By Father Joseph Chan Wing-chiu
I have preached this message around more than 50 times in 22 years, because at least once a year, this gospel reading is proclaimed during the feast of St. Thomas the Apostle as well as on the second Sunday of Easter each year. When I served at St. Thomas the Apostle parish, if the feast day fell on weekday I usually celebrated the Sunday in advance. Of course, I also chose this gospel reading for the Mass on the official feast day of July 3, so I know it well enough to have memorised it. But each time, it was special, giving me a new experience and a new insight.
Returning to St Thomas the Apostle parish to celebrate its feast day Mass again this year as a vicar general, I felt at home. I had lived here for 10 years, and I know everything and every face very well. I am a person who likes familiar things and people, commonly known as nostalgia, or out of habit as the saying goes, but I find that it is all human.
We like to see things, people and situations that are familiar to us, especially as we get older, and we expect them to be familiar. For example, when you go to the parish for Mass, where do you sit? It seems that there is an invisible registration label!
But our Saviour, Jesus Christ, challenges us to give up this habit.
This is exactly what happened to St. Thomas. Some may ask why Thomas was not present at the first appearance of the resurrected Jesus? Some speculate that it had something to do with his character; he liked asking about every detail of an issue.
According to the Gospel of John, he often asked Jesus questions, but of course the questions were very specific, and Jesus responded positively to him and gave him answers. But when the other disciples asked Jesus questions, they seemed to be rebuked by Jesus, so it is possible that Thomas was quite a smart guy. Why? Because he asked the right questions! Because of this attitude, when the news reached him that Jesus’ body had disappeared, he thought, “Where did Jesus’ body go?” So he didn’t stay with his companions any more, he went around and searched for the body of Jesus.
Of course, Jesus knew that Thomas was searching for him. It was probably for this reason that Jesus appeared to the community once again, when Thomas was present. Did Thomas actually recognise Jesus? It was possible that during his search, he had met Christ. It was just a human habit—the Jesus he was used to seeing was like that!
But do you think Thomas would have recognised Jesus if he looked different, or if some of the signs had been different? Well, he might have passed by, but he wouldn’t have realised that Jesus had been with him all along. In fact Jesus was there every time he visited different places, but he could not recognise him because in his heart he still lacked the ability to truly believe in the resurrection. That is why Jesus said to Thomas: “Because you have seen me, you have believed” (John 20:29). It was not the wounds Thomas had wanted to see, but the Jesus Christ in his heart.
Brothers and sisters, have you ever wondered how the risen Christ would appear to you? What will he look like? What signs would we see? Two rays of light coming out of his chest? Nail holes when he raises his hands? Is it a familiar image?
Or will he be a dirty person, dressed in rags and skinny? Or a disgusting face? Or a vicious man? Could Jesus appear to you in all these different guises?
When you believe deeply that Jesus tells you that he is risen and is with us from time to time, then let us believe that Jesus Christ can be with us through different appearances. As he said: “Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me” [Matthew 25:40].
We often think of our “little” brothers as those who are weak, poor or sick. The word “little” has a special meaning in Jewish culture, and in fact means “those whom you despise.” So, they could be a dignitary, or a person in a position of power, but you despise them. They could be Jesus. It could be the little child in your house who has no say, or the old man who no longer knows how to take care of himself. Therefore, when you look at it in that way, you will not recognise Jesus Christ in the same way that Thomas did.
Let us seek the presence of Christ in the different circumstances and moments of our lives and then bring the good news of the risen Christ to those around us. Of course, this sharing is joy and peace. For it is a peace that the Risen Christ wants to give us.
In peace, we don’t need to shout, we don’t need to argue, people will just accept it because it feels so comfortable. The feeling is like when I come back to this church again, which is so comfortable with the peace here.
May the peace of the Lord be with you always!
