Thomas (who was called the Twin), one of
the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him,
"We have seen the Lord." But he said to them, "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."
A week later his disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with
them. Although the doors were shut, Jesus came and stood among them and said,
"Peace be with you." Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger
here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt
but believe." Thomas answered him, "My Lord and my God!" Jesus
said to him, "Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are
those who have not seen and yet have come to believe."
The Gospel called John, chap 19
[ The complete Readings for this Sunday can be
found at:
When does our Journey of Life truly begin? In one sense, it begins
with the “Thomas Experience”.
We are conditioned to see Thomas as the lowliest of the remaining 11
disciples … he is known today as Doubting
Thomas. I see him differently: as
the first to begin the “new life in Christ” by personally and mystically
experiencing union with the Christ of God. At Jesus’ invitation, Thomas touches
His wounds … and in that moment he recognizes that he is a mirror image of
Divine Love. He sees with the inner eye who he truly is - a
being dying to all that is not Love and there finding Life.
Such is the destiny of each of us. We, like Thomas, “will not
believe” - that is, will not begin the essential
Journey - until we ourselves touch the wounds of
Christ. Until we see that we are a mirror image of the Christ, our nail wounds
to His nail wounds, our pierced side to His … until we “see” that only when we
“take up our cross and follow Him”, dying daily to what is not Love, shall we rise to Life, to our most deeply
human Self.
“My lord, and my God!”.
When
we truly “see” - wherever we are blessed to see it - our
own essential beauty and goodness, we can only cry out in astonishment and
wonder.
Our Journey has begun.
Brian+
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