Scripture Message for St. Thomas Day 2006-07-03

Scripture Reading for Mass:
First Reading: Gen 2:8-15
Second Reading: Prov. 4:10-18
Third Reading: Eph 2:19-22
Final Reading: Jn 20:24-29

Message by: Rev.Dr.Mathew Thottathimyalil

St. Thomas one of the twelve apostles of Jesus Christ came to India in 52 AD and established seven Catholic communities. We are proud that our forefathers belonged to one of the communities he founded in Kerala.
Let us reflect on the first reading of this day, Gen 2:8-15 and try to know what it tells us, the Syro-malabar church believers. We read that God made man and placed him in the garden of Eden. The first and foremost point is, that Adam was entirely different from all other creatures. He was created with body and soul- a body made out of earth and a soul from the breath of God. The garden was excellent, perfect and well formed by the wisdom and power of God. In that garden there was a tree of life. This tree of life reveals the life and destiny of human beings as well as giving a model, a life pattern. Can we see a fully happy man who is satisfied with the use of the pleasures of this garden? Once Francis of Assissi was asked, ‘See Francis, the fishes swimming in the water are happy; the birds flying in the air are happy; Even the crocodiles are happy; why are so many men unhappy?’ Francis replied, ‘For the fishes and all other creatures paradise is everything but for men that is not all; they are created for God.’ As St. Augustine said, ‘my soul is created for God and it is restless until it reaches to God.’
What is this tree of life? We read in the book of Rev 2:7 ‘To him who overcomes, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God. This tree of life is Jesus Christ and the fruits we get are his body and blood in the sacrament. In the gospels, especially Mt 13 and Lk 13:9, this tree of life is the Church. Instead of eating from the tree of life, Adam and Eve ate from the forbidden tree. My dear friends, this is a message for us when we celebrate the feast of St. Thomas, which provides the remembrance of the beginning of our Church in India. We are given the blessing and benevolence to eat from the tree of Jesus Christ, eat from the tree of the Church Jesus instituted.
Again, there was another tree the tree of the knowledge of the good and evil. The will of God concerning this tree of the knowledge of good and evil is that man must know moral good and evil. The knowledge of good and evil is so important. We read in Mk 12:34, the lawyer answered well what are the greatest commandments. Hearing him Jesus replied you are not far from the kingdom of God. This tells us the importance of the knowledge of moral goodness. What is good? It is not to eat from the forbidden tree. What is evil, it is to eat from the forbidden tree.
By comparing the experience of the good and evil, Prov 4:10-18 advises us to live a good moral life which gives life and happiness. What is the opposite of that? We see four rivers that made the garden so rich and fruitful. One of the rivers, the Euphratis was flowing through the land of Babylon. But we see later, after centuries, God’s own people lamented at the banks of the river in Babylon. What happened to them? The land was beautiful, magnificent, filled with all desirable pleasures. However, moral degradation made their life miserable. What is the river? In Rev. 22:1-2 we read, ‘the angel showed the river of the water of life, flowing from the throne of God and of the lamb, down the middle of the city.’ It is the life that comes from our God.
Many nations are rich with natural resources, human resources. Yet they are not enjoying peace and prosperity. See, in this context the greatness of Faith we received 2000 years before by the proclamation of St. Thomas the apostle. We got the opportunity to have right faith, access to the universal community and knowledge about God.
We know, St. Thomas was murdered by being pierced with a lance and his tomb is at Mylapore near the present town of Chennai (Madras). Eph 2:19-22 reminds us that apostles and prophets laid the foundation to our Church. It is through their preaching, their proclamation of the risen Lord and above all in not sparing their own life. The fate of all, including the gentiles is changed in and through the Christ event. By the arrival of St. Thomas, the life and destiny of South India became different from the other parts of India. We should be aware of the goodness we have received through St. Thomas and all the spiritual leaders who have continued the mission of Jesus in our Land. See how we are enjoying the one family of God; our access to the global community…
St. Thomas demanded the vision of the risen Lord and Jesus granted it. However, on behalf of all future believers, Jesus said, ‘blessed are those who believe in Jesus without seeing the risen Lord.’ Our forefathers and we believed in the risen Lord without seeing him and this became a blessing for all of us. Now we are continuing the mission of Jesus. We Proclaim the risen Lord, the tree of life, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, and we receive grace from the rivers of life.

Mt.15, 21-25

“Great is your faith, let it be done for you as you wish”