The Catholic Weekly 26 April 2020

8 26, April, 2020 F rom the archbishop catholicweekly.com.au The faith of Thomas Despite his initial scepticism, Thomas quickly grasped a fundamental truth about the resurrection P ainted for the Marchese Vincenzo Giustiani at the be- ginning of the 17th century, The Incredulity of St Thomas was the most copied of all Caravaggio’s paintings in its day. It now hangs in the Sans Souci Picture Gallery— not in Southern Sydney but in Potsdam, Germany. At Seeing is believing: ‘The Incredulity of Saint Thomas’ by Caravaggio, painted around 1601-1602, is the depiction of one of the most famous ‘teaching moments’ in Christianity. In 1967, at St Michael’s Lane Cove, Monsignor Hughie McGuire gave future Archbishop Anthony Fisher OP his First Holy Communion. Easter Thomas missed the Lord’s appearance to the oth- ers and dismissed it as wish- ful thinking ( Jn 20:19-31). “Unless I see the holes that the nails made in his hands and put my finger there, and unless I can put my hand into his side, I refuse to believe,” he said. Now on Low Sunday it’s Thomas turn to encoun- ter the Risen Lord. Caravag- gio has Jesus pulling open His white robe and guiding Thomas by the wrist towards His side, the hands becom- ing a new lance so we can “look upon the one they have pierced” ( cf. Zech 12:10; Jn 19:37). Thomas puts his fin- ger in the hole, while two other apostles—and we— look on.  It’s a fascinating and in- timate scene, not least be- cause the artist eschews all surroundings, using only the- atrical light and darkness to draw our eyes to what matters most. Here we see empirical man, demanding proof and persuasion, and an indulgent rather than reproachful God, eliciting faith in something greater. All three apostles seem to be looking beyond Christ’s wounds to something else: toThomas’ declaration ‘My Lord and my God’. A recent critic punned that Caravaggio’s painting is “one of the more famous pokes in art history” and sympathised withThomas who is only re- membered for his incredulity. But maybe there’s more going on here than a hard-heart- ed materialist demanding evidence and being scolded for it. First, when Jesus meets His friends on Easter day, He shows them all His hands and side. SoThomas wasn’t be- ing especially obtuse or Jesus being especially critical. No, what Thomas wanted to veri- fy was this: not just that Jesus was alive, but that it was real- ly Jesus that was alive. Thom- as had already seen Jesus’ power over death (e.g. Mk 5:21-43; Lk 7:11-17; Jn ch. 11). He didn’t need to be persuad- ed of that. What he wanted to be assured of was that this was neither fantasy nor ghost. The ancients believed a soul could wander the earth or the underworld, separat- ed from its body. But Thomas knew that that would be no true human person. No, we are bodily beings: if this is re- ally Jesus who is Risen, Thom- as knows it must be the bodi- ly Jesus, however strangely new that body must be.  Here Jesus teaches and Thomas grasps a crucial part of our Christian faith: that the resurrection isn’t about some new us, but about making us new, better, best. Thomas’ inquiry is about identity and Archbishop Anthony Fisher OP