Today’s readings: Acts 2, 42-47; 1 Peter 1. 3-9; John 20, 19-31.
Since the inception of Christianity the resurrection of Jesus has always posed real and logical questions regarding the credible evidence of its truth. Philosophers and theologians, simple believers and inquisitive minds have pondered deeply on the issue depicted by some as imaginary fiction, by others as just a metaphor, and by the Church as the foundational truth of the faith.
Christianity itself went through a deep, internal journey of exploration to come to terms concretely with this truth and its implications for the real meaning the Jesus story has for the world. This is manifest in today’s Scriptures starting chronologically with the doubting Thomas in the gospel, to Peter’s declaration of assurance in the second reading, down to the living witness of the early communities in Acts.
The whole truth about Jesus cannot be reached through a simple historical reconstruction of the person who lived and was crucified 2,000 years ago in Palestine. The focus of today’s gospel text from St John is not the issue with Thomas, but that Jesus, returning among his disciples, “breathed on them and said receive the Holy Spirit”.
The Spirit makes us acknowledge Jesus as Lord, and that is the transformative experience which renders our witness credible. The truth of Christ risen continues to be historically verifiable in the quality of life of the Christian communities and in the way those who believe in him respond to the provocations of life and of the world.
We may, for example, envy St Peter who, after all he went through, sounds so sure when he speaks of Christ raised from the dead in whom “we have a sure hope and the promise of an inheritance that can never be spoilt or soiled and never fade away”. We envy such certainty where beliefs are concerned, because very often we seem to be treading on shifting grounds. There is so much that from time to time shakes us in our faith.
Peter further on writes also that “your faith, tested and proved like gold, is more precious than gold”. Very often, in times of tribulation, we fail to deem faith as “more precious than gold” and we’re tempted to opt for whatever in our eyes may glitter as gold instead.
Just like Thomas in today’s gospel, we can even refuse to believe, and for reasons that may also be valid. We unfairly always refer to Thomas as the doubting Thomas rather than as someone with a probing mind trying to figure out reasonably what others are trying to convince him of.
Would we have acted differently in the place of Thomas, who was absent when Jesus came? Something we detest is being gullible and easily persuaded. For Thomas, what the other disciples were saying was not convincing and he had every right to question it.
But there is something else to be highlighted about Thomas. Even if he had problems believing what the others told him, he still remained part of the community. Had he left, he would have missed experiencing Jesus personally. We may all have difficulties with faith issues and in our communities. Leaving may at times sound like the easiest solution but surely not the best.
Faith is difficult to live in isolation from a community. The Church is not perfect and there is so much to criticise in our communities. But the Spirit is nourished in us as long as we remain faithful to the teachings, the brotherhood, and the breaking of bread. This remaining in love guarantees our experience of the real presence of Christ and makes it more credible to the outer world.