It
had dawned and night had fallen during that first day of the week. The
residents of Jerusalem were
in deep slumber after that boisterous night of farewell: through the
four gates of the city of David,
the caravans carrying thousands of pilgrims had made their exit. The
feasts of the Passover were over. Everything was back to normalcy. Everyone
was going back to his house. Everyone, except us…
Peter: I’ve seen him! You’ve got to believe me!!
Magdalene: So have I! I’ve seen him, just as I am seeing all of
you now!
Philip: I dare you, swear you’ve seen him!
Magdalene: I swear I saw Jesus! I’ve seen him alive and kicking!… You don’t believe me, do you?
James: No, Magdalene, of course not…
Hiding in
the basement of Mark’s house, whose doors were locked, we were seated
on the floor around an old oil lamp and still discussing the same stuff…
Magdalene: I swear by my mother, my grandmother and my great grandmother!
Philip: Go on ascending, till you end up swearing by Adam and
Eve. But nobody buys your story, do you hear me?
Nathanael: A woman’s oath doesn’t hold water, and much less yours,
because you still have milk teeth. Let’s see, how old are you, Mary
dear of Magdala?
Magdalene: As a matter of fact, I don’t remember, but I’m more than
fifteen and less than twenty.
Philip: Ha! So, a snotty-nose like you wants to convince me that
a dead man has risen again?
Magdalene: So Mam Mary is snotty-nosed
too, is that it, Philip? Mary, come over here a minute!
James: Leave her alone, Magdalene. Mary is the mother… and mothers
who weep see a lot of visions. This is always the case, you know….
Magdalene: All I know is that Peter hasn’t given birth to anyone…
and yet he saw him!
Peter: I’m already a sly, old fox,
do you hear me, red head? When you were still on all fours, I was already
hurling stones at the dogs in Bethsaida! I’m telling you that Jesus is alive! I saw him!
Mark: And we did too! This quacky
here and I even ate with him in Emmaus!
Philip: In Emmaus!… Isn’t it in Emmaus
where the dead spirits go up and down the boiling waters of the fountain?
Mark: Fine, fine, if you refuse to believe. I’m laughing at
all of you, men without faith!
Philip: Same here, for you are a gang of demented ones!
Nathanael: I’ve never seen anything so funny… Do you know what’s
been going around the city, huh? That we were the
ones who stole Jesus’ body.
James: Tell me, who said that?
Nathanael: The leaders. Those of the Sanhedrin.
Nicodemus came to tell me about it.
Philip: Well, I say they themselves have stolen it, that we may
fall into the trap and get caught.
Magdalene: Nobody stole no one because Jesus is alive!
James: Shut up, Magdalene, and stop yelling!
Thomas: Well, well… y…y…you continue with your fighting… I…I…I’m
leaving.
Thomas, who
was listening in one corner of the basement, stood up and shook his
robe...
Thomas: I…I…I’m leaving.
Philip: Where the hell are you going, stutterer?
Thomas: To M…M…Ma…Matthias’ h…h…house.
James: What’s wrong with Matthias?
Thomas: N..n..nothing. He c..c..came to celebrate the P..p..passover and now he’s going
back to Jericho. I’m g…g…going with him.
Nathanael: Very
well. I guess this is what everyone has to do, to get out of this damned,
crazy city once and for all.
Philip: Most of the pilgrims are already gone. Why don’t we pack
up all our things and start for the road to Galilee
early morning, tomorrow, huh?
Magdalene: No, I’m not leaving Jerusalem!
Peter: Neither am I, until everything is clear to me!
Thomas: I d…d…don’t care anymore… I’m g…g…going to Matthias’
house.
Peter: Wait a minute, Thomas. Don’t go. Don’t you understand?
Jesus is alive!
Thomas: Y…y…you’re all stupid!… Goodbye!
Thomas headed
for the street, turned to the corner where the tanners were, and ran
down the street toward Siloam where his old friend, Matthias was staying,
near the pool…
Matthias: Oh, Thomas, it’s you! I was already wondering where you
had been, my friend!
Thomas: Where else should I be? Since that Friday, we have been
hiding in a basement, l..l..like s..s…scared m…m…mice.
Matthias: I can just imagine... Damn, with so much hope, and then
everything’s gone down like a house of sand…. Oh…! My grandma used to
say that he who is born potbellied has no use for a sash. This
is what happens to poor people like us, Thomas. We are
worth nothing.
Thomas: That’s right, Matthias. We can’t believe in anything,
nor dream of anything.
Matthias: John the Baptist came clamoring for justice, and zas! he was beheaded! Then came Jesus proclaiming changes, and you saw what happened.
Thomas: Why do things turn out bad, for us, the p…p..oor, Matthias?
Matthias: Perhaps we’re unlucky, buddy.
Thomas: Yeah, for h…h…having bad mothers like them.
Matthias: This country is hopeless. Things are going from bad to
worse… Anyway, what’s the use regretting, when everything’s come to
an end?… Tell me, Thomas, how’s the Nazarene’s mother? And his friends?
Thomas: I’ve just been there.
Matthias: C’mon, tell me about them.
Thomas: Worse too…. Some of them have snapped.
Matthias: Of course, I understand… They’ve suffered a lot. It’s
always like this at first… Later, things will take their natural course…
Thomas: All I want to do is go back to m…m…my h…h…house… When
are you leaving, Matthias?
Matthias: Tomorrow, at the first hour. We can travel together,
if you want.
Thomas: S..sure, I’m g..g..going with you… and tra…la…la…
the story of the Kingdom of God is over. So, I’m g…g…getting my things now, say g…g…goodbye to my friend, and I’ll be r….r…right back…
Matthias: Don’t talk too much, so you can get back soon... I’ll
be waiting for you!
Thomas went
back to Mark’s house… He was sad, his head bowed down and his hands
inside his pockets. He bent to pick up a stone and furiously hurled
it against the wall…
Thomas: D…d…damn it, everything’s come to an end. Everything’s
o…o…over…!
He continued
walking through the dark, solitary streets of Jerusalem…
The sky, dark and brilliant, laden with countless stars, was
descending… Thomas entered the barrio of Zion
and turned to the street of tanners…
Thomas: B..b..but what’s happening h…h…ere? It’s almost m…m…midnight…
In spite
of the hour, no one slept in Mark’s house. The noise coming from the
basement could be heard in the street…. When Thomas opened the door,
he found all of us laughing, leaping and screaming with joy…
James: Thomas!! At last you’re here!
Nathanael: Did you see him, Thomas, did you see him?
Thomas: Yeah.
Philip: So did we! Everyone has seen
him!
Thomas: B…b…but how? M…M…atthias has
not left his house.
Magdalene: What Matthias are you talking about? It’s Jesus!…He’s been here with us!
Peter: Why did you leave, Thomas? Had you stayed, you would
have seen him too!
Thomas: B…b…ut, how is it p…p…possible?
All of you are now singing the same song?!
James: Thomas, sit down and listen to me. You’ve heard me before,
haven’t you? You know I’m a stubborn man, with a very
closed mind. I didn’t believe a word of Magdalene, nor Peter, not even
Mary… but now, I’ve seen him! Everyone here has seen him, Thomas! Jesus
is alive!
Thomas: I knew it! My uncle used to tell me how contagious madness
could be.
Philip: No, Thomas, this is something else. The greatest thing
that ever happened in this world! God has given us eyes to be witnesses
to it!
Thomas: You must’ve seen a g…g…ghost…
Magdalene: Oh yeah? I didn’t know that ghosts nowadays were
dark and bearded! Ha!
James: No,
Thomas, it was he. It was Jesus! He was right there where you are. He
came, he greeted all of us and we became breathless. Then he began to
laugh when he saw us scared to death…
Thomas: I repeat, it was a g…g…ghost.
Magdalene: He’s no ghost, my goodness, ghosts don’t eat and this
one gobbled a fish tail and some honey we had reserved for you… Look,
look at the bowl where we had kept your dinner…! Jesus has eaten everything!
He drank wine and my, how he blew his nose! So ghosts do these, huh?
Thomas: Jesus is d…d…dead. How can he be a…a…alive when I saw
him dead?
Philip: Exactly. How can he be dead when we have seen him alive?
Thomas: You must’ve seen his s…s…spirit. They say the souls of
the d…d…dead linger seven times before they rest in p…p…peace…
Magdalene: No, he was Jesus in flesh and bones! The same Jesus he
was, laughing the same way, doing the same things, but a happier one…
what more… what else…. I dunno how to tell
you… but he was the same Moreno!
Thomas: Well, I don’t b…b…believe it.
James: Listen, Thomas: when you left, we were fighting, remember?
We were arguing whether to go back to Galilee
or to stay in Jerusalem. Suddenly, Jesus came in. And he said: “You have to
go out to the world to announce the triumph of God”…
Nathanael: And he looked at each one of us and said: “I’m counting
on all of you! You have to continue fighting for justice, even if it
will cost your lives, like what happened to me… But don’t be afraid.
Death does not have the last word. It’s the word of God that is final.
Peter: Do you understand, Thomas, do
you understand what happened? Jesus was the first to recover from it
all! And we shall all follow him!
James: Jesus trusted in the Lord and now God is trusting in
us.
Philip: The Kingdom of God cannot be stopped by anyone, not even
the rulers, nor the armies, nor
the devil, no one, not even death!
Thomas: That sounds very b…b…beautiful… too b…b…beautiful to
be true…
Peter: But Thomas…
Thomas: No. I don’t believe such stuff. These are stories… stories
and visions… Just like the thirsty cameleers in the desert, seeing water
where there is none… No, I don’t believe it, damn!…
The only truth I know is that we a…a…are sad… We have lost the best
friend we ever h…h…had… and with him went our hopes too… Everything
is finished, everything…
Peter: No, Thomas, listen to me well: Last Friday, in Golgotha,
it seemed like heaven had caved in on us forever. But God kept this
surprise for us… The first to be surprised was Jesus himself, when God
raised him from the dead, can you imagine that…! Those bandits thought
they had won. But God knew it all along and stretched his hand to Jesus…
Why don’t you believe, Thomas?
Thomas: Because I don’t. And in order for me
to believe… I must first feel the wounds in his hands with my
own… No, please, stop deceiving me, for I don’t want to have any illusions…
No, I may have a c…c…crooked tongue, b…b…but I still have a
l…l…lucid mind…. Tomorrow, I’m l…l…leaving with Matthias…
But
after a few hours…
Thomas: Matthias! Matthias!… Open the
door!
Matthias: Hey, what’s the matter, Thomas… what’s up…?
Thomas went
inside his friend’s house like a whirlwind…
Thomas: Matthias! It’s true that Jesus is alive, much more alive
than the two of us! I said I wouldn’t believe if I didn’t see, but it
was true. We were all in the basement, with the doors closed, and I
said no, I didn’t believe, they said yes, they did believe and so forth
and so on, when Jesus came and sat with us, just like a member of the
group, as usual. Then he looked at me and oh, he tickled me in one arm
and then in the other, telling me: “I’m no ghost, Thomas, and don’t
be so stubborn!” Jesus was in front of me, just like the two of us now
and said: “C’mon, give me your hand, Thomas!” I almost dropped
dead saying: “Moreno, you are the Messiah!” Then he said: “I was like you,
too, Thomas. For a while I thought God had abandoned me. But
no. I entrusted my fate to his hands and as you can see, He did
not fail me. Do the same, Thomas. Have faith, even if you don’t see
nor understand. Now, run, run and tell everyone that it’s not all over
yet, that this is just the beginning....” That’s why I came to tell
you, Matthias, I had to tell you!!!!
Thomas’ stuttering
tongue straightened up as he told his friend what he had seen and heard.
Matthias believed and began to announce what happened to the whole barrio
of Siloam, until the news spread everywhere... We, too, are announcing
it to you, sharing our joy, knowing that Jesus, from Nazareth
is alive forever!!!
The gospel
account on Thomas’ unbelief and his act of faith is replete with “material”
details: that Jesus ate fish and honey is very specific, that Thomas
touched the wounds in his hands and on his side... These aspects are
emphasized in order not to imagine Jesus rising from the dead like a
ghost, an ethereal spirit, somebody “not physical.” In the Christian
world, when we speak of resurrection “of the flesh,” or “of the body,”
we are proclaiming the unity of humans, of all people. We are also referring
to his body, to the material through which the spirit manifests itself.
God is concerned with humans’ bodies for as long as they live – that
is why the gospel is for this life on earth, and when a person dies,
God is also as concerned with the resurrection of our body.
The mentality
of Israel
has always conceived of persons as a unity, that the body and soul were
not separate, as the Greeks have likewise thought. There is no despising
the body, the “material” in the tradition of Israel.
For an Israelite, man is “basar” (“flesh”
in relation to physical debility, intellectual limitations or sin).
It is at the same time, “nefesh” (“soul” in
relation to spiritual values and to God). Persons in their unity are
inspired by the “ruaj,” the Spirit of God.
It does not therefore, aim to separate the
material from the spiritual, the soul from the body, but to consider
the whole person as weak or full of possibilities, to see persons as
instruments of death or as giver of life, etc. When Saint
Paul speaks of resurrection as the transition
from a “carnal” to a “spiritual” person, he is precisely referring to
this: through death, a person transforms finite self to an infinite
one (1 Cor 15:35-49).
In any case, it is practically impossible for us in this world, to fully
capture this reality of resurrection we hope for in faith. It is like
explaining to a child in his mother’s womb how life is like outside,
what it means to breathe, and what the colors are. In his fetal existence,
enclosed, dark and floating, the infant would be absolutely incapable
of even imagining it.
The Paschal
accounts, which are schematically presented, help us understand that
the disciples did not experience the resurrection of Jesus as a singular
act of God in the course of history, but that it was going to continue
from that moment to the present.
The disciples
experienced something else: that with Jesus’ resurrection, the “end”
was to begin, or more exactly put, “the beginning of the end”. The war
against sin was already won. It had to be won in some battles, but with
Jesus resurrected, it became obvious where human history was heading.
The disciples were witnesses, on account of that Paschal experience,
to Jesus’ entry to the thus proclaimed Kingdom
of God. The
testimonies of the disciples, of the first Christians and the first
basic communities that were organized then, tell us that for these men
and women, “to believe” was to live in the new world of God, to savor
beforehand the definitive triumph, to anticipate what the end of time
would have in store for us: the coming of God’s justice.
This
faith, experienced and lived, will save us. When we say that
Jesus saves us, that he is our savior, we are affirming that on account
of his resurrection, he has become a model that will guide us, that
our life may become meaningful, that it may be “saved” from the absurd,
from egoism, from fatalism, from passivity and finally, from death.
This means, “we are saved” when we follow the way of Jesus: his commitment,
generosity, concern, love for others, struggle for justice, communitarian
spirit, fraternity, equality among men and women. This road is the “savior”
of human life. By raising Jesus, God has given credit to the validity
of this road. To follow him entails a lot of risks, since the values
of the gospel are not of this world. Well then, when death is interposed
as the price of Christian commitment, God is telling us in the Paschal
event that the life of those who live like Jesus will never end. It
has so much quality, so much strength, that it can overcome death.
Jesus
overcame death and his resurrection is a guarantee that after him, and
following in his footsteps, we shall also surpass it. The risen Jesus
frees us from death, and also from fear of dying. This is a question
crucial to the Christian faith. The authenticity of our faith is measured
by our attitude toward death. If we see death as a form of defeat, we
shall be paralyzed by fear of the unjust who
cause it or by a fatalistic attitude toward the limitations of human
existence. This lack of freedom will prevent us from giving full testimony
of commitment in favor of life that characterizes the Christian. Seeing
death as failure, we will not see in Jesus crucified a savior, but another
victim of the system. We will not believe in the resurrection. Seeing
it as such, then Jesus is nothing more than an “example” of the past.
But if we free ourselves from the fear of dying, then death becomes
a source of life.
(Mk
16:14-18; Lk 24:36-49; Jn
20:19-29)