In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, one God, Amen.
Christ is risen!
In our world we like to dismiss what others say if it does not agree with our position. “That’s just what you think,” we might say politely, if only in our head, “That’s just your opinion.” And this frees us to continue our day unencumbered with their proposal. And we do this because we fail to engage with other people, we don’t really want ‘to walk in their shoes,’ to see a different perspective on life. And yet we, too, go around feeling that no one really listens to us, that we are ignored—but we fail to recognise that we are part of the problem, part of the difficulty: “That’s just your beliefs,” we say all too glibly.
Thomas was not part of our modern, dismissive world, and was willing to listen to understand. He said, “Unless I see in his hands the print of the nails, and place my finger in the mark of the nails, and place my hand in his side, I will not believe.” This sounds very sceptical to our modern ears, but what he is really saying is, “okay, show me and I will believe.” He is not willing to jump in without evidence, without proof: but given the evidence he will believe. And a week later, once he is given the evidence, he makes the greatest declaration about Christ, “My Lord and my God!” He identifies—here at the end of John’s Gospel—what the evangelist described at its beginning, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” (John 1:1) Jesus of Nazareth is God.
And we are called to do the same. We should listen to hear the other person’s position and to understand it so that we may come to understand them. Our world is in desperate need of listening: not listening to respond, listening to correct, listening to find errors in an argument, but listening to understand a person, listening to honour human dignity, listening to engage. When the Apostle Thomas was truly listening he encountered his Lord and his God.
Let us, dear brothers and sisters in Christ, not dismiss those around us with phrases such as “that’s just your beliefs” but truly listen, and through careful listening we too may hear the voice of the Word and proclaim the Truth of the Gospel: “truly, Christ, you are my Lord and my God.”
Christ is risen! He is risen indeed!
To our crucified and risen Lord and God, Jesus Christ, be all glory, honour and might, together with his unoriginate Father and the All-holy, Good and Life-giving Spirit. Amen.
About that time, Herod the king laid violent hands upon some who belonged to the church. He killed James the brother of John with the sword; and when he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded to arrest Peter also. This was during the days of Unleavened Bread. And when he had seized him, he put him in prison, and delivered him to four squads of soldiers to guard him, intending after the Passover to bring him out to the people. So Peter was kept in prison; but earnest prayer for him was made to God by the Church. The very night when Herod was about to bring him out, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and sentries before the door were guarding the prison; and behold, an angel of the Lord appeared, and a light shone in the cell; and he struck Peter on the side and woke him, saying, “Get up quickly.” And the chains fell off his hands. And the angel said to him, “Wrap your mantle around you and follow me.” And he went out and followed him; he did not know that what was done by the angel was real, but thought he was seeing a vision. When they had passed the first and the second guard, they came to the iron gate leading into the city. It opened to them of its own accord, and they went out and passed on through one street; and immediately the angel left him. And Peter came to himself, and said, “Now I am sure that the Lord has sent his angel and rescued me from the hand of Herod and from all that the Jewish people were expecting.
— Acts 12:1–11
On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being shut where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” When He had said this, He showed them His hands and His side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent Me, even so I send you.” And when He had said this, He breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.” Now Thomas, one of the twelve, called the Twin, 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 in His hands the print of the nails, and place my finger in the mark of the nails, and place my hand in His side, I will not believe.” Eight days later, His disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. The doors were shut, but 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; and put out your hand, and place it in My side; do not be faithless, but believing.” 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 believe.” Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing, you may have life in His name.
— John 20:19–31