I heard a homily this summer about St. Thomas that struck straight to my heart. Poor St. Thomas -- he undoubtedly poured his life out for the Lord, but what most people seem to remember of him is that he said he would not believe in the Resurrection until he had seen the holes in the Lord's hands, and touched the wounds in the Lord's side.
He's really not so different from most of us, but I rarely hear St. Thomas mentioned along with a nod and an acknowledgement of, "Yep! That's me!"
It is easier to have faith when we have seen the Lord at work in our lives. But that's not the only lesson we can take from St. Thomas' story, according to this homily. St. Thomas' story doesn't just show us ourselves; it also shows us how to help lead others to Jesus.
By showing them our wounds.
It is when we are willing to be vulnerable, to share our hurts, and hopefully, the ways in which God has infused them with His grace, that we can best help others.
My background as a journalist means I love asking people questions. I am always awe-struck when I meet someone who has taken some hurt, or some life experience, and has transformed it into a way to help others. The people who do this always seem so passionate about their work, and so capable of truly touching others' hearts and lives.
Like one of my son Luke's speech therapists, who chose her occupation after watching her dad recover from a stroke while she was still in high school. She is so passionate about her work, and actually helped us with some key issues others had overlooked. Interestingly, her sister became an occupational therapist.
Recently, I was blessed to write this article for the Catholic Times about a local man, Pat Hohl, who donated a kidney to his sister. His gift saved her life. But she also has used her life as a gift. With my son's experiences in mind, I found it hard to stop asking questions of Elizabeth Hohl. Born with a speech impediment and a vision impairment, Elizabeth now works as a speech therapist. She, too, uses her wounds to help heal others.
Even Pat has his own story. He is an avid runner. And all those years of sacrificing comfort for good health paid off when he, a 58-year-old man, was able to donate his kidney to his sister. Donors usually are under age 50, and doctors doubted he would be able to pass the stringent testing required to give an organ.
Another story I recently wrote also showed what a difference people can make when they use their wounds as a way of reaching out to others. I will post a link to the article if and when it goes online. I interviewed two families who, after experiencing the loss of their own children (and a grandchild) during pregnancy, started memorials and burial places for unborn children in two different Michigan communities. We placed our son, Benedict Pio, in one of these memorials. We have found tremendous peace in having such a beautiful resting place for our son.
This blog, among other reasons, began from my desire to share some of the ways God has supported my family through our struggles. Ecclesiates tells us there is nothing new under the sun (1:9). If this is true, it means we are not the only ones to have experienced the pain in our hearts. We don't have to walk alone. And maybe, with our help -- with our willingness to be vulnerable -- someone else will see they don't have to walk alone, either.
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