“And […] they still disbelieved for joy, and wondered” (Lk 24:41). We often give St. Thomas a hard time for disbelieving the testimony of the other Apostles and only professing belief after he sees Jesus in the flesh. Yet here we see the other ten Apostles disbelieving even after seeing Jesus! Whether their disbelief is a result of being so overwhelmed with joy or simply accompanies their hopeful rejoicing, as in some translations of the gospel, is beside the point. The fact is that the Apostles were filled with doubt until Jesus offers them proof of His bodily presence by asking for food. They are then reassured that He is not a ghost, but is really there with them and is alive.
The Apostles’ doubts can perhaps be a source of encouragement for us in moments when we find it difficult to believe in Jesus’ Resurrection or other truths of our Catholic faith. However, their disbelief also highlights the importance of holding fast to this truth. As St. Paul teaches, “if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain” (1 Cor 15:14). This is what the Apostles recognize when they question Jesus’ physical presence. If they are merely seeing a ghost, then even if it is in fact Jesus, death has won. A ghost is the presence of someone whose body lies rotting in a grave, not the presence of someone who is risen and has triumphed over death.
There are Christians today who deny that Jesus literally rose from the dead. What they fail to see is that there is no Christianity without the Resurrection. The good news we profess is that Christ has taken our sins to the grave and left them there. If Christ remains in the grave with them, then our sins have won! If they brought about His death in a definitive and permanent way, then it means that our sins are greater than Christ. But this is not, and cannot be true. Jesus Christ emerged victorious from the tomb, allowing us who were dead in sin to live again. As we hear in the liturgy throughout this season, “by dying, he has destroyed our death, and by rising restored our life.”
The Apostles’ first reaction was to be “startled and terrified” (Lk 24:37), thinking they were seeing someone who was dead. After having been reassured by Jesus, their fear turned to joy, but doubt remained. They questioned whether Jesus had truly triumphed. If His body were still dead and they merely had an apparition before them, then Jesus’ victory would be incomplete and the Cross would become a symbol of His failure. Jesus then makes clear to them that death has no hold over Him. He has risen from the dead and His body will never be found in the earth, buried under the weight of sin. The victory is His and He has set us free! Alleluia!
Andrew Sheedy – St. Joseph Seminary, Edmonton, Alberta
Fot. Joshua Eckstein/Unsplash.com