“MY LORD AND MY GOD!”
INTRODUCTION
The title of my homily is, “My Lord and My God!”
They are the words of Thomas in today’s gospel. [Cf. John 20:19-31]
As we know from the Gospel of John, Thomas was not there in the Upper Room, that Easter Sunday evening – when Jesus, the Risen Lord, says to his disciples, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, so I send you.”
And then Jesus breathes on them and says, “Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained.”
This day, a week later, Thomas was there and once more Jesus, the Risen Lord, appears, and says to his disciples, “Peace be with you.”
And Jesus asks Thomas to put his finger into the cuts on Jesus’ hand and then to put his hand into Jesus’ side and stop being someone who does not believe.
Thomas takes his finger and then his hand and puts them into Jesus’ cuts and wounds and says, “My Lord and my God!”
And Jesus says to Thomas, “Have you come to believe because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.”
RESULTS FROM THIS STORY
As a result of this very important gospel story that has come down to us, for centuries this Sunday has been called, “Doubting Thomas Sunday” – especially in the Eastern Christian Churches.”
It’s has also been called for centuries Low Sunday and since the year 2000, it has been called Divine Mercy Sunday.
As a result of this story, many old time Catholics were brought up to say, “My Lord and my God!” when the priest lifts the host at Mass after the consecration. I grew up hearing lots of people sort of whispering those words right after the consecration: “My Lord and my God.”
As a result of this story, there was also the legend that Thomas for the rest of his life – had a bloody red hand. It’s one of those legends.
THERE’S A MESSAGE HERE: CUTS AND WOUNDS
The title of my homily is, “My Lord and My God!”
They are the words of Thomas in today’s gospel. [Cf. John 20:19-31]
As we know from the Gospel of John, Thomas was not there in the Upper Room, that Easter Sunday evening – when Jesus, the Risen Lord, says to his disciples, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, so I send you.”
And then Jesus breathes on them and says, “Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained.”
This day, a week later, Thomas was there and once more Jesus, the Risen Lord, appears, and says to his disciples, “Peace be with you.”
And Jesus asks Thomas to put his finger into the cuts on Jesus’ hand and then to put his hand into Jesus’ side and stop being someone who does not believe.
Thomas takes his finger and then his hand and puts them into Jesus’ cuts and wounds and says, “My Lord and my God!”
And Jesus says to Thomas, “Have you come to believe because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.”
RESULTS FROM THIS STORY
As a result of this very important gospel story that has come down to us, for centuries this Sunday has been called, “Doubting Thomas Sunday” – especially in the Eastern Christian Churches.”
It’s has also been called for centuries Low Sunday and since the year 2000, it has been called Divine Mercy Sunday.
As a result of this story, many old time Catholics were brought up to say, “My Lord and my God!” when the priest lifts the host at Mass after the consecration. I grew up hearing lots of people sort of whispering those words right after the consecration: “My Lord and my God.”
As a result of this story, there was also the legend that Thomas for the rest of his life – had a bloody red hand. It’s one of those legends.
THERE’S A MESSAGE HERE: CUTS AND WOUNDS
The message I’ve been thinking about is this: there is something to the reality that many people come to faith only when there is a gaping wound and cut in their life.
I began reflecting not on Jesus' wounds - but our wounds.
The story of Thomas sort of says, “It’s okay when that happens. However, it would be better, if you had better faith.”
Let's be as honest as Thomas is in today's gospel. His honesty brought him to a profound realization. The Risen Lord Jesus came specifically to him and Thomas said, "My Lord and my God."
Let’s be honest, many people pray – and pray big time – when big time cancer or crush hits them or their family or friends.
Let’s be honest, many people pray – and pray big time – when there is a big time death in their lives.
START WITH SELF
So instead of looking at Jesus’ wounds, let me start with self wounds – especially deep memory hurts. Show those wounds to Jesus.
Does every person have a deep cut – a deep hole in their soul – that hurts – especially when something triggers the memory of that hurt?
About a week ago I was watching the 2000 Tom Hanks movie, Cast Away. It’s a real tear jerker. Tom Hanks, as Chuck Noland, works for Fed Ex. He is in a Fed Ex plane crash in the Pacific Ocean. Everyone is killed except him. He’s cast away on a deserted island for about 4 years. He’s a modern Robinson Crusoe – but there is no Friday. Okay there is an imaginary friend called “Wilson” – named for a Wilson volley ball that was in a Fed Ex package that he opens. Wilson helps. However, the main thing that keeps him going is the hope of being discovered or getting off that island, so he can get back to the girl he loves – Kelly Frears, played by Helen Hunt. All through the movie you see him looking at a picture of her in an old pocket watch that she gave him as a Christmas present just before the Fed Ex plane took off.
He makes it back to the states and she has married his old dentist. That’s the wipe out. He finds out they even had a funeral with a casket for him. He asks the very intriguing question: “What did you put in the casket.”
The movie triggered for me the question: “How many people have that cut in their psyche? Someone they wanted to marry, married someone else – and they felt like they were tossed all alone onto an island for years by themselves.”
How many people have been dumped or ditched by another?
You know that Capital One ad slogan. “What’s in your wallet?”
What’s in our cellar? Closet? Under the bed? In a locked safe in our soul?
William Sloane Coffin [1924-2006] – former chaplain at Yale – was once asked, “What’s it like to be a minister?” He paused and answered the question something like this, “It’s nervous as well as awesome – because people invite you into the secret garden of their soul.”
As priest I know about secrets. As human I know about secrets. You sitting here know about secrets. You know about yourself.
If priests and ministers and all of us know about secrets, how about therapists? Therapists are miners and diggers. Some ask those who come to them for counseling to give them their money history, or their sexual history, or their relationships history. Or some might simply ask another, “Where does it hurt?”
I remember reading somewhere an anecdote about a counselor – who used the group counseling method. In one of his group counseling sessions there was this man who came every month and every month he said nothing. Nothing seemed to be bothering him. Why he was in the group for counseling? I don’t remember.
This intrigued the counselor – who would ask everyone at every session, “How’s it going? Do you have anything to say? Is anything bothering you?”
Usually something would come up and out from every person, but this man – in perfect suit and tie – top button of his shirt buttoned right up the Adam’s apple every time – never said anything till this one day….
Someone in the group mentioned the name of someone named Jack or something like that. At that the man who was quiet and perfect flicked a tiny piece of dandruff off the left arm of his dark blue suit.
Seeing that the therapist suddenly raised his hands and made the “Time out!” signal. Then he blurted, “Time out. Time out.”
Then he said, “Joseph, when so and so mentioned the name of a man named Jack, you went like this.” And he demonstrated flicking a piece of dandruff off his left arm.
And the man said, “Yeah! I can’t stand this boss I used to have whose name was Jack.”
And out poured a tirade laced with vinegar acid anger from 20 years earlier.
And the rest of the group welcomed him into the group after that. He was normal after all.
“Peace be with you.”
Notice in today’s gospel the group is all there – in a room together and the doors were locked – out of fear.
And Jesus said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them and whose sins you retain are retained.”
Does every person have a hurt, a resentment, a scream, a cut, a stabbing, a rejection, a firing, an unfair accusation, a cross, a crucifixion, from 10, 20, 30, 40 years ago?
Does every person have a family disappointment – a rejection – a mess – from their parents – or a child – that’s sitting there forever – in their brain – in their upper room – and have they kept that secret or secrets locked in there out of fear for all these years?
Come Holy Spirit.
Jesus’ words about forgiving or retaining sins is very significant.
We apply these words to priests – and the sacrament of reconciliation.
Does anyone apply them to our power to forgive or our power to hold onto sins or being sinned against?
PRAYER
Prayer, grace, counseling, can bring oneself to Jesus – having him break through the walls of our upper room – our locked scull. Prayer can get us to ask Jesus to put his hands into that hurt – that pain – that cut – and heal us. And when this happens, hopefully we say, “My Lord and my God.”
It might be something we did wrong – 2 weeks or 2 years or 20 years ago.
As you know the news these days have been filled with stories about the priest abuse scandal – kids being hurt and cover ups that followed.
The pope, the bishops, the priests, anyone who has abused another, hopefully bring this gospel story to these stories. They have to think not just about the person who did the crime – but about the person who was cut and crucified. That to me was one of the major horrors of the priest abuse scandal: too many times concentrating on the priest – and forgetting the victim.
We’re all aware that the messy side of life is about secrets – especially about sin and the sneaky – about sex and power – about feelings of powerlessness and uselessness – about feelings of being used and abused – and alcohol is often mixed up in the mix.
And often, those in on these secrets, want this stuff kept in closed rooms – and when those in power find out about some of these horrors, sometimes they also make decisions behind closed doors to keep these secrets behind closed doors.
If I hear anything in these stories - now hitting the Vatican and the Church around the world, I hear the call for transparency – and honesty – the need to face realities – to set up an independent board to get all the information that’s available.
In 2002 thought the U.S. Bishops set up a commission who asked the John Jay College of Criminal Justice to do an independent study on all this. It was very freeing. Some of the study was difficult to read. So it was horrible, but it was freeing. Anyone can read the study. If you're reading this, you're on line. Just type into Google, "A Research Study Conducted by the John Jay College of Criminal Justice - U.S. Bishops."
In a way, it's apples and oranges, but we might be the only group in the world who has faced the scrutiny of so many. Other groups: be prepared.
So the Vatican has to do what the bishops of the United States has done and to do it quickly - and the latest message I'm hearing is that they better have women on board.
We have to remember Jesus’ words, "The truth will set people free." [Cf. John 8: 32.]
What are the numbers? I go by the numbers I read in the John Jay Study – than by conjectures by columnists.
Transparency will help those who were hurt. This is what some are crying for. More is needed.
This is the stuff of prayer.
“My Lord and my God.”
Don’t we say just that in the moment of tragedy, whether we see a horror story on TV or in person, “Oh my God” or “My Lord and my God.”
I’m sure most who heard about the plane crash that killed so many in the Polish government yesterday blurted out just that, “My Lord and my God.” or “O my God.”
CONCLUSION
This Sunday is also called, “Divine Mercy Sunday.”
God is a God of mercy.
In this sermon I hope I stressed the need for big time reconciliation - confession of sins - forgiveness - repentence - healing.
But I don't want to limit this just to priests!
As priest it seems strange - or some word like that - when people want confession - confession - confession - for Divine Mercy Sunday. I didn't say this from the pulpit - because people might be confused with my comment - or think here is a priest who is lazy. He doesn't want to hear confessions.
We just finished Lent. We priests heard a million confessions for Lent -and then more - a lot more - in Holy Week in preparation for Easter.
Wonderful.
Easter happens.
Then comes this message of confession for Divine Mercy Sunday.
To me something is off message here.
It seems that some people have made this Sunday more important than Easter Sunday.
People are being told they can get complete forgiveness of their sins and indulgences – if they go to Confession and Communion for Divine Mercy Sunday.
I for one would stress going into the box of self.
I for one would stress prayer and looking into oneself and see if I am at peace – or do I have these inner wounds and cuts – that need to be healed – and to ask Jesus to come into my inner room and breathe on us so that we can “Receive the Holy Spirit” and then we go out of that upper room of feat and forgive and be forgiven?
Am I a person of mercy? Can I forgive others? Can I communicate to them the hurt they might have given me years ago?"
And hopefully the other says, “I’m sorry. Have mercy on me.” And we forgive them.
I remember a lady telling me that her dad said, “I’m sorry” to her just before he died – and her counselor said to her, “Well, la di da, di da. He wants off the hook just like that – after all he did to you.”And she said to the counselor, “It was enough. He finally said he was sorry for all the growing up years of neglect, abuse and alcoholism.”
She then paused and said, “I forgave him and it gave me peace.”
Or it might be something we have done to hurt another. If we can, and if it’s the right thing to do, we can go to the living or the dead and say,” I’m sorry.” However, with the living, this is tricky. Sometimes it’s the right thing to do, but it’s not the right time, and it just might start World War III.
After all, isn’t mercy and forgiveness what it’s all about? Today's gospel story about Thomas puts a human face onto all this. Let us do the same.
Painting on top:"Doubting Thomas" or "Saint Thomas Putting His Finger on Christ's Wound" -1602-03 Carravaggio, [1573-1610]
