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Dear Friends in Christ,

Who can be long in Vienna without being overwhelmed by the incredible wealth of culture seen everywhere? Vienna, the city of dreams, has it all Ð art, architecture, music, landscape, the enthronement of tradition, the veneration of history. Wherever you turn in this city, you are met by some sign of the incredible talent and endurance of the human spirit Ð its power to conceive, to fashion, to compose, to write Ð to capture in art and artifact, all the enthusiasm and certainty of great minds, great leaders, and a great people Ð all the enthusiasm and certainty that God has built into the human spirit.

In one sense, we could not wish for a better place to end our pilgrimage, for this city has been a crossroads of human activity since ancient times, and a center of Christianity since the 10th century. And at the heart of the crossroads stands this great house of God - the magnificent Cathedral of St. Stephen, with its beautiful tiled roof, its towers and tombs, one of the glories of Christendom, and a site expressive of all the arts, skills and talents, which combine to make this an unforgettable city. If one of our goals has been to see and understand how the human spirit, enlivened by the Holy Spirit, has worked wonders throughout eastern Europe, throughout the lands where so many Americans look to find their origins, then to see Vienna, is to understand how God can fashion miracles through the use of human hands.

But in another sense, a more fitting place to look for the conclusion of our pilgrimage is in todayÕs Gospel Ð and not in a setting of enthusiasm or confidence, but in a room filled with fear and doubt Ð and not where God used a hand to create art, but instead, where He used a hand to teach an eternal lesson in humility, and an eternal lesson of faith.

Christ had risen, and all the Apostles had seen Him, except for Thomas, who was not there when He first appeared among them. But even with the knowledge of the Resurrection in their minds, the Apostles were still without confidence, still throttled by fear, still filled with doubts and misgivings. All this uncertainty was soon to be dispelled by the descent of the Holy Spirit Ð but for now, the lesson Christ chose to teach was not one of courage, of enthusiasm, or of indomitable confidence Ð the lesson was one of humility and faith.

Thomas, with the stubborn pride of all humans, insists that unless he sees the Lord, unless he puts his fingers into the LordÕs wounds, he will not believe. Thomas has a strong and outspoken personality - but to what good purpose, except this Ð that He is about to be taught faith and humility by the Risen Lord.

Jesus appears, and Thomas is there, and Jesus says to him, ÒPut your finger here and see my hands, and bring your hand and put it into my side, and do not be unbelieving, but believe.Ó Belief, belief, belief. Throughout His years of public ministry, it is faith, it is belief that our Lord praises most in the few people He meets who actually have it. How many times does He say, ÒYour faith has saved youÉyour faith has healed youÉsuch faith I have not seen in all Israel.Ó And how many times in the Gospel does He chide His chosen Apostles with the opposite imprecation: ÒOh you of little faithÉwhere is your faithÉÓ And now, after Thomas has been satisfied, after his doubts have been swallowed up by his humble and heartfelt admission, ÒMy Lord, and my GodÓ Ð after this, the Son of God declares: ÒBlessed are those who have not seen and have believed."

Thomas was a strong man, a man of conviction Ð but all his strength, all his conviction were for nothing until he had faith.

And all the splendor of Vienna, all its treasures, and all the splendor of the hundreds of sights we have seen over the past week - all of it would be without meaning, if it were not filled with the fire of faith Ð the faith of missionaries, the faith of martyrs, the faith of saints - and yes - the faith of pilgrims.

For though we respect what the human spirit can achieve, and though we marvel before the intricate wonders that God produces using the human hand, we marvel infinitely more at the hand that Christ took and placed in His wounded side Ð we marvel even more at the Spirit who was soon to come upon men assailed by doubt and fear, and turn them into lions of faith and courage Ð and we marvel, finally, that surrounded as we are, by treasures of human engineering, it is still to this simple celebration, the Sacrifice of the Mass, the Sacrament of ChristÕs Body and Blood, that we can and do turn to find relief from what we fear most Ð doubt.

Dear friends, let us thank God for leading us on this journey Ð let us praise Him in the marvelous handiwork of those in whom He has planted the spirit of creativity - let us praise Him for all the places of faith that we have had the privilege of visiting during this week, and for the holy work of all the saints we have had occasion to recall.

But most of all, let us thank Him for giving us, through His Holy Spirit, the courage to face our doubts, the inspiration to find our faith, the wisdom to fall on our knees, before the Lord, who comes to us at this and at every Mass, and say with the Apostle, ÒMy Lord and my God!Ó

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