God Bless,
J
Homily – 2012 Year B – 2nd Sunday Easter
First Act4-32-35
Psalm Psalm
117New 1 John 5:1-6
Gospel John 20:19-31
I
am sure you don't want a half hour homily from me today, but with so
much to talk about just from today's Gospel reading I could easily
talk for 30 minutes or considerably longer. You will, I am sure, be
pleased to know that this will be a normal length homily because I am
not going to talk about Jesus breathing the holy spirit into the
disciples, I am not going to talk about the institution of confession
and the forgiveness of sins. I am not going to talk about Jesus
sending out the disciples to continue His work, as He himself had
been sent. I am not going to talk about why these were probably the
original last words of John's Gospel, and that chapter 21 was added
later. If you want to know about those things ask me after Mass, or
drop me an email.
Who
I want to talk to you about today is a hero and role model of mine,
“doubting” Thomas. St. Thomas is remembered for his lack of
faith, for doubting the resurrection. In some way you are left
feeling that Thomas wasn't as strong as the other disciples, that his
faith was weak. But while I think we can learn something from Thomas'
mistakes his doubt was not a mistake but something we all have and
was one of Thomas' strengths.
Thomas
was a brave and faithful servant. He was the disciple that believed
if Jesus went to Jerusalem he would be killed, but he went with him
anyway. John tells us just before they headed to Jerusalem that
Thomas said “Let us go too, and die with him.”John
11:16
Thomas expected to die with Jesus, when he didn't he must have been
left lost and confused. I see something quite human in Thomas, a
strong man able to do things himself, able to make up his own mind on
matters, not often needing or even knowing how to accept help from
others. Also, from the fact that he wasn't in the room with the other
disciples, we might guess that Thomas preferred to be alone to work
through his grief and confusion. This I think was Thomas' only
mistake, he left the fellowship of the church just when he needed it,
and as a result he missed something very special. He missed Christ's
first visit.
By
missing that visit, Thomas has to take the word of his friends as
proof of the resurrection, and he struggles to do this. It is this
struggle we hear of today, and it's this struggle we all go through
from time to time. Thomas lets us know it's all right to ask
questions, to think about our faith, and when we doubt to challenge.
It
is difficult to have faith in today's world. It's a busy complex
world where information conflicts and experts disagree. We see so
much of the world on a thousand TV channels and a billion internet
sites but we witness so little of it first hand, it's difficult to
know what to believe. Atheism is establishing itself as a religion,
strong belief in the absence of God, no room for doubt, no room for
questions about the unknown. To survive in today's world we have to
question and challenge, it's good to doubt the facts, it's good to
ask questions so we can make our own minds up.
Even
here in this church, how strong is your faith, what do you really
believe. In a few moments when we all say the creed together will you
be confidently affirming your faith, strong in the knowledge that you
understand and wholeheartedly believe ever word you say. Or will you
be concentrating on getting the knew words right, just reading what
is on the card in front of you?
The
church, Our Church, is a great teacher, a great communicator. We, as
that church, are called to spread the good news, the Easter joy of
resurrection. Are you ready to do that, is your faith strong enough?
Or do you have doubts? Doubts are OK if you take Thomas as your
example, your guide, your mentor.
Follow
his example, if you don't understand, if you can't believe something
just because someone says so, then ask questions. But also look to
what happened when Thomas got his answers. When he believed his first
words were “My Lord and my God”. With that strength of belief
Thomas served Christ for the rest of his days, non-scriptural texts
of the time trace Thomas' mission to India and the building of
Christ’s kingdom there among both kings and poor alike.
I
started by telling you what I could have talked about but didn't and
encouraging you to ask me if you wanted to know more. Now taking
Thomas as your example I challenge you to explore your faith,
challenge your doubts, and ask questions and most of all find
answers.
Don’t'
let your doubts separate you from Christ, be prepared to place your
hand into his wounds, be brave, be prepared to believe.