by Fr. Tommy Lane
When Thomas returned on Easter Sunday evening, his companions told him they had seen Jesus. He didn’t believe them. In John’s Greek, we see that the apostles kept telling Thomas about Jesus’ visit; they repeated it to him again and again (John 20:25). But he didn’t believe; he had been completely shattered by Jesus’ passion and death. He had built his life around Jesus for the past three years and then from Thursday evening to Friday everything changed. He was completely upended. He was not prepared for it and never expected it. How could it be that Jesus who had cured so many people, and even raised from the dead the son of the widow of Nain (Luke 7:11-17), the daughter of Jairus (Luke 8:40-42, 49-56), and Lazarus (John 11), could be subjected to such brutal torture and be killed? Thomas had presumably given up everything three years ago and now found himself without anything and having to start again. He was at a low ebb. He refused to be convinced by the others telling him they had seen Jesus: “I refuse to believe.” (John 20:25) He put conditions on coming to belief: being able to put his fingers in the Jesus’ nail marks and his hand in his side. He wanted evidence to believe that Jesus had risen.
In an act of mercy, Jesus came again a week later, this time when Thomas was present. Jesus responded to Thomas’ doubt of the previous week: “Put your finger here and see my hands, and bring your hand and put it into my side.” (John 20:27) Thomas had requested evidence of Jesus’ resurrection and Jesus gave him the evidence he requested. His response to Jesus was a beautiful act of faith: “My Lord and my God.” (John 20:28) Jesus also gave him a gentle rebuke: “do not be unbelieving but believe.” (John 20:27)
Thomas, in his condition of disbelief on Easter Sunday evening, reminds me of those who find it difficult to maintain their faith in God after suffering some kind of tragedy in their lives. We humans are strange in that when something bad happens, some may be tempted to blame God and distance themselves from God as a result. But evil does not come from God. Evil comes from the devil. Good comes from God. When something bad happens, we want to blame someone. We want to find a scapegoat without delay. When something bad happens, some make God the scapegoat. Making God the scapegoat is the easy option, the lazy option, and the wrong option. Evil comes from the devil. Good comes from God.
When something bad happens, instead of putting down the shutters on God, stay with God in the pain. The image of Divine Mercy that we associate with today, with the words, “Jesus, I trust in you” beneath the image of Jesus, tells us how to react when we go through a situation of pain and loss like Thomas: keep trusting in Jesus. Jesus, I trust in you. Of course it is very difficult to pray when something bad happens. In times like that, pray as best you can. Maybe in times like that, the only prayer you can say is the prayer beneath that image of Jesus: Jesus, I trust in you. Stay close to Our Lady also in times of pain and loss. Our Lady knows all about the pain of loss. During a time of suffering, it is great to pray the rosary again and again and again when all other prayer is difficult. In Mel Gibson’s movie, The Passion of the Christ, Peter in his distress when the cock crew after his third denial of Jesus, went to Our Lady. Although this scene is not in the Gospels, it is not unimaginable that it could have happened. She is always Mother waiting for us in any kind of pain and loss.
In an act of mercy, Jesus came again a week later, this time when Thomas was present. Jesus is always waiting to be merciful to anyone who has abandoned him during a time of suffering. Jesus is always waiting to take us back, to take everyone back. After Peter denied Jesus, he remembered that during the Last Supper Jesus had predicted the cock would crow after he denied him (Luke 22:34,61). This surely gave Peter hope because it showed him Jesus knew all along that he would deny him yet Jesus never gave up on him (Inside the Passion by John Bartunek p44) Jesus has given us the Sacrament of Reconciliation, Confession, as we heard in our Gospel, so that we may receive his mercy whenever necessary. While we may close a door to Jesus during a time of suffering, he does not close his heart to us. The doors were closed in the room where the apostles were, but Jesus came. He is always willing to come to us, even if our door is locked. He is always waiting for us to welcome him, and longing for us to receive him like the father of the prodigal son waiting outside the house to receive his son back again. “Do not be unbelieving but believe.” (John 20:27) “My Lord and my God.” (John 20:28)
© Fr. Tommy Lane 2023
This homily was delivered in a parish in Ireland.
More Homilies for the Second Sunday of Easter
Christ invites us to his Sacred Heart 2013
Year A: Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe
Year B: Trust, Surrender, Believe, Receive
Year B: The joy of faith in Jesus 2006
Year B: Why confess sins to a priest? 2006 (excerpt of homily above)
Year C: Trust in Jesus' Mercy and Love 2022
Related Homilies: Jesus Did Rise on Easter Sunday! 2021
Divine Mercy 2008
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