3rd JULY. SAINT THOMAS, APOSTLE

1.Ephesians 2:19-21

2.John 20:24-29

REFLECTIONS AND MEDITATIONS

Today is the feast of St. Thomas, the apostle. Popularly this apostle is well known as ‘doubting Thomas’ this was because of his unbelief in the appearance of the risen Jesus Christ. We only hear his historical background and the record of his life as the disciple of Jesus in John’s gospel. From the scripture account ( John 11:11ff) Jesus made the decision to go and ‘wake’ Lazarus up from his ‘sleep’, from death in Bethany, yet Jesus and his disciples to get there they had to go through Judea. The disciples of Jesus in their course of going reminded him of the danger of being put to death when he would still go. However Jesus was determined to accomplish his mission of rising Lazarus from death. And it is under this background we hear first hear Thomas saying rightly and  quite confidently:  ‘ Let us also go, that we may die with him.’ Another scenario is when Jesus told his disciples that he is going a head of them to his father’s house and prepare rooms for them there: ‘ you know the place where I am going,’ he said. Thomas again, with such curiosity mind asked him: ‘Lord we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?’ The other scenario we can hear him is from our gospel today. When he was told by his fellow disciples that they saw the risen Lord, he would not believe in them at all, unless he can touch Jesus’ wounds and his side. From this gospel periscope we learn that Thomas was indeed a very practical man. He seems to have been characterized by contemporary facts that needed a person to live on the principles of seeing and believing.

Message of the readings

Doubting our faith is not in itself a bad thing. In fact this is where we find a balance between faith and reason.  Doubt and Faith should be existing in us together. Without doubt (reason), our faith might just lead us to obey blindly. Doubting and faith have got significant implication in the exercise of our freedom and free will. Doubting in other terms can be described as faith seeking understanding. In accepting the truth of faith we are invited not to be mere passive, but we need to accept the deposit of faith with reason. However, there should be a striking balance between doubt and faith. If we doubt our faith automatically it means we want to understand it all more. The more we dig deeper about our faith, the more we grow into fully and real personal and more intimate relationship with our Lord. Furthermore, if we doubt our faith the more we will be motivated out of curiosity to embrace that greatness of our God. Bear in mind that once you doubt the existing truth, it means you affirm the newly acquired truth. Yet truth remains the same though perceived and approached from diverse angles.

How can we put doubt and faith into right balance? How can we establish the healthy tension between doubt and faith?

St. Thomas would offer us two ways here.

First is to stay with Jesus. Stay with God rather than turning away from God. We can see and hear people all around us, in every corner of the world who have doubts in their faith, but never stayed with the Lord, instead they went away. Many neglected their faith; many have taken for granted their faith. The best way is to stay with Jesus because he is the surest way to affirm our faith. Only Jesus is one who can make us see the real object of our faith who is God Himself and our communion with him in the next life to come.

The second thing that St. Thomas shows us in his life regarding putting faith and doubt into a right balance is by ‘touching the wounds of Jesus’ himself and of his pierced side now. Consider Jesus lived here on earth two thousand years ago, yet we are challenged today that we can still see many ‘wounded images of Jesus’ in our immediate surroundings. There are many people suffering around us. We Passionists we contextualize this as ‘memorial passionis’ the suffering Christ of our time. There many people who have been wounded and treated unjustly around us, such people are there crying, wanting us to touch their wounds, wanting us to heal their wounds, for instance it is undeniable facts that we have witnessed among ourselves the people who have been deprived their rights, displaced children, aborted foetus, raped women, abandoned divorced marriage couple, refugees in camps, children who have lost their parents including street children etc, thus these are the ‘wounds’ of Jesus on which he is now inviting each one of us to touch and tend to. Moreover, Pope Benedict XVI in his general audience on September 27^th , 2006, spoke of St. Thomas, explaining that we can learn from his doubts which show us “ that Jesus can now be recognized by his wounds than by his face.”

St. Thomas from his doubts he has taught us the lovely prayer that we all should hold in our hearts, a prayer that is more than any other act of faith an act of commitment and surrender: “ My Lord and my God.”

Pastoral application of St. Thomas case in our lives

The Apostle Thomas’ case is important to us for at least three reasons.

First, because it comforts us in our insecurity (St. Thomas in this respect becomes the point of reference.) Second, because it shows us that every doubt can lead to an insight, to an outcome brighter than any uncertainty; and lastly, because the words that Jesus addressed to him remind us of the true meaning of mature faith and encourage us to persevere, despite  the difficult, along our journey of adhesion to him.”(From Pope Benedict XVI’ homily-2006, September 27^th).

The life of St. Thomas said to have ended in India where he evangelized and was eventually martyred there in 72 A.D

As we celebrate this feast let’s remember that St. Thomas played a big role for his courage of expressing  his doubts in his faith because that led him to his firm and sure belief that Jesus indeed is his ‘Lord and God.’ Let’s continue to remember and pray for all our brothers whose names are Thomas, we pray also for architects and builders as they celebrate the feast of their patron saint.