Homily – Second Sunday of Easter (B)

I start my reflection with a warning that it contains references to a movie.  It may spur Fr Peter Malone to review it on the next It’s Show Time segment.  “Oppenheimer” released in July 2023 received a record 13 Oscar nominations for its biography about a World War II scientist.  Physicist, Robert Oppenheimer, developed upon quantum physics to hone a powerful, yet abundant type of energy beyond traditional means.  Sadly, set in its context during a time of conflict, those ideas were used against people rather than for them.

There are things scientists can formulate and discover that other people cannot even fathom.  A scientist friend of mine made an interesting point that we don’t invent things we simply discover them.  How true is this statement?  True when we consider all the elements in this world, tangible and intangible, are available to us to make groundbreaking discoveries.  How exciting it is to know that many possibilities await us.

This weekend’s gospel touches upon the ongoing discussion about science and faith.  Science helps us with the “how” whereas faith helps us with the “why”.  Thomas questions how is it possible for the dead to come back to life; he sees the impossibility of a resurrected body in a world that cannot reverse decay.  Christ shows him, however, the possibility of a living body in a glorified state not previously conceived or even imagined.  In many ways, we thank Thomas for his enquiring mind to help us to be aware of a resurrected body recognised by touch rather than sight.  However, Christ calls us to faith beyond touch and sight, even though he can easily make it evidently clear.

The more we discover, and the further we advance in our knowledge, the more questions we have about faith.  We understand more about ourselves and the world around us.  Knowledge somehow draws us to faith.  As a priest, I enjoy hearing about the many wonderful discoveries made by science.  I find we are getting to know God through science by what we can touch, see, and feel.  Faith, indeed, is needed to believe in a resurrected Christ as it goes beyond the physics.  Science is a launchpad to faith rather than a hindrance or a challenge.  Christ shows us he is of this world and is also beyond it.

By Fr Hoang Dinh

Published: 5 April 2024