2nd Sunday of Easter
April 3, 2016
Divine Mercy Sunday
J.A. Loftus, S.J.
A comedian I much admired, George Carlin, once said, “Tell
people that the whole world was created by a big man in the sky
and that he still lives in it somewhere, and most people will believe
you. Tell them that the paint is wet, and they insist on touching it.”
Have you had that experience? What do you do when you see a sign
that says “Wet Paint?” Most of us have to touch it to be sure. I know
I do! At least with one finger.
Do you ever wonder why it is that immediately after the great
celebration of faith in the drama of the Triduum and Easter Sunday,
we begin to hear scripture stories about doubt (today Thomas has
to touch the paint too), and misunderstanding (the disciples
walking to Emmaus in next week’s gospel), and I could go on. Is
there something about doubt that we all need to hear each year?
There must be.
The noted Spanish philosopher Miguel de Unamuno once
famously said, “Life is doubt, and faith without doubt is nothing but
death.” Or, in another place, “Faith without doubt is dead faith.”
Listen to one of the theological luminaries of the last century,
Paul Tillich. “Doubt isn’t the opposite of faith; it is an element of
faith.” Listen to one more contemporary Presbyterian theologian,
Frederick Buechner, “Doubts are the ants in the pants of faith.
They keep it awake and moving.”
Let’s now listen to our good friend, Pope Francis. “If one has
the answers to all the questions—that is proof that God is not with
him. It means he is a false prophet using religion for himself. The
great leaders of the people of God, like Moses, have always left
room for doubt.”
Many of you already know that I have always felt that Thomas
gets stuck with a bum rap. Thomas simply has the courage to
articulate what many of the others were probably thinking
themselves. He needed to touch the paint. Who wouldn’t? And yet
Thomas becomes known throughout history as, “Doubting
Thomas.”
Legend has it that Thomas left Jerusalem quite soon after
Pentecost and travelled to India and Goa to preach. Fr. Jim Martin
suggests in one of his recent books (Jesus: A Pilgrimage) that he
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might have travelled so quickly just to stop hearing himself always
referred to as “the Doubting Thomas.” Who knows?
And what about all these stories of the early disciples? Do
you really suppose they were all so “lovey-dovey” and generous to
everybody? Really? If so, that was the last time the church acted
that way.
In the Acts of the Apostles we hear “Now the whole group of
those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one claimed
private ownership of any possessions but everything they owned
was held in common” (Acts 4:32). Earlier in Acts the early church is
described this way, “Awe came upon everyone…day by day as they
spent much time together in the temple, they broke bread at home
and ate their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and
having the goodwill of all the people” (Acts 2:43-47).
How about the later description, in Chapter 15, of the meeting
between Paul and Barnabas with Peter and the others of the
Jerusalem church? All were of one heart and soul? Hardly. Paul
and Barnabas were arguing with Peter and the others about
circumcision for the Gentiles. Do you feel like you want to touch
that paint?
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Or how about today’s reading from Acts: even Peter’s shadow
heals people?
The lesson here, and in many of the post-resurrection stories,
is that we all need to learn to live with doubts. They are not
necessarily bad—for us or for our faith. We need to keep
remembering that the story we tell repeatedly (like every Sunday
at least) is remarkably incomprehensible. It is the greatest
mystery of them all. Jesus of Nazareth who lived among us for a
time, was shamefully murdered, buried, and then was raised from
death, and through death, to life for all eternity. (That’s the point of
today’s tableau from the Book of Revelation.) The story we
celebrate, even here today, is literally incredible! Don’t feel at all
bad if you have, on occasion at least, your doubts. Sometimes it’s
okay to want to touch the paint. It’s the human thing to do. Peace!
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