2nd Sunday of Easter
Fr. Philip Neri Powell, OP
Mt. Carmel Sisters, NOLA
How
do we not see and yet believe? That is, how do we come to believe
despite not having seen? Thomas' refusal to believe that his dead and
resurrected Master had visited the apostles makes perfect sense to
most Americans. Even most Catholics. We are no less prone to our
culture's empirical pragmatism that our Protestant and even
non-religious friends and family. In this scene from John, Thomas the
Twin stands in for whole generations of western Christians who either
ignore the supernatural elements of the faith, or simply refuse –
along with Thomas – to believe until empirical evidence is
presented, vetted, duplicated, and peer-reviewed. What's astonishing
to me is that we always never insist on a Thomas Level of proof in
our daily relationships. If my colleague tells me that one of my
seminarian-advisees missed class w/o notice, I don't hesitate to
contact the miscreant to find out why. When Sr. Angele asks me to
celebrate Vigil Mass on April 7th at Mt. Carmel, I don't
ask her to send me physical evidence that this alleged academy exists
and that there are Carmelite sisters living and working there. We
believe in what we do not and cannot see b/c we trust the witness of
others. This is why our witness must always be faithful, worthy of
trust.
So,
is the witness of the other apostles to Thomas trustworthy? We know
it is b/c we've been – in a sense – watching from the corner the
whole time and saw Christ appear! For Thomas, their witness is
insufficient. Why? There's no way for us know for sure why he refused
to believe his brothers in the faith, but we can speculate. Maybe the
news of his recently executed Master's appearance is just too much
for him to process. Grief can cause us to do and say things out of
character. Maybe he's been an empirical sort all along, one of those
who just needs to see how things are done up close before he gets a
grip on what's happening. Maybe Christ's horrible death on the cross
has shaken his faith to it core and up-ended his world. Maybe Good
Friday caused him to swear off believing in miracles. Maybe his
brothers had lost his trust long before this and his refusal to
believe is just the latest instance of his suspicious nature.
Whatever it is that created his mistrust, we must be clear: Thomas
does not doubt; he refuses to believe. Doubt occurs in the
intellect. Refusing to believe is all about the will.
Why
does that matter? The intellect seeks the Truth. The will seeks the
Good. Thomas' refusal to believe is a refusal to accept the Good that
his Master's appearance embodies. After the trauma of Good Friday and
all of the nastiness of running and hiding after Easter Sunday,
Thomas cannot bring himself to move toward the Good of Christ's
reappearance. He needs more than trustworthy witnesses. He needs more
than his own wishful-thinking. He needs
Christ standing in front of him. And that's what he gets. His will is
moved and he exclaims, “My Lord and my God!” Many who do not yet
believe will be moved by our witness to the Risen Christ. Some
unbelievers may ask for proof. What proof can we give them beyond
what we ourselves have experienced of God's mercy? For those seeking
the Truth, we can give rational arguments and answer their questions.
But for those seeking the Good, something more is required. That
Something More is where the truly difficult work of our witness
begins. They want to see Christ standing in front of them. And all we
have to show them is. . .us. Good, bad, and/or ugly. . .it's down to
us. Here, on April 7, 2018 in New Orleans, LA, we are Christ
reappearing to everyone he has asked to believe.
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