| Second Sunday of Easter |
| John 20:19-31 |
|
| Many
years ago there was a movie called the “Seventh Seal.” In one scene,
death takes the form of a human person, and appears to a man. A
conversation followed: The man said to Death, “Why does God hide
Himself? Why doesn’t He reveal Himself? Why doesn’t God stretch out His
hand and touch us? Why doesn’t He at least say something to us?” |
| To
which Death said, “God doesn’t do this, does He? He doesn’t reach out,
He doesn’t speak, He just remains silent.” Then the man said, “That’s
right, He doesn’t do a thing. He doesn’t speak to us, and sometimes I
wonder if He is really out there.” And Death went on, “Well, maybe He is
not there, maybe no one is out there. Maybe we are here all alone, did
you ever think of that?” |
| Did
you ever think of that? Ever feel as if there is no God? That there was
no one out there, that you are alone? Many of us, I am sure, can relate
to the conversation between death and the man. There are times when we
seem to be all alone in the world. There are times when we wonder if God
is really out there, during loss, illness: we long for some sign that
He is out there, and that He cares about us. And we, like Thomas, begin
to doubt. |
| While
I was in Catholic University many years ago, I was asked to teach a
high school religion class. It went well, except for Tommy. Tommy turned
out to be the Atheist in residence. He constantly objected to or
smirked at the possibility of an unconditionally loving God. |
| One
day, as he was leaving, he said to me, “Do you think I will ever find
God?” I decided on some shock therapy. “No,” I said, “but I am
absolutely certain He will find you.” |
| Just
a few years later, Tommy was diagnosed with terminal cancer. He came to
see me, I was at a loss as to what to say. Tommy sensed this and said,
“What would you like to know? How I feel about dying? It could be worse.
Like being fifty and still thinking that booze and making money are the
main things in life. When I was told that I did not have long, I got
serious about locating God. But God did not show Himself, so I quit
trying. Then I remembered something we read in your class.” |
| “The
essential sadness is to go through life without loving, but it would be
equally sad to go through life and leave this world without ever
telling those you loved that you had loved them. So I began with the
hardest, my dad. He did two things he never did before: he cried, and he
hugged me, and we talked all night, even though he had work the next
day.” |
| “It
was easier with my mom and younger brother. I was only sorry about one
thing: that I had waited so long. Here I was in the shadow of death and I
was just beginning to open up to my family. Then one day, I turned
around and God was there. He did not come to me when I pleaded with Him.
I was like an animal trainer, holding out a hoop, telling God to jump
through. Apparently God does things in His own way and time. But the
important thing is that He was there. He found me, even after I stopped
looking for Him.” |
| Tommy
was saying something very important. He was saying the surest way to
find God is not to make Him a private possession, a problem-solver or an
instant consolation in time of need, but by reaching up to His love and
then reaching out to those around us. Isn’t it interesting that only
when Thomas in our Gospel returned to the community, only then was he
able to say, my Lord and my God? |
| It
was when young Tommy was reconciled with his family that he was able to
let God in. That is why, even if we doubt, we should stick with the
community. If your diet is People magazine, HBO and pop culture, if you
hang around skeptical, unbelieving people, then you are in trouble. Your
faith is not fed, belief does not do well in faithless company any more
than resistance to drugs rarely survives well among drug taking
friends. Faith is like a muscle in the body: if you do not use it, it
begins to weaken. If you do not exercise your faith, it too dies. |
| The
way you exercise your faith is by living it. First and foremost, you
have to talk to God. We call that prayer. You have to talk to God
because you cannot have a relationship with anyone unless you
communicate with them. When Death asks the question, “Is there anyone
out there” the answer is a firm “Yes!” If you are a person of faith,
hold on to it. Exercise it, use it, it is a gift more precious than
gold. You are indeed fortunate when you can say, and believe, the words of St. Thomas, “My Lord and my God.” |
|
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