The Easter season, fifty days, gives us the opportunity to get a glimpse of the faith of the early Christian community. What if all the apostles had been in the locked rooms and had seen the risen Lord on that first evening? Without the one who missed the opportunity and who doubted what he didn’t experience himself, we would not have had the practical effect of hearing Jesus prove his bodily existence after his death. We also would not have been directly blessed by the Lord as ones who have believed without having seen. Unlike Thomas, we do not have the opportunity to see Jesus in the flesh at all. However, we do have opportunities to see his presence again and again: in each other, in his written Word, in the Eucharist, in those in need, and in the gift of divine mercy.
John’s Gospel does not tell us why Thomas wasn’t there the first time. Perhaps he was grieving in his own way and wished to mourn Jesus alone. He may have imagined that seeing the others would make the loss more real. Or perhaps he was more fearful of the religious authorities than the others and felt that even a locked room wasn’t safe. Perhaps he was so discouraged that he wanted to abandon his faith just as he had abandoned Jesus on that fateful day. What we do know is that he came the following week, and with making good on his challenge to feel Jesus’ wounds, he believed. Blessed are we who have not seen, but believe.
Love, Peace, Joy,
Fr. Bob
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