Jesus is the Way
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The second Sunday of Easter, also called Divine Mercy Sunday, concludes the octave of the Resurrection of the Lord. But we continue our celebration of Easter until Pentecost Sunday. Every year on that Sunday we read the story of Thomas the apostle and his struggle to believe in the resurrection of his Master. Although we may think that it is easy to believe in the resurrection of Christ, Thomas somehow represents each one of us as we grapple to recognize Jesus as our God and Lord.
It makes me always wonder where Thomas was and what he was doing on Easter Sunday when Jesus appeared to the apostles in the Upper Room. The reading does not explain this matter, but somehow, we can fill in the blanks. As we know, Thomas appears in the gospels only a few times. When Jesus decides to return to Judea to raise Lazarus back to life, he bluntly concludes “Let us also that we may die with him.” (John 11:16). At the Last Supper he was not afraid to point out to Jesus that they did not know where he was going, to which Jesus responded: “I am the way, the truth and the life” (John 14:6) In these moments Thomas showed himself be a tough-minded man who knew what he wanted from life and had courage to set his own way.
Perhaps due to his strong personality it was so difficult for him to receive the announcement of the resurrection of Jesus from his fellow companions. The passion, crucifixion and the death of Jesus was a big shock and a deep trauma for all his followers. But Thomas wrestled with this fact in his own unique way. Having risked all his life and having invested everything he had in the Rabbi of Nazareth, now after his death and apparent failure he didn’t want, and he couldn’t allow himself to be cheated again. He needed some clear evidence that Jesus was truly alive, that he was not follow a myth, a ghost, but a real man. The word of the other disciples didn’t matter too much to him at this point—he was restless, he demanded a proof.
Jesus appears a week later and invites Thomas to touch his wounds. Again, we don’t know if he did so, but we know something else. In this moment, Jesus touched and healed the deep wound of unbelief in Thomas’ soul. The cross of Jesus showed to Thomas his inability to follow his Master. Like Peter, he was convinced and self-confident he could do it on his own, in his own way. The event of Good Friday showed him the truth of his life that he was weak like all of them.
The encounter changed the life of Thomas. According to the ancient tradition he went to announce the gospel in India. Thomas became a new man capable of renouncing his own way in order to follow that of Jesus. This is what divine mercy does for all those who are not afraid to accept the truth about their lives.
