Eight Days of Pain

Fr. Francis Scaria

You may wonder as to what I am referring to. I am referring to Jn 20:26. In Jn 20:19-31 we find Jesus’ encounter with ‘doubting’ Thomas. Jesus appeared to disciples and spoke to them in the absence of Thomas. When Thomas came the disciples told him that they saw the Lord. But he insisted, “Unless I can see the holes that the nails made in his hands and can put my finger into the holes they made, and unless I can put my hand into his side, I refuse to believe” (Jn 20:25). The following verse refers to Eight Days. Thomas was left in doubt for eight days. Jesus does not come immediately to answer his doubts. Thomas remains in doubt for eight days. Jesus wanted him to wait for obtaining the clarity he wanted.

Many times in life we have to, probably, go through ‘eight days’ of doubt, frustration, confusion, calamity etc. God wants us to wait. Those eight days can be very trying. Some give up on the second or third day. The Most pitiable case is that some give up even in the evening of the seventh day not having the patience to wait any more.

It is said about Buddha that he told one of his disciples to fetch water from a pool. The disciple came back to report that it was muddy. The disciple was asked to wait for a while and return to the same pond later. Buddha took the occasion to teach his disciple that sometimes when we face difficulties, problems and even turmoil, we simply have to wait.... Perseverance is the clue.

When Jesus came to Bethany, “Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days” (Jn 11:17). Although for Martha and Mary, such waiting had almost killed their hope, for God who lives in the ‘eternal now’ waiting is the milieu for his mysterious intervention.

In his wisdom he works on shaping a human being for nine months, before the child is born. For everyone else it is a time of waiting. Never get tired of waiting; God is at work shaping something for you. Longer the waiting, greater the gift!