Credibility Factor
Doors were closed; fear reigned in the upper room; death still seemed to reign supreme in the minds of those who loved Our Lord. In the midst of all this without a soul opening a door, the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ spoke and issued a word of peace. From that moment to this very second everything would change. Jesus breathed upon them and said “Receive the Holy Ghost. Whose sins you shall forgive are forgiven and whose sins you retain they are retained (Jn. 20:21). How is this possible since only God can forgive sins? Hebrews presents us with the necessity of bloodshed for the forgiveness of sin (Heb. (9:22) Now all this takes place with the absence of St. Thomas.
When the apostles see Thomas they immediately tell him of the fact that our Lord is alive. Our Lord can walk through closed doors. He gives us the power of God in the action of forgiving sins. Of course, Thomas listened and then stated that he had a credibility test that must be passed for him to believe this tale of the group. Put very simply St. Thomas would have no other test than the wounds exposed. He would have to place his fingers into the nail marks on hands and feet. He would have to place his hand into the opened side. If he could not do this then he would carry on in his disbelief.
One week later they were all together in the upper room when our Lord again came into their midst and greeted them with His Peace. Then He went directly to Thomas and exposed his wounded hands and feet. Place your finger into my wounds and your hand into my side and be not unbelieving but believe. Our Lord confirms for Thomas and for all of us that we should only believe in a savior with wounds. The poet speaks this truth so beautifully:
Hast thou no scar on foot or side or hand; I hear thee sung as mighty in the land. Hast thou no wound? Yet I was wounded by the archer’s spent; leaned me against a tree and I swooned. Hast thou no wound…no scar? But as the master so shall the disciple be, and pierced are the feet that follow me. But thine are whole, Can he have followed far who has no wound or scar?
Wounds and scars are the marks that identify us as truly disciples of the Crucified. Where are your wounds? Where are your scars? Can you not recognize them in the suffering which we must endure with an infiltrated church which denies sacrifice and suffering and presents the sheep with a sloppy meal ticket. The Mystical Body is wounded and scarred by the antics of a Pope who seeks to be popular with Muslims, Jews, Communists and independent Atheists. Men, like Michael Matt, cry out from the underground church for the Catholic sheep to wake up to the destruction of the dogma of the faith.
Yes, today the Church is suffering and is being used by the devil to establish a global brotherhood under the direction of the Masonic Order. Vatican II has presented the package for globalism under the guise of ecumenism. The true Catholic knows that salvation is possible only through the Mystical Body of Christ not the Church of the New Advent (aka: Conciliar Church). This points out to each of us that we must know our faith and stand fast in that faith. Return to the fathers of the Church and listen to them. You can never go wrong if you turn to the traditional faith and the traditional sacraments.
For centuries the Catholic Church remained faithful to the words of St. Paul: Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever. Change today is nothing more than the application of the evolutionary principle to all dogma and all practices of the faith. This is heretical and must be condemned. These are the scars and the wounds that afflict us as members of Christ. Do not be alarmed but repeat what St. Thomas said: “I will not believe unless I place my fingers into the marks of the nails and my hand into His side.” I will only recognize the Lord by the suffering He endured to set me free from my sinfulness.
For each of us the decision is unique. When we finally come to the inspiration that moved our dear mother Mary then we realize that she is the woman of sorrow giving birth to each of us, her children, in sorrow and in pain. This is the pattern for our salvation and it will remain. So in these days count your blessings if Christ has given you the wisdom to carry your cross with cheerfulness. In that suffering you are proving that you are a true son or daughter of God.
In the hearts of Jesus, Mary and Joseph,
Fr. Richard Voigt , S.D.B.
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