Sunday after Easter
‘And he said to Thomas, “Come, put your finger here and see my hands, and bring your hand and put it in my side, and do not be unbelieving, but believe.’
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Friends in Christ, Thomas the Apostle, was not with the others when Jesus showed them that he is alive. Later, when they told Thomas, he just couldn’t believe it. After that brutal and final death of the Lord? After he was buried in the tomb? Impossible! Impossible that he is alive!
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But those others no doubt told him, ‘Thomas, remember, Jesus told us that he would one day be crucified, and then rise up. We had forgotten that he said that, but he has done it.’ ‘No. I won’t believe it unless I can touch him!, and that’s final.’
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Well, as we read, Christ DID show himself to Thomas, and even told him to come and touch him. He said, “Put your finger here and see my hands, and bring your hand and put it into my side, be not unbelieving, but believe.” Thomas answered, “My Lord and my God!” In fact, this is what many people whisper at Mass, when the priest holds up the Host and the chalice, ‘My Lord and my God,’ echoing Thomas’ words of faith. There has been a partial indulgence attached to that.
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We are told in the gospel that this experience of St. Thomas was for our benefit, so that even we, who were not there, would believe. This then, is a major part of our Catholic Faith: the resurrection of Jesus, and our own resurrection.
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When I was thinking about this, I thought to bring a quiz here today. So here are 8 questions for us to answer.
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1. T/F – God’s plan for us is to do what Jesus did: rise from the dead at the End of the World. T
(In fact, Jesus said, ‘The Hour is coming, in which all who are in the tombs shall hear the voice of the Son of God. They who have done good shall come forth unto resurrection of life; and they who have done evil unto resurrection of judgment.’)
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2. T/F – Our resurrected body will not have any defects, and will be filled with beauty and radiance. T
(As St. Paul says, he will transform our lowly bodies to be like his own, glorious body. So, no defects or problems.)
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3. T/F – Our resurrected bodies will not be real bodies, but will only have the appearance of a body. F
(Today in the Gospel, Jesus told Thomas to touch him, to show him his true, physical body and dispel any doubts. He even appeared another time to them, and when they shout they were seeing a ‘spirit’ or a ghost, he upbraided them and even ate food in his presence.)
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4. T/F – There will be some suffering in heaven, but not too much. F
(God will return us to the original state of happiness of the first man and woman: the way we were meant to be. No sadness or problems.)
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5. T/F – Our resurrected body will be able to move quickly and easily over vast distances in heaven. T
(In the resurrection, Jesus was able to visit many different people in different places, going there simply by his will. At times, the saints also could bi-locate for example; for us in the resurrection this will be common.)
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6. T/F – The wicked people in hell will not have their bodies. F
(The damned will also rise; Jesus says this in John, chapter 5. So when we think of people being tortured in hell, it will be in their bodies. But they will not be glorified bodies.)
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7. T/F – Jesus was able to visit his apostles even though the door was locked. In the resurrection, we also will be able to pass through a locked door or a solid object. T
(St. Thomas Aquinas calls this power ‘Subtlety.’ In the glorified body, the soul will have complete dominion over the body. We will not be limited by time or space.)
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8. T/F We will rise in the same bodies we have now? T.
This is because our soul is uniquely linked to our body. We are unique individuals. But we must not think however, that our resurrected bodies will need to use the same molecules that are in our cells now. Even now, our body’s molecules are changing all the time.
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The world ahead will be an adventure. If we think that experiences of life are exciting – riding on an airplane, or a rollercoaster – having your first child, going to Hawaii – if these events are thrilling, wait until we are resurrected from the dead. That will be the ultimate adventure.
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St. Thomas was lacking in Faith until he saw Jesus and touched him; but we ourselves DO have faith; in the world to come however, we will not need faith at all, because we will see in the flesh, all that God has done for us.
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May the blessed Virgin pray for us; Mary, help us; help us to always have a strong and joyful faith in the promises of Jesus Christ, and the resurrection of the dead in the life of the world to come. Amen.
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[Entrusted to the prayers of St. Thomas Aquinas]
