You have often heard it said that
when one door closes another door opens.
That’s true for most of all of us in most all our lives.
But as Fr. Greg Boyle reminds us
the challenge is there is a hallway between those two doors.
And we often get lost in the hallway.
It is often in that hallway between the doors
that we get lost in the darkness and disappointment;
the fear and frustration;
the anger and the bitterness;
the anger and unforgiveness
the despair and the doubt
that comes from those negative experiences.
I suspect it is true for all of us when
we get into the hallway of doubt-filled darkness
where we just cannot see the new door;
we cannot figure out where it is.
We instinctively know it is there
but we cannot seem to get our hand on the door
and our anger and frustrations grow.
This is where Thomas is today as all the disciples huddle in a room.
Bear in mind that the other disciples were huddled in the room again
and now Jesus appears to them another time one week later.
As much as we look at Thomas here as doubting,
remember all the other disciples are back behind a locked door
just one week later!
Yet poor Thomas comes up with his one line of doubt and
he is forever remembered as being doubting Thomas!
Maybe the other disciples should be remembered for doubting too!
But Thomas’ response is immediate: “My Lord and my God.”
He announces his faith spontaneously!
To get to the core of the message of this gospel
we need to break it open a little.
Again, like in all good scripture,
we are meant to look to Jesus as an example of what we do.
We must examine what is it that Jesus does.
It is in this hallway of darkness,
this hallway of doubt,
this hallway of fear and frustration
where the ministry takes place.
This is where Jesus appears to them.
And this is where we are called to be present to one another.
Jesus appears to them in the midst of their fear and frustration;
in the midst of their doubting and darkness.
He doesn’t wait until they come out of their doubting,
he goes into their room of darkness.
In other words, he goes into the hallway between the two doors.
And that is where he appears to them.
Notice what he does for Thomas; he shows Thomas his wounds.
Now that may not seem like a big deal, but it is odd.
When you think of it, we must ask the question:
Why does the risen Lord have to have wounds?
Why, if he is risen and resurrected, why have any wounds at all?
Why not be resurrected without the wounds?
I don’t know about you, but I am not sure
I want my wounds when I get resurrected.
I hope I have no wounds left.
But that is not the way it works.
Why? Because that is how they would know him.
The wounds are transformed and healed.
That is the critical point.
And he shows Thomas his transformed wounds.
They were not oozing with blood;
they were not the raw wound;
they were the healed wounds
that say, “Look, I am resurrected.
It is me and I am transfigured.”
Here is the model for us:
We are called to minister to each other
in this hallway of darkness and doubt in our lives
by being gentle with one another;
by being kind;
by sharing each other’s transformed wounds
because that is how we can help one another
through this hallway of darkness.
Greg Boyle says our role as disciples
is to be the beloved community that lines the hallway,
helping people go from one door to the next.
And to realize that we too are searching for our new door;
that we have a sense of humility that while our wounds are healed,
it is also true that our wounds are healing
and we also seek a new door for a new life in Christ.
This is all great theology but
what does it practically mean for us in our day-to-day life.
It means that we must be humble enough
to know we have wounds, number one.
The wounds of brokenness;
wounds of sinfulness;
wounds of mistakes;
wounds of being not our best selves;
but that the Lord transforms that woundedness,
that brokenness into newness of new life
and meets us in our darkness.
We are called to meet others and be gentle and kind;
we have to believe in the other door
not just in the closed door
because we have experienced it for ourselves before.
We have to believe that yes, there is a hallway,
but there is another door and that is a door to resurrection;
the door that gives new life;
the door of transformed wounds.
And we believe in that.
We help others believing that by being kind and gentle
we can lead other to the light of a new door.
Today as we go forth from here believing in the resurrection,
believing in the transformed Christ from the cross
to the transformed wounds of Christ that Thomas experienced
that we believe in our gentleness and kindness;
we can lead others to healing and new life.
Whether that be your child or whether it be your parent;
or whether it be your elderly parent,
who is now suffering with the ravages of old age
and finds it difficult because the body is starting to break down.
Being gentle and kind on this road is so important
because it demonstrates to all that we believe
in the new door of eternal life.
Today as we celebrate the Divine Mercy Sunday,
this Sunday we celebrate the love of God
that shines light in the midst of our darkness
that dispels the fear and the frustration,
we celebrate it by being that to others;
gentle and kind; loving and forgiving
so that all will find the new door to new life.
