St. Thomas the Apostle and the Wounds of Christ

Homily
SECOND SUNDAY OF EASTER (C)
15 APRIL 2007

John 20: 19 - 31

[John 20:19] 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."
[John 20:20] When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord.
[John 20:21] (Jesus) said to them again, "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you."
[John 20:22] And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, "Receive the holy Spirit.
[John 20:23] Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained."
[John 20:24] Thomas, called Didymus, one of the Twelve, was not with them when Jesus came.
[John 20:25] 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 nailmarks and put my hand into his side, I will not believe."
[John 20:26] 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."
[John 20:27] 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."
[John 20:28] Thomas answered and said to him, "My Lord and my God!"
[John 20:29] Jesus said to him, "Have you come to believe because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed."
[John 20:30] Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of (his) disciples that are not written in this book.
[John 20:31] But these are written that you may (come to) believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through this belief you may have life in his name.

1. St. Thomas the Apostle

Today has many names: it is the Second Sunday of Easter, or the Octave Day of Easter, which is now also Divine Mercy Sunday. It used to be known as Low Sunday. In the Christian East it is called Thomas Sunday.

Since St. Thomas the Apostle is the patron of our parish, just a few words about him. Thomas was a Galilean Jew. The name Thomas is either Hebrew or Syriac, and means twin. He was also called by the Greek equivalent Didymus. There is a tradition that states that Thomas evangelized India and was martyred there.

In today's Gospel, Thomas witnesses to the divinity of Christ:

[John 20:27] 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."
[John 20:28] Thomas answered and said to him, "My Lord and my God!"

Thomas witnesses here what John has declared at the very beginning of his gospel: that the Word is God.

2. Doubting Thomas

Thomas seems most remembered as the one who doubted the resurrection of Our Lord based on eyewitness accounts of his fellow apostles. Lest Thomas be singled out for his incredulity, recall that the other apostles were incredulous regarding Mary Magdalene's witness to the resurrection.

[Mark 16:9] When he had risen, early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had driven seven demons.
[Mark 16:10] She went and told his companions who were mourning and weeping.
[Mark 16:11] When they heard that he was alive and had been seen by her, they did not believe.

Because of Mary Magdalene=s witness, tradition has honored her with the title of "the apostle to the apostles".

3. The Virtue of Faith and The Wounds of Christ

Two things stand out in today's Gospel: the virtue of faith, and the wounds of Christ, and how they are related.

When Our Lord appeared to the apostles on the evening of the first Easter, he showed them His wounds and they believed.

Thomas had said that he would not believe unless he were to place his finger in the wounds in Jesus= hands, and his hand in the opening in Jesus' side.

When Jesus encountered Thomas, He showed Thomas His wounds. It is not recorded that Thomas said, "I now know that you have truly risen". This truth had been made evident to him through his senses. But the Holy Spirit used the wounds of Christ as the occasion for giving Thomas a word of knowledge, so that Thomas saw through the eyes of faith that Christ is true God.

This is the faith that leads to the forgiveness of sins, as Peter preached to Cornelius:

[Acts 10:43] To him all the prophets bear witness, that everyone who believes in him will receive forgiveness of sins through his name."

This is the faith that leads to our sharing in the life of God, as the closing verses of today's Gospel proclaim:

[John 20:30] Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of (his) disciples that are not written in this book.
[John 20:31] But these are written that you may (come to) believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through this belief you may have life in his name.

4. Those Whose Faith has Become Weak

There are many directions we can go regarding the virtue of faith. For this homily, I want to address the situation where one who has had faith has experienced, through a variety of possible causes, a weakening of that faith.

Perhaps some of you here today recall a time when your faith was stronger than it seems to be now. The buffetings and vicissitudes of life seem to have hammered that faith down to something less than it used to be. In that event, I am especially addressing each of you.

We must first of all realize that faith is a freely‑given gift from God. We can, however, dispose ourselves for an increase of this gift when it has become weak in us, like a farmer making preparation for the growth of his crop. Of the things he has power to do, he plows his field and plants the seed. Of the things that are not in his power to do, he cannot cause the rain to fall, and he cannot cause the seed to grow, so he waits expectantly for rain from heaven to come down and give the growth.

For an increase of faith, what we have the power to do which corresponds to plowing the field is to work to destroy all attachment to sin. This is done principally through prayer, fasting, and almsgiving, and by frequent reception of the sacrament of reconciliation.

What we have the power to do which corresponds to planting the seed is being open to the Word of God, in scripture and in spiritual reading, and in reception of Our Lord in the Eucharist.

For the things that are not in our power to do, we wait expectantly for the Holy Spirit, symbolized by rain from heaven, to descend and give growth to our faith.

For the seed of faith, take today's Gospel, in which the wounds of Christ are central to the apostles= coming to believe: first the ten, and then Thomas.

As Mel Gibson's movie reminds us, there were many hundreds of wounds which caused Our Lord's suffering during His passion. Emphasis is given, however, to the wounds in Our Lord's hands, feet, and side. They are called the five most precious wounds of Christ: these are the wounds which He suffered which are most closely associated with His death on the cross. Through these wounds His precious blood was poured out as a laver for our sins and for the salvation of our souls. Now meditate on the wounds of Christ. Take a crucifix in your hands. Regard the nails, and then regard the wounds produced by those nails. Then meditate as follows:

Through the wounds of the nails piercing Our Lord's hands and feet, the immortal God comes to experience death of man, so that through these same wounds, mortal man comes to experience the life of God.

Make this meditation in an attitude of open expectancy. The field is plowed, the seed is planted, and the rain will surely come: the Holy Spirit to strengthen faith. Why surely? We have Our Lord's own promise:

[Luke 11:11] What father among you would hand his son a snake when he asks for a fish?
[Luke 11:12] Or hand him a scorpion when he asks for an egg?
[Luke 11:13] If you then, who are wicked, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him?"

The seed of faith, having taken root, and having been nourished from on high, will grow, mature, and become strong. Buffetings there surely will be, especially in our day and age, but they will be resisted as a mighty oak resists storms.

5. Conclusion

I said to Jesus, "How much do you love me?"

Jesus said, "I love you this much", and held His hands apart...and died.

After the resurrection, Jesus said, "I love you this much", and as He did to Thomas, He stretched out his wounded hands to me, and I came to life.

My dear brothers and sisters, let this be our prayer from now until the end of our earthly lives:

Lord Jesus Christ, I offer up to You now as I will when I stand before You in judgment, Your five most precious wounds, as the only defense for my sins.