April 12, 2026

Dear Parishioners,

Thomas certainly had some audacity in asking–no, demanding–to see the nail marks of the risen Christ. It would have been like Peter wanting to see the rooster again that had crowed. The nail marks should not have been something Thomas, or any of the other apostles, would have wanted to see. Not only were the wounds gruesome, but they were a reminder of the apostles’ abandonment of Christ. Thomas and the others were not there on Calvary to see Christ’s hands and side pierced. They had fled in their cowardice and selfishness. They only knew about it because Mary, the other women and John, who were there, had told them. So, the nail marks would have been a source of shame for Thomas.

If you think about it, Thomas could have asked for any other sign from Christ to prove himself. He could have asked Jesus to perform a miracle. He could have asked Jesus to say something private about Thomas that only Thomas and God would know. He could have asked Jesus to recount something from their ministry. So, why did he ask to see the nail marks? I don’t think it was spontaneous and accidental either–that Thomas asked for this as a quick reaction to hearing the news from his brothers. Thomas would have heard earlier in the day that Jesus had risen and he would have had time to contemplate whether or not he believed the news. His request for the nail marks was premeditated. So, again, why?

There’s no right answer here. The response I’m about to provide is not in some textbook and is not the “official” answer to this query. We’ll only know when, I suppose, we meet Thomas one day in heaven and have the chance to ask him.

Thomas was no shrinking violet. Again, he had audacity. We see this not only here on this Easter Sunday eve, but earlier throughout the Gospels. Thomas encouraged the disciples to go with Jesus to raise Lazarus–“let us go to die with him,” he said–and he questioned Jesus at the Last Supper. So, Thomas was a man of strength. Which might be why he wanted to see the marks of his weakness. Like a boxer might have a picture of his opponent taped up on his mirror before the fight to get himself ready, Thomas wanted to ‘enter the ring,’ so to speak, of his defeat. He wanted to confront his failure. He wanted a rematch.

That’s one possible answer. It shows that Thomas really already believed in his heart that Jesus had been raised. He didn’t need the proof so much as he needed the encouragement. And, to Thomas’ credit, he knew he would be encouraged most by being met in the place of his poverty.

This is a good lesson for us. Our weaknesses and failures from the past are not things to hide from. It’s where Christ meets us and assures us that we are still loved and that our lives are still meaningful. When you pray specifically with your weakness and don’t hide from it, you are given special graces. You become a saint like Thomas.

It’s why it’s fitting we celebrate Divine Mercy so soon after Easter Sunday. Good Friday was such a painful day of rejection and suffering. We all abandoned the Lord. Well, with Divine Mercy Sunday it’s like Jesus wants to go right back to that day and tell us, “It’s alright.” We don’t need to bury the past. In fact, Jesus resurrects the past into something glorious. The grain of wheat falling to the ground and dying can give birth to new fruit. So, yes, Jesus will often bring up your past weaknesses–or your present struggles–and will meet you in the thick of it. Your poverty in that area will be the source of glory to God and grace in your life (and grace for the Church).

I remember a few years ago I was carrying several old Easter lilies out to the dumpster. It was a week or so after Easter and the white flowers had fallen off, leaving only the green stems. A person saw me and cried out, “What are you doing!?” I looked behind me to see if they were talking to someone else. They looked at me and indicated that, yes, they were talking to me, Mr. Wise Pastor. “You can replant those, you know,” the individual said. “Don’t give up on them.”

Ah, yes, the apparently dead lily with no pretty flowers and so apparently ugly and useless, still has some life in it. I think Thomas realized that about himself. He, and the others, had lost their pretty flowers on Good Friday, but Jesus wasn’t finished with them yet. And he’s not finished with us. There was a whole slew of flowerless plants in that upper room on that second Sunday following the resurrection, but because Thomas asked for the nail marks, they were all replanted to become a beautiful garden. There is a spot in that garden waiting for us.

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Once again, a blessed Easter season to you all. Let me one more time thank all those who worked so hard to make the Triduum services last week so beautiful: our musicians, our sacristans, servers (especially seminarian Greg Wilk for MCing), and ushers (including the Knights of Columbus), our church (and gym) decorators, our OCIA team (welcome to our newest Catholics), and our parish staff. Finally, thank you for your support of our parish. We have a wonderful worshiping community here at St. Paul of the Cross.

This Sunday, April 12th we have a Divine Mercy Prayer Service at 2pm in the upper church. There will be Eucharistic Adoration and special prayers for the divine mercy devotion.

The Serving Our Seniors (SOS) ministry will be hosting another event this Wednesday, April 15th at 12pm in the HFC regarding physical pain management.

Our parish school returns this week from spring break. I hope you all had a restful time away.

Yours in Christ,

Fr. James Wallace