Spring in the Cloister Garden
…….The risen Jesus sent the Spirit and two
extraordinary convictions grew among his followers. The first conviction: As clear as it was
that Jesus died, Jesus is alive. That
conviction came even to St. Paul …. in some way a light dawned on him, he reports an experience with Jesus that convinced him that Jesus is alive. The power of his encounter with the risen
Lord shows in his stunning transformation from a persecutor of Christians to becoming
an apostle.
The second conviction: Jesus shares the power
of resurrection with those who would come to have faith and hope in Him. This gift we call salvation.
How enlightening today would be Thomas’ first
person report…Did he really raise the stakes so high? “I won’t believe,” the account reads,
“unless I can put my hand into the wound in his side.” What kind of sorrow moved him to make this
demand like a belligerent adolescent?.... How did he even know that Jesus’
risen appearance included wounds? And
how did his companions react to him?
Were they annoyed and even jealous that he was getting such personal
attention from Jesus?
The story as it is told represents clearly the
faith of Thomas and his community. They
came to understand that God’s exaltation of Jesus consoled him after his
physical suffering and humiliation on the cross. His wounds became the sign of that
consolation. His wounds became badges of
honor. His wounds encourage all of us who
suffer in our humanity. Thomas touched
these wounds. We imagine this and
remember the words that Jesus had spoken during his life: Blessed are those who mourn…blessed are those
who suffer persecution…Blessed are the merciful…
Thus Jesus invites Thomas and all of us, too, to
share in this victory and to spread the good news by our lives.
No comments:
Post a Comment