HOMILY FOR THE 2ND SUNDAY OF EASTER YEAR A. (5)

HOMILY FOR THE 2ND SUNDAY OF EASTER YEAR A.

THEME: THE PROBLEM WITH THOMAS’ COURAGE AND DOUBT.

BY: Fr. Vincent Onwukwe.

The biblical Thomas was indeed a courageous man. It takes a lot of courage not to be with other disciples of Jesus or to move out of the house when they were gripped with fear. They locked the doors of their meeting place for fear of the Jews (John 20:19-29). Also, Thomas dared to touch the scars and wounds of Jesus. Still more, it will be recalled that he was the disciple who told the other disciples, “Let us go that we might die with him (Lazarus) (Mtt 11:16)”, indicating that he was not afraid to embark on a risky journey. Yet there was something wrong with Thomas’ courage. He seemed to have courage without faith. He, therefore, earned himself the popularity of being associated with doubt. His doubting disposition was extreme. It presents him as possessing the quality of an unbeliever. Hence, the Greek word used to capture his doubting enterprise differs from the usual Greek words for doubt in the Bible.

Two main Greek words for doubt in the New Testament are used in relation to faith. The first is distazō (διστάζω), which involves having a double stand. This exact word was used in Mtt 14:21 when Jesus asked Peter, “Why did you doubt?” Peter had walked on water with faith towards Jesus. But he became afraid when he gave attention to the wave and began to sink. Another Greek word for doubt is diakrinō (διακρίνω). This literally means ‘to judge through’. It involves discerning, scrutinising and thoroughly examining a situation before making a decision. This can be positive, as in the case of 1 Cor 6:5; 11:29; 14:29; Heb 5:14 or negative, as in Matt 21:21; Mk 11:23; Jm 1:6. What Thomas did, as recorded in John 20:19-29 was beyond distazō and diakrinō. He took a character that does not portray him as a believer.

The doubting project of Thomas is captured by the adjectival noun, ‘APISTOS’ (ἄπιστος) ‒ doubting, the disposition and activity of a non-believer (unbeliever) ‒ which is contrary to ‘PISTOS (πιστος) ‒ believing, the disposition of a believer. Thomas’ doubt was not about critical thinking but about losing his disposition as a believer. The object of his doubt was the Resurrection, the basis of our Christian faith. Such doubt is dangerous because it separates the doubter from the community of believers. This explains the rhetoric of Thomas’ absenteeism. Anyone who doubts the veracity of the Resurrection of Jesus and refuses to live a Resurrection life separates themselves from Jesus and the community of Jesus. The Resurrection is the basis of our Christian faith. This separation may not be physical. It may be spiritual and psychological. Hence, one can be physically present in a church while his mind and spirit is elsewhere.

Although doubt is a state of the mind, it affects our decisions, actions, and interactions with others. Thomas’ disposition of doubt affected his interaction with other disciples of Jesus. He isolated himself from the group to the point that he was the only absentee when Jesus made a post-resurrection appearance to His disciples. Thomas’ expression of doubt about the Resurrection of Jesus was a product of accumulated critical questioning of the basis of his faith, a situation which was triggered by the death of Jesus on the Cross. His doubtful disposition exposed him to anti-faith empiricism. His senses of sight and touch became his sources of the knowledge of truth: “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hands in his side, I will not believe” (Jn 20:25 NRSV). Thomas’ faith was beclouded by doubt, a situation that made him apply his rational capacity negatively. When it is put into positive use, human reason intensifies faith in God through a friendly interaction with faith. But when it is wrongly used, doubt sets in.

Doubt challenges our conviction about our belief in God. It makes us question divine reality. One of the reasons why people begin to doubt is that they listen to a lot of voices that present a seeming alternative to their relationship with God. A child who grows up in an agnostic environment, listening to his parents question the authenticity of Christian belief will end up doubting the existence of God. Knowledge is power and directly or indirectly comes from hearing. For even when we read from a text, the words that we read sound and resound in our ears as we reflect on them. In this direction, doubt is the wrong application of human reasoning, a disposition that, among other things, is often triggered by exposure to extreme critical thinking and discouraging experiences that opens up the ears to sounds of discouragement and doubt. Of course, it is reasonable to question the knowledge we are confused about, even in matters of our Christian faith. But while doing that, we must remember that there are some realities we cannot understand by merely using our thinking faculty. As Christians, our critical thinking must be at the service of our faith; it must intensify our faith in God.

Whenever we use our human reason without reference to God, the Transcendent Reality, we are thrown into a darkness of spiritual error that enthrones man as god. We must deal with our doubts by developing a faith-oriented and belief-friendly disposition towards the Bible, which contains the truth of our salvation. This does not imply a sheepish and literal understanding and application of biblical stories and injunctions. Rather, it involves biblical reasoning that helps us treat the Bible as the Word of God, which speaks to us in various ways for a salvific purpose.

May God strengthen our faith in Him and cast out the spirit of doubt in us! Amen
God bless you richly!

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