As preached by Brother Luke
Holy Wisdom Church
Christ is Risen!, Christos Aneste! Christos Voscrese!
How do we move beyond the unavoidable painful experiences of life? Denying them or
convincing ourselves that they never happened is not the answer, even though
our head and heart may want to choose one of those paths. Holding onto them and
never letting go, like scratching at an old wound,
constantly obsessing over every slight, injury, abuse, ... is also a dead end.
Today's gospel lesson gives us an insight into how, in St. Paul's words, Christ
strengthens us to do anything, [Philippians 4:13] including to move beyond the pain.
What was behind
Thomas's refusal to believe his brothers when they told him they had seen
Christ? The proof he wanted to see was not just Jesus, but to physically touch the
wounds in his hands and side. Without those wounds, it couldn't possibly be the
real Christ, the one who suffered and died for us. But the wounds were there
and Thomas touched them and cried out: my Lord
and my God.
Christ emerged from
his crucifixion and death, not unscathed but undaunted. The evidence of his
trials and suffering were still there, they were real marks from his suffering,
but he had overcome them. They did not disappear. They were the marks of his
life, but not impediments to his goals. He still needed to accomplish his goal to energize his apostles and disciples to spread the Good News far and
wide.
Thomas was not alone
in needing to be convinced of Christ's resurrection. On another occasion, [Jn 20:18] recounted in the passage preceding the
one we read today, all the disciples had refused to believe Mary Magdalene and the other women when they told the disciples they had seen
Christ. Christ's visit to the apostles, when Thomas was absent, was needed to
reinforce the truth of what Mary Magdalene had reported.
Christ's wounds
proved to Thomas the reality of the resurrection. His appearance to Thomas and
the other apostles rekindled their belief in and commitment to the message of the Good News. Thomas went on to proclaim the Gospel deep into
Asia where ultimately he died a martyr in India. The other apostles also
preached the Good News in many other lands and many died as martyrs.
The realities of life inevitably inflict wounds on all of us. Christ's
return visit to the apostles in response to Thomas' skepticism, also
fulfilled Isaiah's prophecy, "through his bruises, you have been
healed." [Is 53:5; 1 Peter 2:24] He shows Thomas, the other apostles, and
us, that even though we may still carry the scares of life's wounds, we
can emerge from those trials in a better place.
He is calling us to
rely on him and on his experience to help us
rise above the unavoidable trials and sorrows of this life. For the life Christ is calling us to, here and
now and in the future, is one of joy beyond all imagining. He is with us, to
help us move beyond the immediate challenges so that we can truly
experience the life prepared for all of us. When we shout Christ is risen, it
is not just a proclamation of the good news about Christ, it is a clarion call
by all of us join with Christ in the risen life, the destination we are called
to.
Christ is Risen!
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