Though locked doors, despite the disciples' fear, beyond their doubting and disbelief, the risen Jesus came and "stood in their midst" not just once, but twice.
Days ago I came across in the New York Times newspaper the news article about the Rutgers University women's basketball team (Rutgers Scarlet Knights), Piscataway, N.J. who were derided on the air as "nappy-headed ho's" (ho is the new bitch and the bitch is the old sissy) by Mr Don Imus, the NBC News and CBS Radio host. That prompted the public outrage and critics said that over the years Mr. Imus had already shown a pattern of racially charged remarks. Their tales of personal pains won the sympathy of the media that made Mr. Imus apologize on the public airwaves. As a consequence, he was suspended by both NBC News and CBS Radio for his offensive remarks.
But there were also some insightful commentaries that defend Mr Imus that he had apologized already and that should be enough. According to them, he should not have to denigrate himself further. Doubts and furor continued to surface from both sides. However, Gov. Jon S. Corzine of New Jersey, a former high school basketball player, who had attended the Final Four in Cleveland, said in a statement: "What we must do now is address this situation as a community. We must start a dialogue that not only helps to heal the wounds that this type of hateful language renews, but also brings us to a better place as a society."
In the gospel today, we hear the reaction of the disciples and that of Thomas, in particular. It's not a reaction to that offensive remark by Mr. Imus about the Rutgers women's basketball team but their reactions to the risen Jesus. Some believe that Jesus has risen, others don't. Like John the Beloved believes when he sees the garments left in the tomb. Mary Magdalene believes when Jesus calls her by name and immediately she recognizes him calls him Rabbouni. Then he tells the other disciples that she saw their Master.
But in spite of that, the disciples still can not believe that their Lord has risen. However, one time Jesus appears to them as they hide in fear at the upper room in Jerusalem. His gift of "peace" enables them to believe as Jesus breathes on them. It happens that Thomas is not with them when Jesus comes. He's very adamant to welcome the testimony of his co-disciples that they have seen the Lord. He declares that he will not believe until he is able to touch the Lord's wounds, i.e. "see the mark of the nails in his hands and put his finger into the nail marks and put his hand into his side." That's his condition. He takes it with a grain of salt. But a week later when they are again inside and Thomas is with them, Jesus came, although the doors are locked. He stands in their midst and says, "Peace be with you." This time though, Thomas believes and he cries out, "My Lord and my God."
Their stories of faith in the risen Jesus abound in legendary proportions and the gospel writers have made their astonishing discovery about Jesus' resurrection. Jesus died only once, he cannot die any more (Rom 6:8-9). Their faith helps others bridge that gap even those who believe without seeing the burial cloths or his bodily presence.
Many of them believe only after they have experienced the risen Lord in their lives. Their eyes of faith enable them to see beyond. St Augustine put this succinctly: "Faith is to believe what we do not see, and the reward of this faith is to what we believe."
I remember the story of Mark Twain's Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Here the author uses satires to explain his opinions on certain aspects of society. He satirizes the Southern society in the late 1850s (cf. Mississippi). Some words are offensive. But the book in its entirety talks about how Huck is able to help Jim, his black friend, to get to freedom. Huck and Jim became close as friends. Even though the people around Huck and Jim are racist, they treat each other like equals. One time when the two white men were looking for runaway slaves, Huck lied and said Jim was white. The book itself is not racist and in reality it's just a book about two people who became friends over a long journey.
I'm saying this because life is a journey of relationships; and relationship is punctuated with faith and trust. There's faith in the Lord; faith in the goodness of other people no matter how he looks like whether white, brown or black. All of us are equals before the eyes of God. We believe that our access is only possible through inner perception. This is the lesson taught by the fox in The Little Prince: "one sees well only with the heart. The essential is invisible to the eye." God bless you.