Acts 2. 14a, 22-32, Psalm 16, 1 Peter 1. 3-9 and John 20. 19-31

Unprecedented is a word that seems to be well worn these days. But we do live in times that might be described as such. ‘When do you think we might get back to normal?’ is a question that I have been asking. The answer to some extent is, ‘I don’t know’. After all, what do we mean by normal?

The earliest Christians lived in a world where they had to create a new normal. Jesus of Nazareth had died. He had been executed by the Romans. The soldiers were ruthless and efficient. Jesus had spoken of a new way of being and living. He had been provocative and challenged those in authority, religious and secular. Like all prophets, he had held up a mirror and invited his hearers to look into and see themselves and the society they had created. Jesus touched those he should not have done and accepted the embrace of people who were shunned. His teaching had clarity yet seemed opaque to those who claimed to be wise. This Jesus had died. And the disciples were afraid. History was littered with examples of groups that had threatened authority and been snuffed out. Soon even the smoke from the candle would disappear.

There were rumours. The tomb was empty. Some of their group had remembered some of the things that Jesus had said. ‘After three days’, I will rise. You can imagine these men and women concluding that it was a fool’s tale. Then, Jesus was there. Thomas was not.

Thomas has been called ‘Doubting Thomas’ because he did not see Jesus on that Sunday evening. He did not believe his friends, who I imagine were struggling to put into words who and what they had seen. They were afraid. They were afraid of those in authority, religious and secular. My friend, Jon Price, who is a Pioneer Priest near Llanidloes suggests that they may have been afraid of Jesus. After all they had let him down. I am going to think about this over the coming weeks. I am not entirely convinced, I think it would have been more complex: the disciples would have emotionally been disappointed, angry (even at themselves), despondent and fearful, and this would not have changed by the sudden appearance of Jesus into the middle of the room.

Thomas is called ‘doubting’ and yet I have often thought that Honest Thomas or Honest Tom would be a better term to use. The following week, he was there. It would have been a long week for Thomas. And then he is there. Jesus shows Thomas the scars of the nails and his wounded side. Thomas wastes no time, ‘My Lord and My God’, he exclaims.

It would be easy to then add in the words as John does, ‘Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.’ Thomas embraces the new normal. This evangelist from the north of Israel by tradition ends up in India proclaiming the gospel. Everyone’s faith journey is different. Some of us, like Thomas, take a little while to embrace a new normal.

We know we will be in lockdown for another three weeks at least. I imagine any easing of the safety measures the government has put in place will be gradual. I imagine all of us will have to get to grips with a new normal.

There will be scars of course. Lots of people have lost their lives already. Health Care Professionals have also died because of a lack of protection. Some businesses will not survive the lockdown, and thousands of young people have prepared for examinations that will now no longer take place. My nephew, Jacob is among them and is bewildered. Each of us is struggling to make sense of what is happening.

The resurrection did not take away the scars of Jesus. They are still there. One hymnwriter put it like this: ‘scars yet visible above, in beauty glorified’. The resurrection did not take away the crucifixion. Thomas’ belief did not take away his doubt. Indeed, in many ways I believe faith and doubt to be siblings: sometimes dancing and at other times fighting each other. Scars are an acknowledgement of what has been gone through and yet of a healing that has taken place.

This is why the Apostle Peter can write about being tested in fire like gold. I do not believe that Covid-19 is a test from God, but I do believe circumstances test, challenge and shape us. We will bear the scars, only some of which will be visible. The effects of this pandemic will be felt long after schools, restaurants, pubs, bookshops and chapels have reopened.

I suppose for us the question is when we recreate a new normal, will Jesus be at the centre, and will we dare to embrace him, marked as he is by scars we have made.

Questions

1. What would it have been like for Thomas to spend seven long days with his friends who had seen Jesus, and he had not?

• In what ways are you being challenged by this lockdown?

Activity

Write down a list of people you are praying for – pick one of them and write to them telling them that you are praying for them.

Ail Sul y Pasg

Actau 2. 14a, 22-32, Salm 16, 1 Pedr 1. 3-9 ac Ioan 20. 19-31

Mae digynsail yn air sy’n ymddangos fel petai wedi’i wisgo’n dda y dyddiau hyn. Ond rydyn ni’n byw mewn amseroedd a allai gael eu disgrifio felly. Mae ‘pryd ydych chi’n meddwl y gallem fynd yn ôl i normal?’ yn gwestiwn yr wyf wedi bod yn ei ofyn. Yr ateb i raddau yw, ‘Dydw i ddim yn gwybod’. Wedi’r cyfan, beth ydyn ni’n ei olygu wrth normal?

Roedd y Cristnogion cynharaf yn byw mewn byd lle roedd yn rhaid iddyn nhw greu normal newydd. Roedd Iesu o Nasareth wedi marw. Roedd wedi ei ddienyddio gan y Rhufeiniaid. Roedd y milwyr yn ddidostur ac yn effeithlon. Roedd Iesu wedi siarad am ffordd newydd o fod a byw. Roedd wedi bod yn bryfoclyd ac wedi herio’r rhai mewn awdurdod, crefyddol a seciwlar. Fel pob proffwyd, roedd wedi dal drych i fyny ac wedi gwahodd ei wrandawyr i edrych i mewn a gweld eu hunain a’r gymdeithas yr oeddent wedi’i chreu. Cyffyrddodd Iesu â’r rhai na ddylai fod wedi’u gwneud a derbyniodd gofleidiad pobl a gafodd eu siomi. Roedd eglurder ei ddysgeidiaeth ond eto roedd yn ymddangos yn anhryloyw i’r rhai a honnodd eu bod yn ddoeth. Roedd yr Iesu hwn wedi marw. Ac roedd ofn ar y disgyblion. Roedd hanes yn frith o enghreifftiau o grwpiau a oedd wedi bygwth awdurdod ac wedi cael eu twyllo. Yn fuan byddai hyd yn oed y mwg o’r gannwyll yn diflannu.

Roedd sibrydion. Roedd y beddrod yn wag. Roedd rhai o’u grŵp yn cofio rhai o’r pethau roedd Iesu wedi’u dweud. ‘Ar ôl tridiau’, byddaf yn codi. Gallwch ddychmygu’r dynion a’r menywod hyn yn dod i’r casgliad mai stori ffwl ydoedd. Yna, roedd Iesu yno, ond nid Thomas

Mae Thomas wedi cael ei alw’n ‘Doubting Thomas’ oherwydd na welodd Iesu y nos Sul honno. Nid oedd yn credu bod ei ffrindiau, yr wyf yn dychmygu yn ei chael hi’n anodd eu rhoi mewn geiriau pwy a beth roeddent wedi’i weld. Roedd ofn arnyn nhw. Roeddent yn ofni’r rhai mewn awdurdod, crefyddol a seciwlar. Mae fy ffrind Jon Price, Offeiriad Arloesi ger Llanidloes yn awgrymu y gallen nhw fod ofn Iesu. Wedi’r cyfan roeddent wedi ei siomi. Rydw i’n mynd i feddwl am hyn dros yr wythnosau nesaf. Dydw i ddim wedi fy argyhoeddi’n llwyr, rwy’n credu y byddai wedi bod yn fwy cymhleth: byddai’r disgyblion wedi cael eu siomi yn emosiynol, yn ddig (hyd yn oed ar eu pennau eu hunain), yn isel eu hysbryd ac yn ofnus, ac ni fyddai hyn wedi newid oherwydd ymddangosiad sydyn Iesu i’r canol yr ystafell.

Gelwir Thomas yn ‘amheugar’ ac eto rwyf wedi meddwl yn aml y byddai Honest Thomas neu Honest Tom yn derm gwell i’w ddefnyddio. Yr wythnos ganlynol, roedd yno. Byddai wedi bod yn wythnos hir i Thomas. Ac yna mae e yno. Mae Iesu’n dangos creithiau’r hoelen a’i ochr glwyfedig i Thomas. Nid yw Thomas yn gwastraffu unrhyw amser, ‘Fy Arglwydd a Fy Nuw’, mae’n cyhoeddi.

Byddai’n hawdd ychwanegu’r geiriau i mewn fel y mae John yn ei wneud, ‘Ydych chi wedi credu oherwydd eich bod wedi fy ngweld? Gwyn eu byd y rhai nad ydyn nhw wedi gweld ac eto wedi dod i gredu. ’Mae Thomas yn cofleidio’r normal newydd. Daw’r efengylydd hwn o ogledd Israel yn ôl traddodiad i ben yn India yn cyhoeddi’r efengyl. Mae taith ffydd pawb yn wahanol. Mae rhai ohonom ni, fel Thomas, yn cymryd ychydig o amser i gofleidio normal newydd.

Rydym yn gwybod y byddwn yn cloi am dair wythnos arall o leiaf. Rwy’n dychmygu y bydd unrhyw leddfu’r mesurau diogelwch y mae’r llywodraeth wedi’u rhoi ar waith yn raddol. Rwy’n dychmygu y bydd yn rhaid i bob un ohonom fynd i’r afael â normal newydd.

Bydd creithiau wrth gwrs. Mae llawer o bobl wedi colli eu bywydau eisoes. Mae Gweithwyr Gofal Iechyd Proffesiynol hefyd wedi marw oherwydd diffyg amddiffyniad. Ni fydd rhai busnesau yn goroesi’r cloi, ac mae miloedd o bobl ifanc wedi paratoi ar gyfer arholiadau na fyddant bellach yn cael eu cynnal. Mae fy nai, Jacob yn eu plith ac yn ddryslyd. Mae pob un ohonom yn ei chael hi’n anodd gwneud synnwyr o’r hyn sy’n digwydd.

Ni chymerodd yr atgyfodiad greithiau Iesu. Maen nhw dal yno. Fe wnaeth un emynydd ei roi fel hyn: ‘scars yet visible above, in beauty glorifed’. Ni chymerodd yr atgyfodiad y croeshoeliad i ffwrdd. Ni wnaeth cred Thomas ’dynnu ei amheuaeth i ffwrdd. Yn wir, mewn sawl ffordd credaf fod ffydd ac amheuaeth yn frodyr a chwiorydd: weithiau’n dawnsio ac ar adegau eraill yn ymladd yn erbyn ei gilydd. Mae creithiau yn gydnabyddiaeth o’r hyn sydd wedi mynd drwyddo ac eto o iachâd sydd wedi digwydd.

Dyma pam y gall yr Apostol Pedr ysgrifennu am gael ei brofi mewn tân fel aur. Nid wyf yn credu bod Covid-19 yn brawf gan Dduw, ond rwy’n credu bod amgylchiadau yn ein profi, ein herio a’n siapio. Byddwn yn dwyn y creithiau, a dim ond rhai ohonynt fydd yn weladwy. Bydd effeithiau’r pandemig hwn i’w teimlo ymhell ar ôl i ysgolion, bwytai, tafarndai, siopau llyfrau a chapeli ailagor.

Mae’n debyg i mi mai’r cwestiwn yw pan fyddwn ni’n ail-greu normal newydd, a fydd Iesu yn y canol, ac a fyddwn ni’n meiddio ei gofleidio, wedi’i farcio fel y mae gan greithiau rydyn ni wedi’u gwneud.

Cwestiynau

1. Sut brofiad fyddai i Thomas dreulio saith diwrnod hir gyda’i ffrindiau a oedd wedi gweld Iesu, ac nad doedd o’n wedi gwneud hynny?

2. Ym mha ffyrdd ydych chi’n cael eich herio gan y cloi hwn?

Gweithgaredd Ysgrifennwch restr o bobl rydych chi’n gweddïo drostyn nhw – dewiswch un ohonyn nhw ac ysgrifennwch atynt yn dweud wrthyn nhw eich bod chi’n gweddïo drostyn nhw