Easter Saturday Year B

Lent for Everyone
Mark Year B
EASTER SATURDAY...

One of the most popular misconceptions today is the idea that everybody up to about two centuries ago was credulous, gullible, easily taken in by strange stories and odd beliefs. We, however, with our modern ‘scientific’ knowledge, have learnt how to be sceptical, to test everything, not to take odd stories on trust but to enquire for ourselves. And so on.

There are a million counter-examples, of course (not least the many contemporary stories of people who are duped by the fantasies of politicians, economists and the like); but among the most obvious is this wonderful story of Thomas. Thomas knew perfectly well that dead people don’t rise. He knew, only too well, that there had been many would-be ‘messiahs’ and ‘prophets’ in recent memory, and that, one by one, they had been killed off by the authorities, or even by rival gangs. And that had been the end of that. No point pretending you could carry on when you obviously couldn’t...

Taken from Lent for Everyone Mark Year B by Tom Wright