Brief synopsis of the readings: In our first reading from the Acts of the Apostles we find that the community of faithful met in the Temple at the Portico of Solomon. Not all were brave enough to join them but there numbers increased steadily. These apostles healed so many that the sick were brought in the hopes that the apostles’ shadows would pass over them. In John’s Gospel we see the Resurrected Jesus appearing to those gathered. He breathed on them and promised that they had the power to forgive sins but also the power to retain forgiveness. Thomas was not present for this and when he heard about the encounter with the Resurrected Jesus he refused to believe it. He said he would not believe until he encountered Jesus and placed his fingers in the wounds from the crucifixion. The next week Thomas was present when Jesus appeared. Jesus then invited Thomas to place his fingers in his wounds. Thomas then said: “My Lord and my God.” Jesus then praised those who had not seen but still believed.

So exactly how do you proclaim the Resurrection of Jesus and how this portends the salvation of all people? As I read the accounts in the end of the Gospels and the beginning of the Acts of the Apostles I’m struck by how we see different reactions among the people. Last week we saw a panicked Mary Magdalen see the empty tomb and assume that someone stole Jesus’ body. Within minutes Peter and John saw the same thing and suddenly recognized that Jesus rose from the dead (as Jesus had foretold again and again).

This week we begin our readings with the faithful meeting on the Portico (Porch) of Solomon. As Christians we recognize the importance of the Temple. When they were delivered from slavery and made their way to the Promised Land they recognized the need a place to hold the tablets where God wrote the 10 Commandments (also called the Ark of the Covenant). King Solomon built the first Temple but it was destroyed by the Babylonians when they were driven into exile. When they were allowed entry back into Israel they built a second Temple and that’s the Temple when Jesus was around. Each Temple had a myriad of rules about who could go where, what anyone could carry, and when different things could be done. Suffice it to say that when Jesus’ followers gathered in Solomon’s Porch it was a place reserved for great respect.

On the other hand we see a different, a much different, reaction in John’s Gospel. While we feel good about followers who “get it” immediately we also need to recognize that some of us needed some time and patience. My namesake Thomas has always held a special place in my heart if only because I was taught as a child that his faith was suspect because he doubted. I have to confess that in my life I have doubted many things. As a child I doubted that God would send me to hell for missing mass (particularly because I was dependent on adults to drive me). As a teenager I doubted that Heaven was populated only by Catholics who never used birth control. And as an adult I doubt that God calls only celibate men to the priesthood.

The roots of Thomas’ doubt didn’t originate in a lack of faith. On the contrary his faith in Jesus meant so much to him that he refused to reopen his heart on the testimony of his friends. He needed not just hearing; he needed both sight and touch. And when Jesus offered his wounds to Thomas, he needed nothing else. “My Lord and my God.”

So what does this mean for us today? Oftentimes we read Scripture with some nostalgia and can overlook the reality that these words matter to us today. So many movies have been made about Easter that we can almost become numb to them. Think about Ben Hur, The Greatest Story Ever Told, Jesus Christ Superstar and others.

When I look at these readings with new eyes I see our call to evangelize. In the next few months we’ll read a great deal about the early days of what will become the Cristian Church. And we’ll see how important it was for them (and for us) to talk with unbelievers and tell them about Jesus, his Resurrection, and everyone’s salvation.

Some will react as Mary Magdalene and fear that evil was replaced by more evil: not only did they kill him but they also stole his body. Some will react like Peter and John and see the empty tomb with the revelation that Jesus spoke about this all the time, but let’s face it, telling them is too easy.

Frankly, some will channel Thomas and say that their pain is just too much to believe that their future could ever be better. Again, with affection to my namesake, these are not people who need intellectual assent but who crave healing. That’s when we recognize that Jesus has given us the tools to provide that healing.

Some of us feel uncomfortable seeing ourselves as evangelists. Fair enough. It doesn’t mean we need to knock on doors or annoy our families at Thanksgiving. It does mean living a life of integrity that attracts others. Oftentimes it means showing the Thomas in front of us that we have wounds also and can heal together.

Finally, we can recognize ourselves in Solomon’s Portico. We can recognize that we have been blessed to recognize our salvation through the Resurrection of Jesus and also recognize that when those in pain are brought to us for healing we have the ability to heal.