Resurrection Stories

The Easter story most familiar to me is the story of Jesus appearing to St. Thomas. 

 St. Thomas was a disciple who did not believe that Jesus had resurrected when the other apostles told him that Jesus had resurrected. 

St. Thomas said unless I place my hands on the wounds on Jesus hands and the wounds on the side I will not believe. 

St. Thomas had seen the Roman soldiers crucifying Jesus. 

St. Thomas had seen the wounds on Jesus hands and on the body of Jesus..

When Jesus made an appearance just for st. Thomas Jesus quoted the very words of st. Thomas when he said unless I place my hands on the wounds on  Jesus hands and unless I place my hands on the wounds on the sides I will not believe. 

Jesus invites st. Thomas to place his hands on the wounds on His hands and the wounds on His body.

Then Jesus chided st. Thomas for not believing..

For those of us who doubt that Jesus is a personal God with whom we can have relationship with this is proof that Jesus is a personal God. 

St. Thomas was overwhelmed and said the words my Lord and my God. 

The second resurrection story is a story I first heard during the concert of a contemporary Christian singer in the US. 

At that concert there was another singer. 

This singer before singing explained the story of the Road to Emmaus.

I don't remember exactly what she said but do remember coming home and looking up the verses that described the story of the road to Emmaus. 

A few years ago I looked up this story again and tried to understand the meaning of the story. 

The day after the crucifixion a few disciples were walking toward the village of Emmaus.

They were discussing the events in Jerusalem the previous day. 

Jesus was crucified and had died but there were rumors of resurrection.

At this Jesus himself joined them and participated in the discussion. 

Jesus told them that everything written about Jesus in the scriptures would be fulfilled.

They did not recognize Jesus. 

When they reached Emmaus they invited Jesus to have a meal with them. 

While having the meal Jesus disappeared and at that moment the disciples realized that it was Jesus who walked with them toward Emmaus conversing with them about various scripture points. 

The third resurrection story is a story I heard on the radio. 

This story talked about the importance of Saturday. 

The Saturday before Easter Sunday there is literally no hope. 

The disciples had spent three years learning from Jesus, watching the miracles, listening to Jesus and participating in everything..

Now Jesus was crucified, died and was buried. 

Now what were they supposed to do.

They may have been lost..

But on Sunday everything changed for the disciples and for all humanity because Jesus had risen from the dead. 

They were filled with joy and hope.

A decisive victory over death the ultimate enemy was won..

This tells us that on Saturday when everything is bleak and melancholy we should not let go of hope. 

We should always have hope because Jesus gives us hope.

My very first job as a sub editor in a news agency I was picked to write a news report about Easter. 

Usually my job responsibility was only about editing stories written by others. 

But now I could write the entire story by myself. 

I started by interviewing some priests in a nearby Catholic church.

The message of Easter is hope, they said. 

There is no cause for despair since God is with us, they said. 

Reading what the priest said so many years ago  helped me recently. 

Of course my most favorite is the story of doubting Thomas. 

And that same apostle who doubted came to Kerala a few years after Jesus actually resurrected. 

In Kerala on st Thomas feast day it rains a lot. 

So it is called Thorana. 

Now it is syrianized and called Dukhrana. 

In my childhood my father took us to watch a movie made about st. Thomas and his he came to Kerala converted nampoothiris and build seven and a half churches.