The Unauthorized Homily

By Bill Dunn

A commentary on the Scripture readings from the Sunday Lectionary

(Scripture readings for Sunday, April 11th: Acts 5:12-16; Revelation 1:9-11, 12-13, 17-19; John 20:19-31)

DOUBTING THOMAS LEARNED RESURRECTION IS REAL

In this week’s gospel reading, one week after the celebration Easter Sunday, we hear the story of Doubting Thomas. Most of us know what happened. On the night of the Resurrection, Jesus appeared to His disciples, but Thomas was not there. Later, they told Thomas they had seen the risen Lord. Thomas replied, “You guys are full of camel nuggets!” Well, that was the general message. What he actually said was, “Unless I see the mark of the nails…and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.”

A week later, Jesus appeared to them again, this time with Thomas present. When Thomas saw Jesus, quite alive, he said, “Boy, do I feel like a pile of camel nuggets.” Well, that was the general message. What he actually said was, “My Lord and my God!”

Jesus told him, “Have you come to believe because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.”

This episode, just like a zillion other episodes, epistles, and parables in the Bible, makes it very clear that the key event in salvation history is the Resurrection. Regardless of all the wonderful stuff Jesus taught, if He died and stayed dead, then Christianity is nothing more than a pile of camel nuggets. Yes, Jesus offered a bunch of nice teachings on how we should treat our fellow human beings. His philosophy of holy living, if adopted by people throughout the world, would make this planet a much more peaceful and happy place.

But that part of Jesus’ ministry takes a back seat to His main purpose: redeeming sinful mankind. His death on the cross was the perfect atoning sacrifice for our sins. And His Resurrection three days later conquered death once and for all. After He rose, He promised us that if we put our faith in Him, we too will one day conquer death and live for all eternity in Heaven.

So, as I’ve written countless times in the last 15 years, the Resurrection is the most important event in world history. With it, we can live forever. Without it, we’re toast.

Back in mid-March, a few weeks before Easter, the Barna Group released the results of yet another survey on religious opinions in America, and like many of their recent surveys, this one was a bit startling. The survey focused on Easter. One question asked how the respondents would describe Easter. Sixty-seven percent of typical Americans mentioned some type of religious element in their answers. When asked the specific meaning of the Easter holiday, only 42-percent mentioned the Resurrection. When asked if Easter is the most important holiday of their faith, only 2-percent said yes.

I know we’ve become a pluralistic, multi-cultural society, but those percentages are awfully weak. But wait, it gets worse!

Among those survey respondents who said they were Catholic, a slightly smaller number than the population at large, 65-percent, identified Easter as a religious holiday. And only 37-percent of Catholics mentioned the Resurrection as the meaning of Easter. Barely one-third?! Holy camel nuggets!! I’ve written in the past that Catholic doctrinal education has been woefully inadequate during the last few decades, but this is a disaster!

I tried to track down the actual questions asked in this survey, but I couldn’t find them on Barna’s Web site. I’m hoping and praying that maybe the questions were phrased in a confusing way, and so the results aren’t very accurate. God, I hope that’s the case.

Around the same time the results of the Barna survey were published, I went on a weekend retreat at Holy Family in West Hartford. (If you’ve never been, you must go. It’s awesome.) Anyway, one of the workshops I attended while on retreat was on the topic of polarization within the Catholic Church. We’ve got a very divided church these days, and the two polarized groups are often labeled as conservatives vs. liberals, or traditionalists vs. progressives, or right wing vs. left wing, or pro-life Catholics vs. pro-choice Catholics.

The workshop facilitator noted that if the two polarized groups do not find some common ground and a means of communicating with each other, rather than shouting past each other, then a major split in the Church may be inevitable. As he spoke, I remember thinking to myself, “If we set aside politics for a minute, at least we all can agree on the identity of Jesus and the truth of the Resurrection. That’s common ground.”

Well, guess I was wrong!

If almost two-thirds of self-identified Catholics in America do not think the Resurrection is the main meaning of Easter, then a major split in the Church is not only inevitable, it has already occurred—they just haven’t signed the final divorce papers yet.

This split, if true, is not the result of the issues mentioned in the retreat workshop, issues such as politics, economics, sexual morality, or the sanctity of life. The split, if true, is the result of something much more crucial and fundamental: who Jesus is and what He did. If we can’t even agree on the reality and centrality of the Resurrection, then we may sit under the same church roof on Sunday mornings, but we are not members of the same faith community.

Whenever I write a depressing essay such as this one, at about this point I lament about the future, and the fact the Church is going to Miami in a hand-basket, etc. But the theme of the retreat I attended was, “Be Not Afraid.” It was a good reminder that no matter what happens in this world, God is in charge. And His plan is perfect and will not be thwarted. The more we trust in Him, the less we worry.

So I’m not worried about the Church, even though usually I would be wringing my hands and crying the blues right about now. (Ever try wringing your hands and typing at the same time? Not easy.) Jesus promised that the Church He founded would prevail against the gates of Miami, I mean, Hell.

Ten or twenty or fifty years from now the Church may be completely different compared to the Church of today. It may have only a fraction of the size and influence it has right now. People might be convinced the Church has gone up Camel Nugget Creek without a paddle. But that’s OK. I know for sure the Church still will be preaching two things: Jesus is Lord, and the Resurrection is true. Just like Doubting Thomas, the folks who remain in Jesus’ Church will know the Resurrection is the most important event in history, and will proclaim to Jesus: “My Lord and my God!”

And that’s good enough.

©2010