commandment of Jesus to make disciples of all peoples and to teach them to observe all that he commanded.
Our task is to proclaim the good News of Jesus Christ who is the sacrament of the Father. The good news is that even though we are weak and sinful human beings, there is a God of love, a God who is merciful to us in spite of our transgressions. The gospel reading shows the mercy extended to the disciples who had abandoned Jesus during his passion and to Thomas who refused to believe. This mercy that we proclaim however is proclaimed not only by word of mouth but also in the relationships which we have with others. God’s mercy reaches others through our exercise of mercy. We must be willing, like Jesus, to love others even to the point of being willing to suffer for them if our suffering will be for their benefit.
This is how the saints lived. By their lives the mercy of God was made present to all they encountered. Because of the life of saints like Damian of Molokai, God’s mercy was experienced by the lepers of that island. Because of Bl. Teresa of Calcutta, many who were dying on the streets were able to die in dignity experiencing the love of God, and how many experienced the love and mercy of Christ through the love and mercy of our dear Archbishop Anthony Pantin.
As we celebrate Mercy Sunday, let us the present day disciples of Christ Jesus, commit ourselves to be merciful to all who surround us so that we too may experience the love and mercy of God.
Prayer
All powerful and ever loving God we thank you for this beautiful story of St. Thomas who was wise enough to recognize that true leaders must bear the mark of suffering. Help us your people, as we contemplate the new life won for us, to recognize that new life only comes at the cost of the cross. Help us to be grateful for the love given and give us the grace to accept suffering willingly so that others may experience new life. We ask this through the intercession of Mary the faithful disciple and Jesus your son. Amen
