THOUGHTS OF A NUN

St Thomas Sunday: Open the Door  

John 20:19-31

The doors were closed. The doors were closed to keep others out, but the closed doors also kept the disciples locked inside.  Jesus was gone, dead. His followers were traumatized, confused and depressed because, as John says; “As yet, they did not know the scripture that He must rise from the dead”.

So close the doors!  Keep every one out!  In times of trial and great confusion, who among us does not want to “close the doors”?  Don’t open the doors, lest something even worse should happen.  Close the doors and keep everyone out even if this includes Jesus.  Is there anyone who at some point hasn’t felt this way?  Is there anyone who at some time or other hasn’t felt there is no longer any hope. So close the doors.  Do not let a foolish hope cause you to drop your guard.  They will take advantage of you.  Close the doors of your life. Close the doors of your house.  Close your heart and close your soul.  Keep everything out!

Sooner or later we all experience this sense of loss and perhaps, depression.  At these times we want to close the door of our heart and it seems that even Jesus is not welcome. We conclude that it is vain to expect any relief to come our way. By closing the doors we lock everything out, including hope.

Then imagine, suddenly, without our even rising to open our locked door, Jesus' undeniable presence is in our midst and calms all our fears-- with his words-- “Peace be with you!”  We feel an  unexpected and overwhelming peace.  At such times it doesn’t occur to us to ask Jesus: “Who are you?”.    “How did you get here?” "Who let you in?" Before we can even begin to ask, he announces; “As the Father has sent me, so I also send you.” So, “Receive the Holy Spirit!” and by the way, get up and open the doors.

Open all the doors; open the doors to your own demands and standards, open the doors to your institutions, the doors to your country, the doors to your race, the doors to your gender and especially the doors to your own heart. All these doors keep people out, and they keep me out. They also keep you locked in.

Jesus says; “I have walked through all these doors and now I stand peacefully in your midst.  Look at my wounds. Are they not real?  Now, look around and notice that everyone else has real wounds too.  Everyone has wounds and everyone’s wounds are my wounds.  I stand behind every door and knock.  I stand there with my wounds showing, but now these wounds are not a disfigurement.  They are for your healing.  It is only necessary that you recognize me when I stand in your midst. It is only necessary that you see me, not as hiding my wounds but, as showing them to you. 

The Holy Spirit will show you that everyone’s sins are really my wounds. To recognize me in everyone’s wounds, you need new eyes to see.  It is necessary that you receive a new level of human life with a divine level of vision. So accept the Holy Spirit who gives you this life and who recognizes me in every wounded person. Their sins are actually my wounds.  Forgive everyone his or her sins.  Open the door and let me in.  Open the door and let them in.  If on the other hand, you retain their sins and do not forgive them, not only are you locking the doors to keep them out of your life but also in the process you are keeping me out of your life. The Holy Spirit, which I give to you, teaches you to recognize that all these sins are my own wounds which I stand in your midst and show you.  Now you can open the doors and say, “Peace be with you!”

CHRIST IS RISEN!