Faith in the resurrection of Jesus has more to do with simply believing that He has come back to life. It means that He has overcome death forever. It is a belief that in His humanity He has moved to a state of existence that is beyond space and time. It means that we dispense with childish, earthbound images of Jesus as having a shiny body suspended somewhere in space, floating triumphantly somewhere between heaven and earth.
It is the Risen Christ who strengthens us in moments of temptation, who sustains us when our physical forces fail. And ultimately it is the Risen Christ who leads us through the gates of death to the fullness of new life with Him in the presence of the Father.
Faith gathers us together to contemplate the mystery of the Lord's resurrection and let it touch our minds and hearts. This special sense of community was very tangible in the apostolic church. We read about common living, sharing of goods, and a great concern that none of the believers should be abandoned or left in need. But it wasn't like this at first.
The Gospel tells us that Thomas was not with the others when Jesus first came to them after the Resurrection. The fact that the surviving members of the Twelve seem to have been paralyzed into inaction and are hiding together in a locked room makes us wonder where Thomas actually was. But we can be sure that he must have felt totally alone. Not even the fellowship of his companions could bring him comfort. When he finally rejoined the disciples, he needed proof. He just couldn’t bring himself to believe.
Suddenly Jesus stood before him, inviting him to touch his wounds. And then comes a challenge: "Blest are they who have not seen and have believed."
Thomas is our reminder that the journey of faith includes doubt and brokenness and that it was through his wounds, not in spite of them, that Jesus became identifiable to the disciples.
We like Thomas are called to touch Jesus’ wounds as a reminder of how many real physical wounds continue in our world — wounds of sickness and violence, of prejudice and sexism, of poverty and war. Our mission is not to escape the world but to confront the evil of the world and to bring God’s love and kingdom into the lives of the flesh and blood brothers and sisters with whom we share this planet.
Our woundedness is not to be hidden but to be shared. Our struggles are not to be denied but used to bring healing to others. For when we share our weakness, when we believe and touch, it can bring about the healing of our broken world and the unity that only the peace of Christ can give.
“Blessed are they who have not seen and yet believe,” What we believe is what we become.
Graphic: 'The Incredulity of St.Thomas' by Caravaggio ca.1601, at the Neues Palais, Potsdam
