(Fr. Michael reaches into his pocket, puts on his eclipse glasses, and says:)
“Unless I see the Eclipse, I will not believe.” (removes glasses)
I think sometimes pessimism comes from living in Cleveland. I’m looking at the weather tomorrow and seeing a lot of clouds already, yet we know the Eclipse will happen. We just don’t know what it will be like.
I think we can all relate to Thomas because, in a very real sense, we are being asked to believe in Jesus because of what the Disciples witnessed 2,000 years ago. So, it is on their testimony that they saw Him and believed that we are called, 2,000 years later, to believe in Jesus. Therefore, we can relate to Thomas because we weren’t there. We didn’t actually experience Him in the resurrected form like the Disciples did, so we ought to be able to relate to Thomas.
What I love about Thomas and even more about Jesus is that Thomas is willing to throw down ultimatums. He says to the Disciples, “Unless I see the Lord and the marks on His hands and put my finger into those marks and my hand into His side, I will not believe, not believe, but will be unbelieving.”
So, Thomas is laying out what he needs from Jesus to believe in Him. The amazing thing is that Jesus does it. He goes up to Thomas and says, “Thomas, if this is what you need to believe in me, take your finger, put it in my hand. Take your hand and put it into my side. Do not be unbelieving; believe.”
It’s pretty amazing that the God of the universe will humble Himself before Thomas and acquiesce to his request. I think about that. What would it take for us to believe? What would it take for you to believe completely in Jesus?
We still experience Him in the resurrected form, but it’s a different way. We experience Him now in the Eucharist, His Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity. We also experience Him here in the gathered assembly. We are the living Body of Christ now.
We also go out into the world, and some people don’t believe. They want to believe, but they need something to believe. What if I told you that you are that something because you receive Jesus into you at this Mass, and you go forward into the world as a member of the Body of Christ?
Some of it is just allowing other people to see our wounds. Allowing other people to see that we have been vulnerable and that in life, we have been hurt, but we have also experienced resurrection and healing even in our own lives. Probably for all of us, in different ways, God has healed us. God has worked miracles in our lives, and we’re called to share those stories with others so they may come to believe.
The wonderful thing about this, too, is that Jesus, the door is locked, right? Sometimes, unbelievers lock the door, not even being given a chance. The amazing thing is that Jesus goes even through the locked door to reach his Disciples.
Maybe there are people in your life who you feel have locked the door to Jesus. They have locked the door to faith, maybe even to you talking about faith. Jesus has a way of entering even if the doors are locked, even if that person’s heart is locked.
So, today, as we celebrate Divine Mercy Sunday, let us not be unbelieving but believe. When Jesus appeared to Sister Faustina, He wanted this image of Him painted. Below this image, he said, “I want it to say these words, ‘Jesus, I trust in you.’” That trust helps us believe.
Can we trust the witness of the Apostles? Can we trust the Holy Spirit working in the church? Can we trust the teaching that we are members of the Body of Christ? Can we trust that we do receive His body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity in the Eucharist? Can we trust in Him? We trust even when we can’t see like Thomas.
As we come together on this Divine Mercy Sunday, I want you to be like Thomas and ask for grace. What is it that you want from Jesus in order to have a deeper belief in Him? What miracle would you like to see? What would you like to experience? Ask Him because the amazing thing is that Jesus did what Thomas needed to believe, and He would do whatever you need for you to believe.
I’m going to give you just a few moments here after the homily to close your eyes and ask Jesus for whatever it is so that we all may believe in Him more deeply.
