President Ronald Regan and Soviet General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev signed a nuclear arms reduction treaty in 1987 on December 8th. That day, in our Church calendar, happens to be the Feast of the Immaculate Conception of Mary, an unintended coincidence I’m sure but interesting nonetheless. After the treaty was signed, President Regan offered an oft quoted phrase, “Trust but verify.” Regardless of how you feel about President Regan and his legacy, I personally feel that reasonable safeguard was on the mark. The words were apparently not original to Regan and was actually a Russian phrase familiar to Gorbachev but Regan felt the circumstances of the treaty, the history of the Soviet Union and relations with the United States were such that he needed to say, “Ok, we’ll trust you but we intend to verify your words.” The effort, obviously, went both ways. Another way to say the same thing may be, “I’ll believe it when I see it.”
Today, on this Second Sunday of Easter and Divine Mercy Sunday, we are confronted with the same skepticism – I’ll believe it when I see it. Poor doubting Thomas. Maybe he was from Missouri, the "show me" State. I think we tend to be too hard on him. Who among us would not have the same reaction? In John 20: 19-31, today’s Gospel reading, we learn that “Thomas . . . was not with them when Jesus came.” The other ten Apostles were gathered in the upper room, doors locked, bolts tightened, windows closed and barred, “for fear of the Jews.” (Some Jewish authorities aligned with Rome). This was no joke. They well knew how they had betrayed Jesus, had gone from loyal disciples, “friends” as Jesus referred to them in John’s Gospel of the Last Supper, and had turned to disloyal cowards one of who conspired with the enemy and turned Jesus in as if he was a common criminal – the traitor! At the same time, they knew that what happened to Jesus might well happen to them for by now they feared a price was on their heads. Tough picture.
In the midst of all of that, the risen Lord appears before them not as a phantom or a delusion but in a mysterious combination of matter and spirit yet in flesh and bones – touchable, hearable, and offers them not retribution for their disloyalty and cowardice but now extends to them a wish of, “Peace be with you.” Then he breathes his Spirit into them and through them for all generations to come, the gift of the Holy Spirit and the forgiveness of sin – his divine mercy indeed.
In the midst of all this incredulous joy, Thomas was absent. So, all he had to go on was their word when he later heard of this event. Thomas didn’t cut and run away from what he may have thought were these crazy, delusional men but rather remained with them. Jesus had spoken of the resurrection of the dead and of his own rise from the dead before his passion but in their Jewish minds they assumed he spoke of a future time as was believed within some Jewish circles, the Pharisees actually. However, “I’ll need to trust but verify your story” is the message Thomas gave his companions. It was, in fact, a reasonable response and the Church continues to do it all the time with claims of miracles, causes for sainthood, or alleged private revelations. We would be foolish not to.
But then, the following week, Thomas proclaimed, “My Lord and my God” once he saw, heard, and touched Jesus, then fell down in worship and the doubter was instantly transformed into the believer. “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,” Jesus gently invites Thomas. You can see the movement as the risen Christ likely reached for Thomas’ hand and guided his finger into the wounds on his body, now a sign of salvation for humanity. I find it a particularly potent event. Maybe pause here in your reading. Spend a few quiet minutes in this scene, gathered in the upper room as a silent witness to this event, and it may just send chills down your spine. Can I truly say, “My Lord and my God?” If so, then like Thomas who touched Jesus, Jesus should touch every part of our lives.
Through Thomas and the others, the Gospel this Sunday reminds us of the special status of the Apostles. As the first reading from Acts 5: 12-16 tells us, “Many signs and wonders were done among the people at the hands of the apostles.” These are indeed Jesus’ chosen and now loyal band and from their testimony, we have come to believe. The signs and wonders of their time, verify the truth of the resurrection. The witness of their lives, their ultimate martyrdom, likewise supports Jesus as Lord and God. I believe becaue they believed.
This event of Easter faith is offered to us who are, as Jesus said, “. . . those who have not seen and have believed.” Blessed are those of us who step out in faith and trust, with a word of witness, the holy scriptures, the faith of others, the encounter with Christ in the sacraments, and the Church, Christ’s Body, albeit imperfect and in constant need of conversion, but still believe. Thomas the “doubter” is the occasional cynic within each of us. And, on a more global level, Thomas the doubter is the culture of our time. We are surrounded by critics, skeptics, both outside the Church and within it, those who question the value of the Catholic Church, Christianity, and religion in general. In some cases it is more than just doubt; it is outright hostility. While the Church should never be above criticism we face some unjust and agenda driven critics to be sure. Our verification of the truth we are called to trust is the presence of the Holy Spirit among and within us.
Now, I have no doubt that some of you have had personal experiences of the Lord in prayer and/or in the circumstances of life. I know that I have but they are rare and unpredictable. God will never touch us in predictable ways because he cannot be manipulated by our whims and fancies. Our faith should never be based on a feeling, a miracle, or the sense of divine presence. Yet, there may be those undeniable moments when you can say with conviction, “I know God was with me. I am certain that an angel watched over me. I felt the presence of God’s peace and his Spirit.”
This may be a moment, as we recall the great mercy of God’s forgiveness given to the Apostles and the Church, which reaches across time and space to all who seek it, to revisit some of those “God moments” in your life. Maybe it was a time of crisis, doubt, fear; a time of unwelcome or being misunderstood, angry or confused when you needed the grace of reassurance, when you sought after verification that God walked with you in those tough times. I can certainly relate because I have been there and found that as well. We all have. Or maybe you’ve had spiritual experiences that you have never shared with another because you fear they may brand you as a crazy and you’ll find a Thomas among them who will say, “Verify your story!” No matter. Jesus remains our Lord and our God.
Challenge your doubts but pray for faith that never needs verification and ask for courage to touch the hearts of others through humility and love. Yet, sooner or later, advisedly sooner rather than later, we need to give our skepticism a rest and just fall down in faith - "My Lord and my God!"
May the peace of Christ alive be with you!
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