Gospel - Second Sunday of Easter (John 20.19-31)
Seeing is Believing ….. How often have we heard that phrase “Seeing is believing”? When we think about it, it seems that concept is woven into our everyday life. If we visit the bank – they need to see proof we have an account. If we go to a hospital or clinic – they need to see proof we have health insurance. If we get stopped by a police officer – they need to see proof we are licensed and insured. We take it for granted that in these everyday “ordinary” occurrences we will be asked to prove ourselves by letting someone see proof.
So, what happens when something extraordinary occurs? What happens when something so unusual, so unheard of, so beyond our experience, occurs? Typically, we find it difficult to take at face value. We doubt. We look for the trick, the misdirection. We don’t want to be taken advantage of. It’s no surprise, really….. for we live in an age of fantasy worlds, virtual reality and sensational claims. We live in an age in which trust has become a scarce commodity.
Consequently, a little bit of the apostle Thomas has rubbed off on each of us – “Unless I can see and touch – I will not believe”! You see, Thomas in today’s gospel is not unlike you and I. He had heard about an extraordinary event, Christ risen from the dead! He doubted and wanted proof. He merely said out loud what we think inside and keep secret.
Think about it. If Jesus came back to earth today, right now – what would you do? Would you would rush home, turn on the TV and look for news coverage and pictures? Would be start streaming news video from the internet on your smartphone? There are even be some people who would think it is “Fake News”. We would doubt the word that Jesus had returned, and we would want to know the facts. The truth. Am I right or am I right?
How very like Thomas we are.
The problem is that while many people say that “seeing is believing”, I think that the opposite is more often the case – Not “Seeing is Believing”, but “Believing is Seeing” .
Believing is Seeing. In fact, all of our readings today touch on this attribute of belief and mutual trust. It was a characteristic of the early Christian communities. But unfortunately, isn’t as common in today’s world.
You and I all have our moments of doubt and uncertainty in our lives, just like Thomas. To counter this uncertainty, the marketplace is full of spin doctors, motivational speakers and gurus of every kind, willing – for a large fee, naturally – to free us from these debilitating doubts that hold us back from becoming “decision making dynamos”.
The matter of religious faith is no different. Like Thomas, we can waver and falter – to believe or not to believe. Here, too, we have a vast assembly of experts, and not so experts, offering opinions on the importance in a person’s life of trust and belief. And while we maintain a healthy scepticism about much of what we read and are told, it is not healthy to be sceptical about everything. Life simply cannot be lived that way because trusting others is built into the human condition.
This brings us to the point of today’s Gospel. Thomas was up against this problem – to believe or not to believe. Often, when we talk about religious faith, we tend to regard it is a single, cut and dried fact – either we believe or we do not believe. Actually, for the great majority of us, it is a leap into the unknown that must be renewed frequently in life, maybe even daily, as the implications of our Christian commitment constantly unfold to our understanding.
So, it is OK for us to have doubts at times. Because it is tough to be a “believing is seeing” person in a “seeing is believing” world.
So, if I tell you that I have seen the Risen Christ, would you believe me? Because I have. Seen the Risen Christ. Really. Would you like to see the pictures? Let me show you.
- I saw the Risen Christ in the beauty of a sunrise on my drive into town. I even felt the energy that flowed from God’s creation to warm me, body and soul.
- I saw the Risen Christ in the eyes of a good friend who was approaching death in Hospital, and who wanted to share some of those precious minutes left in their life to pray with me and to pray for me.
- I saw the Risen Christ in the smile of a small child who overflowed with the joy of life and the awesome wonderment that we seem to lose as we grow older.
- I saw the Risen Christ in the breaking forth of new life on the trees and flowers, and was reminded of the incredible creation of the universe which God infuses with God’s love and energy.
- I saw the Risen Christ in my mind as I heard in today’s Gospel the first words of the Risen Lord to his apostles – “Peace be with You”, and knew that He was saying it to me, today.
- And I see the Risen Christ in the Eucharist as I receive Him into my very self.
Have you seen the Risen Christ?
The very fact that you are here today tells me that you have. And if I asked you to share your “Word Pictures” of those encounters, I know they would be even more beautiful than mine.
As we enter into the joy of this Easter season, let us pray that God will open our eyes to see him even more clearly each and every day, in the seasons, events and people we encounter. And that in seeing him, we too, like Thomas, can say to Him – My Lord and My God.
because Believing is Seeing.