DOUBTING THOMAS

DOUBTING THOMAS



REFRAIN:

AMEN ALLELUIA
HE IS RISEN INDEED
RISEN INDEED
RISEN INDEED
AMEN ALLELUIA
HE IS RISEN INDEED
RISEN INDEED AMEN



MEDITATION:


I WOULD LIKE
TO SHARE WITH YOU
SOME THOUGHTS
ABOUT WHAT THIS SUNDAY MEANS TO ME.

IN SOME CULTURES
THIS SUNDAY
IS CALLED LOW SUNDAY.
FROM THE IDEA
THAT NO SUNDAY
COMING RIGHT AFTER EASTER,
CAME CAN COMPARE
TO EASTER.

IT IS LIKE A SECOND CHILD
THAT,
TRY AS HARD AS IT WILL,
CAN NEVER MEASURE UP
TO THE OLDER BROTHER.
OR SISTER

SO IF EASTER SUNDAY
IS THE LORD'S DAY,
OUR OLDER BROTHER'S DAY,

THEN LOW SUNDAY
IS FOR US,
THE ONES
WHO DO NOT QUITE MEASURE UP.

IN THE ROMAN RITE
THIS DAY IS CALLED
QUASIMODO SUNDAY
FROM THE FIRST WORD
OF THE LATIN ENTRANCE HYMN.

IN VICTOR HUGO'S NOVEL
"THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME"
THE HUNCHBACK'S NAME
IS QUASIMODO.
IN BOTH CASES
THE WORD TRANSLATES
AS ALMOST.

A FITTING TITLE
FOR A SUNDAY,
NAMED FOR US...
ALMOST.

I WOULD LIKE TO SHARE WITH YOU NOW,
THINGS ABOUT WHICH
I KNOW ABSOLUTELY NOTHING.

IN SCRIPTURE STUDY WE ARE TOLD
THAT ANYTHING WHICH WAS ORDINARY IN LIFE
LIKE EATING, DRINKING, WALKING, SLEEPING
WERE NOT MENTIONED
ONLY WHATEVER WAS CONSIDERED
BY THE SCRIPTURE WRITERS
AS EXTRAORDINARY WERE MENTIONED.

LET ME TELL YOU OF THINGS
I FEEL FROM THE HEART
ABOUT SOME OF THOSE THINGS
I KNOW NOTHING ABOUT.

FIRST MY HEART TELLS ME
THAT THE FIRST PERSON JESUS SAW
AFTER HIS RESURRECTION
WAS HIS MOTHER.
I SAY THIS
NOT FROM MY HEAD
BUT FROM MY HEART,
FROM OUT OF MY OWN EXPERIENCE.

I CALLED MY MOTHER
WHEN SHE WAS ALIVE
WEEKLY,
NOT SO MUCH TO ASK
HOW SHE WAS,
BUT TO TELL HER
THAT I WAS WELL.

SHE WORRIED ABOUT OUR WEATHER,
THE SNOW, THE STORMS,
WERE WE WARM,
WAS I HAPPY.

NO MATTER
THAT SHE HER SELF
WAS SICK,
SHE WANTED TO KNOW
THAT HER SON WAS SAFE.

SO I CALLED HER
AND TOLD HER
THAT I WAS MUCH LOVED
BY MY WIFE
AND BY THE MEMBERS
OF THE CHURCH
TO WHICH I BELONGED.
AND MY MOTHER RESTED EASY.
HER SON WAS SAFE.

MY HEART SAYS,
JESUS SAW HIS MOTHER
TO TELL HER HE WAS WELL.


SECOND MY HEART TELLS ME
WHAT JESUS SAID TO PETER
WHEN THEY FIRST MET
AFTER THE RESURRECTION.

IN MY HEART THE CONVERSATION
GOES LIKE THIS.

FORGIVE ME LORD.
PETER, FEED MY LAMBS.

I AM TRULY SORRY LORD.
PETER, FEED MY SHEEP.

HOW CAN YOU EVER FORGIVE ME LORD.
PETER I LOVE YOU.


I HAVE SHARED WITH YOU THOUGHTS
ABOUT WHICH I KNOW NOTHING.

I DO NOT KNOW WHEN JESUS MET HIS MOTHER,
OR WHAT JESUS SAID TO PETER.

BUT THIS I DO KNOW.
THAT THERE ARE THREE THINGS
OF WHICH I AM SURE OF.
THEY ARE.

THAT JESUS LOVED HIS MOTHER.

THAT JESUS LOVED PETER,
BEFORE,
DURING
AND EVER AFTER
HIS BETRAYAL.

AND THAT JESUS LOVES US,
NO MATTER WHAT SHAPE
OUR JOURNEY
HAS TAKEN
TO THIS MOMENT.

NO MATTER WHAT SHAPE
OUR JOURNEY
WILL TAKE
AS WE GO ON.

JESUS HAS,
DOES
AND ALWAYS WILL
LOVE US.

FINALLY
I WOULD LIKE
TO SHARE WITH YOU
SOME THOUGHTS
ABOUT THOMAS.

POOR THOMAS,
NO MATTER
HOW LONG HE WOULD LIVE
OR
HOW MUCH
HE WOULD ACCOMPLISH
HE WOULD BE KNOWN
AS DOUBTING THOMAS.

MY HEART SAYS
I WOULD HAVE LIKED
TO HAVE BEEN
LIKE MARY MAGDALENE
WHO LOVED JESUS WITHOUT QUESTION,
WHO RAN FROM THE TOMB
WITH SUCH EXCITEMENT
THE APOSTLES THOUGHT HER HYSTERICAL.
I WOULD HAVE
LIKED TO HAVE BEEN
LIKE MARY.

BUT MY ENGINEERS HEAD
SAYS I WOULD HAVE BEEN
LIKE THOMAS.

MY HEAD SAYS,
IT MUST BE PROVEN IN THE LAB,
IN THE WIND TUNNEL,
BY TEST FLYING THE AIRPLANE.

IT IS THE WAY OF MEN TO MEASURE.
THE BOOKKEEPER ADDS HIS NUMBERS,
THE SHOPPER FIGURES COST,
THE STOREKEEPER ADDS PROFIT,
THE LAWYER ASSESSES LOSS,
THE MOTHER COUNTS THE MEALS,
THE TRAVELER WONDERS HOW FAR.

WE MEASURE THINGS AS MEN.
EVEN ONE OF THE MOST BEAUTIFUL POEMS
IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE
SPEAKS OF LOVE THIS WAY.

HOW DO I LOVE THEE?
LET ME COUNT THE WAYS.
I LOVE THEE TO THE DEPTH
AND BREADTH
AND HEIGHT
MY SOUL CAN REACH
WHEN FEELING OUT OF SIGHT
FOR THE ENDS OF BEING
AND IDEAL GRACE.

MEN MEASURE.
PERHAPS
IT'S BECAUSE,
BY SIN,
DEATH
CAME INTO THE WORLD.
AND THE DAYS OF OUR LIFE
ARE LIMITED.

SO WE MEASURE
EVERYTHING
AGAINST THE FINAL
NIGHTFALL.

I WOULD HAVE BEEN LIKE THOMAS.

AND JESUS SAYS,
THAT'S ALL RIGHT
I LIKE YOU,
JUST THE WAY YOU ARE.
I WOULD HAVE YOU BETTER,
BUT I LOVE YOU,
JUST THE WAY YOU ARE.


I WOULD HAVE BEEN LIKE THOMAS,
I WOULD HAVE LIKED
TO HAVE BEEN
LIKE MARY MAGDALENE
WHO LOVED JESUS PASSIONATELY,
WITHOUT QUESTIONS.

BUT LISTEN, TO WHAT HE SAYS TO HER,
IN HIS HASTE, TO BE WITH US.
HE SAYS TO HER
DO NOT CLING TO ME,
BUT GO TELL MY DISCIPLES,
I AM COMING".

HE WAS EAGER
TO BE WITH THE ONES
WHO NEEDED HIS LOVE,
THE EMPTY,
BROKEN,
HURTING PEOPLE.
MARY KNEW SHE WAS LOVED,
THE OTHERS STILL WERE IN DARKNESS.
HE HAD TO BE WITH THEM.

WITH PETER WHO BETRAYED HIM
WITH THOMAS WHO DOUBTED HIM
WITH ALL THOSE WHO HAD RUN AWAY.

GOD ALWAYS SEEMS TO PICK
BROKEN PEOPLE FOR HIS WORK.

HE PICKED MOSES WHO STUTTERED
DAVID AN ADULTERER AND MURDERER
JACOB WHO STOLE AND CHEATED
NOAH WHO DRANK AND GOT DRUNK

GOD'S ALMOST PEOPLE.

HE SAYS,
WITH YOU I WANT TO BE.
MY ALMOST PEOPLE.

WHY GOD,
WOULD YOU WANT TO BE WITH US.
WE ARE BETRAYERS,
DOUBTERS,
IMPERFECT,
ALMOST PEOPLE.
WHY WOULD YOU WANT TO BE WITH US.

BECAUSE I LOVE YOU, HE SAYS.

IN THE LANGUAGE OF CHILDREN WE SAY,
HOW MUCH DO YOU LOVE US GOD
SHOW US HOW MUCH YOU LOVE US.

IN THE LANGUAGE OF CHILDREN
HE REPLIES, THIS MUCH. (EXTEND ARMS)