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 2 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? 3 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! 4