On the second Sunday of Easter, we are given the opportunity to ponder the apostle Thomas, often called “the doubter.” The Gospel account says that on that first night when Jesus appeared in the upper room, Thomas was not there. Later, he is told that the other apostles have seen the Lord. Thomas refuses to believe and exclaims, “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands and put my finger into the nail marks and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.”
A week later, Thomas is with the other apostles in the upper room – which is locked from the inside – when Jesus suddenly appears. He invites Thomas to touch his nail marks and put his hand in His side. He then says, “Do not be unbelieving, but believe.” Thomas exclaims, “My Lord and my God!” Left unsaid is whether Thomas actually touched Jesus, but the gospel writer affirms that he believed.
This is not the first time for Thomas to express doubt. At the Last Supper, Jesus told the disciples, “Where I am going, you know the way.” The others remain silent, even though it becomes clear they have no understanding of Jesus’ message. Thomas speaks up. “Master, we do not know where you going. We do not know the way.”
He is right. We do not know, and despite our best efforts, we can never know. Jesus’ simple invitation to believe “that I am going to prepare a place for you, and I will come and take you there myself” asks us to trust Him and His promise. Thomas is honest when he says he wants to know, he wants to understand.
Easter invites us to believe that God is telling us the truth when He says He will prepare a place for us and take us there Himself. Jesus is quoted the most times in all of scripture saying these four simple words: “Do not be afraid.” Believing and trusting in what has been explicitly revealed is our best response to Jesus’ invitation. Take and eat, take and drink, I will take you there myself. God is the loving Father who keeps His promises. Don’t be afraid of God. Don’t be afraid to live. Don’t be afraid to die.
Blessed Easter! Fr. Gary
