JOHN 20:19-31
WHEN I WAS A STUDENT AT CATHOLIC
UNIVERSITY IN WASHINGTON, D.C., WE ALL HAD TO TAKE COURSES IN
RELIGION. YOU COULD SAY THAT NO MATTER WHETHER YOUR WERE AN ENGLISH
MAJOR OR WORKING TOWARDS AN ENGINEERING DEGREE YOU MINORED IN
RELIGION. NEEDLESS TO SAY, WE SPENT A LOT OF TIME TALKING ABOUT
RELIGION. I'M NOT SURE IT WAS PRODUCTIVE, BUT IT DID HELP US ALL TO
CLARIFY OUR THINKING AND EXPAND OUR HORIZONS. SINCE THEN, THOSE
KINDS OF CONVERSATIONS SEEM TO BE EXTREMELY RARE, AND I MISS THEM.
SOME OF OUR PROTESTANT BROTHERS AND SISTERS DO A LOT MORE OF THIS;
THEY GATHER AFTER SUNDAY SERVICES OVER COFFEE AND DONUTS AND DISCUSS
THE SERMON; THEY MEET ONCE A WEEK IN BIBLE STUDY AND THAT LEADS TO
CONVERSATIONS ABOUT THEIR FAITH. AND THOSE ARE GOOD THINGS; WE ARE A
COMMUNITY AND WE ARE SUPPOSED TO HELP EACH OTHER REACH HEAVEN, AND
ONE WAY TO DO THIS IS TO CONVERSE ABOUT OUR FAITH JOURNEY, OUR
DOUBTS, AND OUR MOMENTS OF JOY.
WE ALL THINK DOUBTING WAS THOMAS'
FIRST NAME, AND WHEN WE READ THIS GOSPEL, IT'S VERY FAMILIAR. THOMAS
REFUSES TO BELIEVE UNLESS HE CAN ACTUALLY TOUCH THE BODY OF JESUS.
THOMAS IS OBVIOUSLY A SCIENTIST, AND WILL ONLY BELIEVE WHAT HE CAN
PERSONALLY VERIFY. AND MAYBE THAT'S HIS PROBLEM, MORE THAN DOUBT.
BECAUSE THOMAS HAS KNOWN THESE TEN MEN FOR AT LEAST THREE YEARS; HE
KNOWS THAT PETER HAS A GOOD HEART, BUT ISN'T THE BRAVEST GUY IN TOWN;
HE KNOWS THAT JOHN WAS A PARTICULAR FAVORITE OF JESUS AND HE AND HIS
OLDER BROTHER JAMES WERE PART OF THE INNER CIRCLE; HE HAS LISTENED
AND TALKED TO THESE MEN AND KNOWS THEM WELL ENOUGH SO THAT HE WOULD
KNOW IF THEY WERE LYING. AND YET, INSTEAD OF REJOICING WITH THEM, HE
DEMANDS HIS OWN PROOF.
WE ARE ALL KIND OF LIKE THOMAS, AND IT
IS A FUNCTION OF THE AGE WE LIVE IN. WE HAVE BEEN TRAINED IN OUR
PUBLIC SCHOOLS AND BY OUR MEDIA THAT THERE IS OBJECTIVE TRUTH, WHICH
CAN ONLY COME FROM SCIENCE, AND SUBJECTIVE TRUTH, WHICH ISN'T TRUTH
AT ALL, BUT WHICH HAS TO DO WITH WHAT AN INDIVIDUAL BELIEVES. AND WE
HAVE LEARNED NOT TO VALUE SUBJECTIVE TRUTH.
BUT THERE IS TRUTH BEYOND SCIENCE AND
IT ISN'T SUBJECTIVE. IT IS ARRIVED AT IN A DIFFERENT WAY. IF, FOR
EXAMPLE, I TELL YOU THAT I LOVE MY WIFE, YOU ARE INCLINED TO BELIEVE
THAT I HAVE MADE A TRUTHFUL STATEMENT, ASSUMING YOU HAVE NOT SEEN
EVIDENCE TO THE CONTRARY. YOU ALSO HAVE KNOWN LOVE FOR ANOTHER
HUMAN BEING, SO YOU KNOW IT'S POSSIBLE, AND YOU TAKE MY WORD. I MAY
TELL YOU THAT I REALLY ENJOY CLASSICAL MUSIC, AND YOU ACCEPT THAT AS
A TRUE STATEMENT AS WELL, BECAUSE YOU LIKE COUNTRY AND WESTERN MUSIC,
SO YOU KNOW THAT IT'S POSSIBLE TO LIKE A STYLE OF MUSIC. IF I MAKE
STATEMENTS ABOUT MY INNER LIFE, ABOUT MY EMOTIONS, MY EXPERIENCES –
THINGS YOU CANNOT EXPERIENCE EXCEPT BY ANALOGY – YOU BELIEVE ME.
YOU ACCEPT THEM AS TRUE.
BUT IF I TELL YOU THAT I WAS ABDUCTED
BY PEOPLE IN A FLYING SAUCER YOU PROBABLY WOULDN'T BELIEVE ME, UNLESS
YOU HAVE HAD A LONG HISTORY OF KNOWING THAT I ALWAYS TELL THE TRUTH,
AND THEN YOU MIGHT.
JESUS TELLS THOMAS, “BLESSED ARE
THEY WHO HAVE NOT SEEN, BUT BELIEVED”. AND HE LEAVES HIS FOLLOWERS
AT THE TIME OF THE ASCENSION, TO PROCLAIM THE RESURRECTION, FIRST BY
THE PEOPLE WHO WITNESSED IT THEMSELVES, AND THEN BY PEOPLE WHO
TRUSTED THOSE WITNESSES, AND DOWN THROUGH THE AGES. BUT WHEN SOMEONE
PROCLAIMS THE RESURRECTION OF JESUS, THERE ARE TWO POSSIBILITIES,
EVEN TODAY. ONE IS THAT THEY HAVE MADE A DECISION TO ACCEPT AS TRUTH
THE STORIES IN THE GOSPEL OR THE AUTHORITY OF THEIR CHURCH; THE
SECOND IS THAT THEY HAVE EXPERIENCED THE PRESENCE OF THE LIVING
JESUS. AS THE OLD HYMN GOES, “I KNOW THAT MY REDEEMER LIVETH”.
THE TEN APOSTLES HAD EXPERIENCED THE
PRESENCE OF THE LIVING JESUS, AND THEN THOMAS DID AS WELL, AND WE
KNOW THAT THOMAS WAS CHANGED, AND WENT FORTH TO BRING THE MESSAGE OF
JESUS TO COMMUNITIES ON THE SHORES OF THE RED SEA AND INTO INDIA.
AND THE MESSAGE WAS NOT “JESUS ROSE FROM THE DEAD” BUT RATHER,
YOU CAN KNOW THAT JESUS IS ALIVE, FIRST-HAND, YOU DON'T HAVE TO TAKE
MY WORD FOR IT.” WHEN SOMEONE KNOWS FIRSTHAND THAT JESUS IS
ALIVE, HE CAN'T HELP BUT BE A CHRISTIAN. BECAUSE A RISEN JESUS MEANS
THAT EVERYTHING HE PROMISED IS REAL, IS CERTAIN.
NOW SOME OF YOU HAVE EXPERIENCED THE
RISEN JESUS. SOME OF YOU HAVE NO DOUBT THAT HE LIVES AND THAT HE
MOVES AMONG US, PRESENT IN EACH OTHER, PRESENT IN THE SCRIPTURES,
PRESENT IN THE EUCHARIST, BUT PRESENT, AND PRESENT SO THAT YOU CAN
SPEAK TO HIM AND HEAR HIM SPEAK TO YOU. IT DOESN'T MEAN THAT YOU ARE
CAUGHT UP IN MYSTICISM OR SOME KIND OF ECSTASY. IT DOESN'T MEAN THAT
YOU ARE WEIRD OR PSYCHOTIC. IT SIMPLY MEANS THAT YOU HAVE LEARNED TO
TALK TO JESUS AND LISTEN TO HIM, AND BECAUSE YOU KNOW HE LIVES, YOUR
LIFE IS AFFECTED. BECAUSE YOU KNOW HE IS ALIVE, YOU MAKE AN EFFORT
TO IMITATE HIM IN HOW YOU RELATE TO OTHER PEOPLE. BECAUSE HE IS
ALIVE, YOU DO THE BEST YOU CAN IN YOUR WORK; BECAUSE HE LIVES, YOU
SPEAK TO HIM IN PRAYER, MAYBE ALL THROUGH THE DAY. BECAUSE HE IS
ALIVE, YOU KNOW THAT EVEN THE THINGS THAT SEEM HOPELESS AREN'T
REALLY, BECAUSE GOD RAISED HIM FROM THE DEAD AND THAT IS A PROMISE TO
ALL OF US THAT NO SITUATION IS BEYOND REDEMPTION.
AND IF YOU HAVE EXPERIENCED THAT THE
LORD HAS RISEN FROM THE DEAD NO ONE COULD CONVINCE YOU OTHERWISE. IT
IS A TRUTH. AND IF YOU HAVE THAT EXPERIENCE, YOU NEED TO TELL PEOPLE
WHO TRUST YOU, PEOPLE WHO KNOW YOU WOULD NOT LIE TO THEM. BECAUSE
THEY NEED TO KNOW THE GOOD NEWS AS WELL. MAYBE THEY WILL REJECT IT,
MAYBE THEY WILL LAUGH AT YOU, BUT IF THEY KNOW YOU HAVE NEVER LIED TO
THEM, THEY WILL HAVE TO LEAVE A LITTLE ROOM FOR THE POSSIBILITY THAT
YOU ARE TELLING THE TRUTH, THAT IT IS AN OBJECTIVE TRUTH; AND THAT IS
ALL THAT JESUS NEEDS TO SHOW YOUR FRIEND OR RELATIVE THAT HE IS ALIVE
AND THAT HE LOVES THEM, AND INVITES THEM TO JOIN HIM IN ETERNAL LIFE.
SO IF YOU ARE NOT INVOLVED IN SOME SORT OF FAITH SHARING GATHERING –
AND EVEN REGULAR DISCUSSIONS AMONG FAMILY MEMBERS WILL DO – FIND A
WAY TO TALK ABOUT YOUR FAITH WITH OTHER PEOPLE. AND THEN YOU AND THE
PEOPLE YOU SHARE YOUR FAITH WITH WILL BE BLESSED, BECAUSE EVEN THOUGH
YOU HAVE NOT SEEN, YOU HAVE BELIEVED.
