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Gospel: John 20:24-29
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 Thomas said to them,
“Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands
and put my finger into the nailmarks
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.”
The Gospel of the Lord.
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As a priest, I often encounter people experiencing great highs or lows. Just a few days ago, for example, I celebrated a funeral in the morning and a double baptism that afternoon.
Within a matter of hours, I stood on either side of the spectrum of life – and, somehow, had to enter as deeply into one event as I did the other. In the words of Saint Paul, I was called to, “rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep.”
I’ve come to accept that life can be terribly bitter or incredibly sweet.
And God is present in it all.
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In today’s Gospel, the Risen Lord appears to Thomas and the other disciples. But Jesus is not only alive again; he is also wounded. Not in a bloody sense, but he still bears the marks of his crucifixion.
His wounds are so real that Jesus invites Thomas to slide his finger into his warm, scarred, and punctured flesh. “Do not be unbelieving,” he says, “but believe.”
This same Jesus, who was once dead, is now alive again!
But why does he still bear his scars?
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Perhaps to teach us an important lesson – that life is bittersweet. Each of us in our own way will experience both Good Friday and Easter Sunday.
And God is present in it all.
Mysteriously, in Christ, life and death have merged; suffering and glory have become inextricably linked; the human and divine live in harmony.
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Wherever we may be on our journeys – a high, a low, or someplace in between – trust the Lord is present. As Jesus says to Thomas, “Peace be with you… Do not be unbelieving, but believe.”
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Image credits: (1) Doubting Thomas, Caravaggio (2) Twinkl (3) Diocese of Lansing