Second Sunday of Easter: Doubt Is The Way To Faith

Today's Scripture Readings

Acts 5:27-32 (NRSV)

When the temple police had brought the apostles, they had them stand before the council. The high priest questioned them, saying, "We gave you strict orders not to teach in this name, yet here you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and you are determined to bring this man's blood on us." But Peter and the apostles answered, "We must obey God rather than any human authority. The God of our ancestors raised up Jesus, whom you had killed by hanging him on a tree. God exalted him at his right hand as Leader and Savior that he might give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. And we are witnesses to these things, and so is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey him."

Psalm 118:14-29 (BCP., p.761-763)


Revelation 1:4-8 (NRSV)

John to the seven churches that are in Asia: Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne, and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth.

To him who loves us and freed us from our sins by his blood, and made us to be a kingdom, priests serving his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

Look! He is coming with the clouds; every eye will see him, even those who pierced him; and on his account all the tribes of the earth will wail. So it is to be. Amen. "I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.

John 20:19-31 (NRSV)

When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you." After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you." 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 them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained."

But 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."

Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book. But these are written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name.

Blog Reflection

Over the span of Church History, St. Thomas got a bad rap.  It was thought that Thomas doubting the Resurrection and wanting proof suggests that he was a man of weak faith.

Thomas is the one who wants more than just the words of the Disciples that Jesus rose from the dead.   Thomas wants to know it for Himself.  Thomas along with the other Apostles heard Jesus say on many occasions that He would go to Jerusalem, be put to death and rise again.  Thomas was not satisfied with the words alone.  Thomas did not want to believe on pure blind faith.  Thomas wanted his faith to be affirmed by the physical touch of Jesus and to know the words from Jesus to Thomas' heart were reliable.  Thomas wanted more than the literal translation.  Thomas wanted to see the truths he had been told become part of his every day experience.

The Rev. Barbara Mraz wrote these outstanding words in her blog for this Second Sunday of Easter, entitled "Got Doubt?"

"I don't think that doubt is the enemy of faith, but blind fanaticism is." 

Blind fanaticism can take the form of Biblical literalism to the point of lobbying for those crazy "Religious Freedom" bills, that really are no freedom of religion at all.  They are only the freedom of religion for over zealous conservative Christians to justify discrimination towards lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning people and their struggle towards full equality.  The fanaticism behind the "Religious Freedom" laws is about control.  The ultra-conservative Christians want to be the voice and law makers as to how Christianity will be defined in American politics.  It does not stop with LGBTQ people, it extends to women's reproductive rights, health care, education, climate change and managing gun violence.

Thomas' encounter with the Risen Christ in our Gospel story today, tells us to doubt the fanatical and search for the faith that allows us to question how things have been, so that the Holy Spirit may "lead us into all truth."  This kind of faith questions on a level of deep trust, not in our certainties of what we think and/or do.  The kind of faith that Thomas' doubt leads to breaks the hard concrete, and makes it into a wonderful flowing stream of life giving water.   The same water that flowed in our Baptism and makes all of us in our diversity of beliefs and convictions part of the one family of Christ known as the Church.

May we with Thomas never dismiss doubt as an obstacle to faith, but embrace it with trust in the Holy Spirit to guide us towards the truths we have yet to receive and live by.

Amen.


Prayers

Almighty and everlasting God, who in the Paschal mystery
established the new covenant of reconciliation: Grant that all
who have been reborn into the fellowship of Christ's Body
may show forth in their lives what they profess by their faith;
through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you
and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.  (The Book of Common Prayer, p. 224)

Gracious Father, we pray for thy holy Catholic Church. Fill it
with all truth, in all truth with all peace. Where it is corrupt,
purify it; where it is in error, direct it; where in any thing it is
amiss, reform it. Where it is right, strengthen it; where it is in
want, provide for it; where it is divided, reunite it; for the sake
of Jesus Christ thy Son our Savior. Amen. (The Book of Common Prayer, p. 816).