Written by Sr. Rosemary O.P.
I don’t know about you, but when I see ‘selfies’ of people, I never think they look like the person. The picture just doesn’t do them justice and never seems to be a true image of them.
So, too, getting a true picture of St. Thomas from just our gospel story today is difficult. It just doesn’t reflect his whole person. We hear about the disciples in the Upper Room who were hiding following the crucifixion of Jesus. They are afraid that they will be the next to die. Yet Jesus appears to this terrified group, and they recognize Him as their risen Lord. Thomas, however, was missing and because he later questioned the Apostles about Jesus’ appearance, history has branded Thomas as a doubter, maybe a characteristic he does not deserve.
There are actually two other glimpses of Thomas before this occasion in John’s gospel. When Jesus said He was returning to Judea to visit His sick friend Lazarus, Thomas immediately encouraged the Apostles to accompany Him on the trip, persuading his fellow disciples not to desert Jesus. Thanks to Thomas, then, they all stayed with him, even though it involved certain danger and possible death. (John 11:16).
And at the Last Supper, when Christ told His Apostles that He was going to prepare a place for them, Thomas spoke up saying that they did not understand. It was then that they received the beautiful assurance from Christ that He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. (John 14:4-6)
In our gospel today, we don’t know why Thomas was absent when all the other disciples were huddled together. But given that Thomas was such a faithful follower, it’s very possible that Thomas was out doing what they had always done with and for Jesus: helping, healing, feeding and speaking in the name and love of Jesus. And that is probably a much fuller picture of Thomas.
When he does hear that Jesus has appeared, yes, Thomas is incredulous. But keep in mind, Thomas also knows the other disciples. Besides their good works, he’s witnessed their arguments; he knows their betrayals, their blindness, their hardness of heart. He may have thought he had reason to doubt them! Not until Thomas had personally been touched by Jesus was he willing to respond, “My Lord and my God.”
Sometimes circumstances cause us to doubt God…a relationship gone bad, a sudden illness, a death of a loved one. Doubt is not the opposite of faith. It’s actually a part of faith and could be disguised as grace. Doubt can be a reminder that we need to be more consciously aware the presence of the risen Christ in our life.
And so Thomas, rather than being a “doubter”, is actually a faithful friend to us. As Thomas extended his hand to Jesus, we have just done the same. We extended our hands to receive this same “Body of Christ,” in Eucharist. We have experienced God’s presence and healing love for us, and we believe that Jesus is alive.
May we take comfort from Thomas, that we can be faithful in our periods of doubting, and say with him, “My Lord and My God.”
