There is a word in the Gospel this Sunday
to which we will likely pay little attention:
“didymus.” It means twin.
Actually, the name Thomas itself was derived
from the Aramaic word for Twin.
Both poets and theologians over the centuries
have suggested, therefore, that Thomas was one of a pair … a companion … a counterpart.
And that companion would be each of us.
In these trying days
when we are ordered and cajoled to shelter in place,
there are heroes and heroines all around us who are also companions to Thomas.
They are in our hospitals and on the streets.
They are wagering their own well-being for the sake of others.
Some drive a bus, some check out our groceries.
Others show up when we dial 911,
or comfort the dying as substitute families
through shielded faces and gloved hands.
These, all of them, are also the twins of Thomas.
They are medical technicians and nursing home care givers,
firemen and paramedics,
and they are showing us how to touch the wounds of Jesus.
They are inviting us to recognize the true Christ,
the one some have called “Jesus of the Scars” –
introducing us to the cost of love.
Inspired by Fr. Edward Foley, Capuchin
