She got a bum deal!
He got a bum rap that follows him wherever he goes!
I got a bum deal once in my life; actually it was
both a bum deal and a bum rap. For me,
my bum deal/rap was work related but I put it all behind me, responded
positively and the end result was an iconic career shift that has led to bigger
and better things.
We all are familiar with the terms bum deal and bum
rap and perhaps have experienced them personally. Certainly we are all familiar with these
terms and what they truly mean.
As people of faith, with Jesus Christ, there is no
bum deal. He is the real deal because He
is “my Lord & my God”.
Today we hear that marvelous Gospel from St. John
that we commonly refer to as the story of doubting Thomas. Poor Thomas, I think he gets a bum rap that
remains with him even to this day. Maybe
you and certainly I have been called a “doubting Thomas” at least once in our
lives. Truth be told, what was really
wrong with the reaction from Thomas?
Let’s recap; Jesus appears to the Apostles, locked behind closed doors,
on that first Easter night. Thomas is
not there. Why Thomas is not there we
are not told. In fact, he was not there
and only learned of the appearance of the risen Lord from his brothers in the
room. And how does he react to their
claims? Thomas reacts just like you and
I would; I do not believe it, not without proof. Jesus wants all of us to believe in Him and
He will stop at nothing to help us bolster our faith. So what does He do? He waits patiently for that opportunity one
week later when Thomas indeed would be in the room with his brothers. He mercifully allows Thomas to do just what
he declared he must do; he touched his wounds, even to the point of putting his
hand into his side. Immediately Thomas
declares my Lord & my God! Yes,
Jesus clearly tells Thomas he believes because he sees, because he has proof,
but blessed are those who, without seeing, without proof, believe! This is where Thomas gets that bum rap, poor
doubting Thomas.
But think about the experience of Thomas. How blessed to actually have that intimate
moment when his hands touched the wounds that saved him, and saved you and
me! What sheer amazement; what sheer
joy! And instantly Thomas gives us a
phrase that we all should utter, especially as often as we receive Holy
Communion: my Lord and my God! Yep, none
of us has seen Jesus in his human form but we see him at every Mass in the
consecrated bread and wine that IS His body and blood. Our bodies touch His in the reception of Holy
Communion and we should say, like Thomas said, my Lord and my God!
We receive these wonderful words from this Gospel
on this Feast Day of Divine Mercy. Not
that many years ago, Pope John Paul II declared this 2nd Sunday of
Easter to be Divine Mercy Sunday. Based
on the recorded words of Jesus by St. Faustina, Jesus reminds all of us that
His mercy is generous, His mercy is for all who seek it, His mercy is
everlasting. And we respond to His mercy
by saying: Jesus I Trust in You!
For all of us gathered here today, as we leave Mass
and face the week ahead, can we think about two important phrases we hear
today: My Lord and My God, and Jesus I Trust in You? In our own way, can we make these words our
prayer in the week ahead as our reminder that Jesus alone is our Savior and His
mercy cleanses us and frees us from our sins?
Finally, can we, aware of His mercy, show mercy this week to one person
who God places in our lives. What Jesus
teaches us, what Jesus shows us; we must be for others!
St. Thomas might have got a bum deal with that
“doubting Thomas” thing. But St. Thomas
got so much more, the Divine Mercy of His Savior, Jesus Christ.
We too get no bum deal either, when we place all
our trust in Him; the font of Divine Mercy and our Lord and our God!
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