Easter 2
April 15, 2012

Dubious Doubts
by Tom Cox

Doubt is an equal opportunity kind of guy.  All ages, genders and
generations know how it can gnaw away at your personal peace. People
who are old, can even feel guilty about having doubts in the first
place, feeling like they’re bad example of a sorts to their grandchildren.

What do you do with doubts? Well what about doubting the doubts? Think
back on many of your doubts in the past, about people, life, faith.
Most of them are certainly dubious.

Doubt is necessary to faith, when it is unexplored - things can go
wrong. A faith without doubts is “blind faith” - and who wants to enter
the Kingdom of God blind? Enter doubting Thomas, my patron - well
actually he is really a patron for all of us. We’ve all been there,
the doubts I mean.

I wonder why the Christ appeared to Thomas only when he was in the
community. Simply because we can only learn together about the Christ
and who He is for us. We need that support and witness of each other.
It was always so. Thomas missed that the first day, but not at the
second chance.  I also wonder what we would have done to Thomas today,
who, for whatever reason, chose to be absent the first Easter Day. It
would probably be something on the lines of “well, if you enrol in our
discipleship course, sign up to our activities, maybe we’ll enrol you
in six months times.” Anything but the direct invitation “give me your
hand.” We shouldn’t be surprised. Jesus was never into barriers as
sinners, outcasts, Samaritans and countless others could relate. He is
pure invitation-no self interest, just the emphatic gaze of loving
regard for his creation. “Give me your hand” is more than an
invitation to a tuneful Celtic two hand reel of “Tabhair dom do Lamh”.
Being taken by the hand, means you lose a certain level of control. It
implies that your personal interests are now wedded to the wielder of
the other hand. It means you lose yourself…in His wounds. For only by
His wounds are we truly healed.

Give me your hand…
-You are weary, tired, afraid. You have given up on people and feel they
have also. You say…Give me your hand.
-You feel shame for your past and fear for your future and so rarely
live in the present, the now
You say….give me  your hand.
-The fear of loneliness surrounds you and you feel alone; to every
human heart this Eastertime You say….give me your hand

(Comments to Tom at tomasmacconchoille@googlemail.com )