THE CONFESSING THOMAS

READINGS: SECOND SUNDAY OF EASTER

One of the main actors in this Sunday’s gospel (John 20:19-31) is the apostle Thomas, the man we have come to know as Doubting Thomas, because he said, “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe.” What is not frequently appreciated, though, is that Doubting Thomas is also the Confessing Thomas, “My Lord and my God!” It was Confessing Thomas became the apostle who brought the gospel of Jesus Christ to the people of India and died a martyr. 

So, doubting Thomas was only a starting place for this saint and Christ met him where he was at. We all have our starting places, the facts of our lives today, the circumstances that surround us at this moment. It could be deep regrets, loneliness, sorrow, loss, illness, old age, disability, uncertainty, overwhelming darkness, disappointment, betrayal, you name it. It could also be joy, celebration, gratitude, etc. The point is that we all have a starting place and we all have rooms with locked doors. The good news is that Christ is willing to meet us where we are at and bring us to where we need to be. He is willing to enter our locked-up rooms to breathe peace, hope, and courage into us and say, receive the power of the Holy Spirit; the strength to unlock the locked doors and step out into the freshness of new beginnings. 

My friends, our resurrection journey is a journey to freedom and this can only happen if we can recognize Christ as our Lord and God, let Him enter into our places of darkness, doubt, fears, uncertainties, insecurities, addiction, unforgiving spirit, and all kinds of unproductive tendencies, while exercising the willingness to allow him take us and walk us out of our encasement.