For me, this Gospel text has always been one of the most disturbing texts of the entire Bible. It just doesn’t seem right. And it’s not that Jesus just suddenly appears and then says “Peace be with you”. And it’s not that the doors of the place were locked. And it’s not that Thomas is absent from the little group meeting the first time. The most difficult part of this Gospel text for me is that Thomas has to touch the wounds of Christ. Why wasn’t it enough to be in the same room with Jesus again? Why wasn’t it enough to discretely notice the wounds, without drawing attention to them? Why wasn’t it enough to ask Jesus to see the wounds? Oh no, Thomas has to touch them. Now, for some of us, this is pretty gross. I gotta tell you, that for myself, I don’t do real well with blood and wounds. Ever since I was a little boy, they have said that I had a queasy stomach when it came to blood and wounds. And it’s true. Most of the time, I see blood and I pass out. A career in most of the medical fields was definitely out of the question. Even now, as a priest, I can be real fun in the Emergency room trying to give the Anointing of the Sick. “Quick, somebody get that priest off the floor!” So this is NOT my favorite Gospel story. I think St. Thomas must have been a little sick to have to touch the wounds, but the point of this Gospel is that that is what Thomas had to do. Yeah, for some of us, it’s pretty disgusting. But St. Thomas did what he needed to do to have Faith. He wasn’t bashful. He wasn’t shy. He didn’t put it off or procrastinate. He just reached right in there and touched the wounds that saved mankind.

This leads all of us to the question today, on this Sunday after Easter, of “What do we need to do to Believe?” What do we need to do to have Faith? At least St. Thomas was honest about what he needed AND he had the courage to do it. Most of us, are not so honest. Maybe, most of us don’t even know what it would take for us to have Faith. This weekend, this Gospel asks us to think about this. Would it be enough if you saw the Risen Jesus? Would it be enough if God talked to you in the middle of the night? Would it be enough if God sent you to do something for Him? What would it take? By the way, you know, you can see the Risen Jesus made visible, Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity in the Holy Eucharist! You know you can hear God in the middle of the night, if only you’d open up your Bible, instead of letting it sit there on your nightstand collecting dust! And God does send all of us to bear witness to Him through Evangelization. God does have a job for each and every one of us. God gives us so many ways to come to Faith. When are we going to start taking advantage of them? I am amazed at how many opportunities that we have right here at St. Maria Goretti, and yet, how many people still fail to take advantage of them! Christ Renews His Parish, Cursillo, Eucharistic Adoration, the HELP Committee, Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion, The Holy Name Society, The Altar Rosary Society, and how many others are all opportunities for us to grow in our Faith, maybe even to have Faith in the first place. And yet, how many members of our Parish family haven’t even tried one of those opportunities that I named, let alone tried all of them? We’ve got to know what we need to do to have Faith. What would it take for YOU to have the kind of Faith that you would die for? Think about that. And then, do it.

St. Thomas had courage. He wasn’t going to just see the wounds. He reached right in there and touched the Flesh of Jesus. He didn’t care what others thought. He wasn’t concerned with appearances. He didn’t care who he grossed out. He did what he needed to do to Believe. We know that St. Thomas did have great Faith. We know that St. Thomas would spend the rest of his life spreading that Faith to others. We know that he died a martyr’s death for that Faith. We know that today, that Church that he helped build the foundation of, recognizes him as a role model and as a great example of Faith. But it all started with being brave enough, to do what he needed to do.

May each one of us have that same courage when it comes to our Faith! If you need to read the Bible more, then do it! If you need to come to Mass more often, then do it! If you need to go on a retreat, then go! If you need to serve, or get involved, or take a class, whatever YOU need to do, then have the courage to do it now. Don’t wait. We don’t have forever. Do what you have to do. Believe!

May God bless us on this Second Sunday of Easter, Divine Mercy Sunday, in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit… AMEN !!!

St. Maria Goretti … Pray for us !!!