Gospel Reflection on John 20:19-31

April 27, 2025

Now when it was late that same day, the first of the week, and the doors were shut, where the disciples were gathered together, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in the midst, and said to them: Peace be to you. And when he had said this, he shewed them his hands and his side. The disciples therefore were glad, when they saw the Lord. He said therefore to them again: Peace be to you. As the Father hath sent me, I also send you. When he had said this, he breathed on them; and he said to them: Receive ye the Holy Ghost.

Whose sins you shall forgive, they are forgiven them; and whose sins you shall retain, they are retained. Now Thomas, one of the twelve, who is called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came. The other disciples therefore said to him: We have seen the Lord. But he said to them: Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the place of the nails, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe. And after eight days again his disciples were within, and Thomas with them. Jesus cometh, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said: Peace be to you. Then he saith to Thomas: Put in thy finger hither, and see my hands; and bring hither thy hand, and put it into my side; and be not faithless, but believing. Thomas answered, and said to him: My Lord, and my God. Jesus said to him: Because thou hast seen me, Thomas, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and have believed. Many other signs also did Jesus in the sight of his 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.

---

Happy Easter! Doubting Thomas, as most of us have come to know him, had another name. His other name was Didymus, which means twin. A twin remains always a twin, someone whose identity is marked by the fact that he has a brother or sister. It's interesting that Thomas was separated from his twin on this first Sunday.

There's an important lesson here. We do not encounter the Lord as individuals, but always as part of a community of the church. None of the saints ever went to the Lord as individuals. Even Paul, who had that famous encounter with Christ on the road to Damascus, was welcomed into the church by the disciple Ananias. Encountering Jesus requires this communion with the church, And today's Gospel shows us how to achieve the communion.

Eight days later, Thomas is present with the brothers. Eight days is a Jewish expression for the passage of one week. Here we see how the early church was already settling into the rhythm of a weekly encounter with the whole assembly on the day of the resurrection. In this life of relationship with his brothers and sisters, there are appointments which are regular in nature. In fact, in the early centuries of the church, the sense of the importance of Sunday was very strong.

The Sabbath and resting on that day were already essential to the Hebrew mind. Most of the first Christians were Jewish, and they maintained this sense of Sabbath, but moved it one day to the day of the resurrection. And this is the day when we experience mercy, but mercy is also something that we don't receive in an individual way. Mercy is the call to fraternal communion. I can't claim to love God. I cannot see if I don't love the sister or brother I do see.

Mercy is not an automatic dispenser of grace whenever it suits us. It's not up to us to decide when to approach God. The Lord has let us know where and when he is to be found. I might be under the impression I can be redeemed in my own time on my own terms, but it doesn't work like that.

The Lord has given us these liturgical moments, and Thomas is a great witness to the importance of those moments. He doesn't show greater unbelief than the rest of the disciples. They were all slow to believe when Mary Magdalene testified to the resurrection. What Thomas really demonstrates is not something like the difference between doubt and faith. The real reason he doesn't believe is because he was absent from the paternal gathering.

Our faith is not an individualistic thing. We have to come to faith as a member of a community, and the goal of our faith is to enter into communion with our sisters and brothers. Thomas believes when he encounters Jesus along with the other disciples. This prepares them for that time when they will no longer see Jesus in the flesh, but they will help others to see him by their testimony. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet still believe.