April 19^th 2020. Second Sunday of Easter

GOSPEL: John 20:19-31

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Translated from a homily by Don Fabio Rosini broadcast on Vatican Radio

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Don Fabio’s homily follows the Gospel

GOSPEL: John 20:19-31

On the evening of that first day of the week,
when the doors were locked, where the disciples were,
for fear of the Jews,
Jesus came and stood in their midst
and said to them, “Peace be with you.”
When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side.
The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord.
Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you.
As the Father has sent me, so I send you.”
And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them,
“Receive the Holy Spirit.
Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them,
and whose sins you retain are retained.”

Thomas, called Didymus, one of the Twelve,
was not with them when Jesus came.
So the other disciples said to him, “We have seen the Lord.”
But he said to them,
“Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands
and put my finger into the nail marks
and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.”

Now a week later his disciples were again inside
and Thomas was with them.
Jesus came, although the doors were locked,
and stood in their midst and said, “Peace be with you.”
Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and see my hands,
and bring your hand and put it into my side,
and do not be unbelieving, but believe.”
Thomas answered and said to him, “My Lord and my God!”
Jesus said to him, “Have you come to believe because you have seen me?
Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.”

Now, Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples
that are not written in this book.
But these are written that you may come to believe
that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God,
and that through this belief you may have life in his name.

The Gospel of the Lord: Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ

Kieran’s summary . . . In Sunday’s Gospel, we have the story of Thomas. Sometimes we think that this story ends with a big reproach to Thomas: “You believe because you have seen. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe”. However, if we read the Gospel narrative, we will see that nobody (not Peter, not the apostles, nor Mary of Magdala) believed until they had a personal encounter with Christ! Thomas is no worse that they are. It is normal and good that we have personal experience before we believe, otherwise belief could become a big forced mental effort. The story is less about Thomas’ doubt than about Jesus’ desire to stand in the middle of his disciples and show them his wounds of love. Maybe that statement from Jesus is not a reproach at all, but a prophecy. The Lord is foretelling that future disciples will be blessed, even though they have not seen Jesus in person. But how can these future Christians believe, if they have not seen? Because Thomas and the others, by their lives and preaching, will make Jesus known. Just as the Father and Jesus are one, so is Jesus one with his disciples. Those who encounter the disciples, thus, are also encountering Jesus. In this time of Covid-19, the disciples of Jesus by their loving witness, can bring people to belief in the Lord.

Sometimes we think that this Gospel is all about the doubt of Thomas and Jesus reproaching him for his unbelief. But the fact of the matter is that all of the others didn’t believe either until they had seen the Lord in person

Jesus said to Thomas: "Put your finger here and look at my hands, and do not doubt, but believe!" Thomas replied, "My Lord and my God!" Jesus said to him, "Because you saw me, you believe; blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe!” (John 20.19-31) The last words of Jesus before the explanation of the meaning of the whole Gospel of John are often understood in terms of a final reproach to Thomas and the hope for better belief from others. Maybe we are all left feeling a little insufficient in front of a Lord who looks at us with a raised eyebrow, because we worry that we will never quite measure up to his notion of faith? But this is not what the text is really about at all. Jesus appears specifically to be seen and touched by Thomas, as he had done with the others a week before: “Jesus came, stood in the middle of them and said: ‘Peace be with you!? Having said that, he showed them his hands and his side. And the disciples rejoiced to see the Lord." They do not rejoice at first, but only after seeing the hands and the side. Someone else too, Mary of Magdala, had said the exact same phrase: "I have seen the Lord!" The disciples themselves had said to Thomas: "We have seen the Lord!", And they, like Thomas, had not believed until they saw him. Mary of Magdala too had not believed before seeing Jesus. When we think about it, nobody believed before seeing! Nobody can believe without having personal experience, without encountering the Risen Christ.. Otherwise you have to build a sort of faith that is a mental effort, a concerted activity to force yourself to believe. And it is very understandable that someone might want to reject this perspective.

When Jesus says, “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe”, he is not reproaching Thomas, but foretelling that Thomas and the other disciples, by their testimony, will bring this great blessing on future believers

What if the final sentence (“Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe”) was not a rebuke but a prophecy? What if it was a joyful opening to something grander? There is no space here to explain how the original Greek text suggests that Jesus is announcing something bigger. At this moment the disciples believe because they have seen, but something even more wonderful is on its way: Jesus had spoken to the Father of those who "will believe in me by their word" (Jn 17,20) and elsewhere said: "Whoever welcomes you welcomes me" (Mt 10,40). Similarly, the Gospel passage on Sunday ends by announcing that it is possible to have "life in his name". To have life in the name of Christ, His own life. Thomas, today you see me and believe, but soon there will be joyful people who will believe, not because they see me, but because they see you! Today you see and believe me, but tomorrow you will show me to others. For this I go to the Father: because you will be here, and you will love others in my at the time of Covid-19, and you will live my very life. And you won't need to see me, because, just as the Father and I are one, so you and I will also be one. And you will not believe because you see, but because of what you are (joined in communion with me).