Feast Of Saint Thomas

Today, the Church celebrates the Feast of Saint Thomas, Apostle. Famously known as Doubting Thomas, he remains an important Apostle for us to come to understand. Every one of us, at some point in our faith journey, is like Thomas. Our faith becomes challenged, and we demand proof. When that proof comes, do we respond as Thomas did, "My Lord and my God!"

Feast Of Saint Thomas

Gospel - John 20:24-29

Thomas, called Didymus, one of the Twelve,

was not with them when Jesus came.

So the other disciples said to him, "We have seen the Lord."

But Thomas said to them,

"Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands

and put my finger into the nailmarks

and put my hand into his side, I will not believe."

Now a week later his disciples were again inside

and Thomas was with them.

Jesus came, although the doors were locked,

and stood in their midst and said, "Peace be with you."

Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here and see my hands,

and bring your hand and put it into my side,

and do not be unbelieving, but believe."

Thomas answered and said to him, "My Lord and my God!"

Jesus said to him, "Have you come to believe because you have seen me?

Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed."

Scriptural Analysis

Jesus had visited the disciples, but Thomas was not with them. Like Mary Magdalen, the other disciples have seen the risen Lord and come to understand the fullness of the faith. They shared with Thomas that they had seen the risen Lord. Thomas, however, is not willing to accept their testimony. To believe, he must see the Lord: see the marks of the nails in his hands and the wound on his side. He must be able to touch the Lord to believe.

On the Sunday after Easter, Jesus’ disciples were gathered once again inside with Thomas present. Note that John makes mention of the doors being locked, but does not mention that the disciples were fearful. Contrasted to the first appearance, “the doors being shut where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews” (John 20:19), the presence of the Holy Spirit given to the disciples at that first appearance has dispelled their fear. Jesus stands in their midst and again offers them his peace, saying, “Peace be with you.”

Jesus then addresses Thomas directly. Knowing what is in Thomas’s heart, Jesus addresses him using words that closely resemble Thomas’s response to his fellow Apostles when they told him that they had seen the risen Lord. Jesus invites Thomas to put his finger on the nail marks and touch his hands, and to put his hand into his side and believe.

Thomas responds to Jesus with perhaps the strongest profession of faith in the Gospel: “My Lord and my God!” This combines the two titles, Lord (kyrios) and God (theos). These two tiles recall a pairing found throughout the Old Testament, “My God and my Lord!” (Psalm 35:23). Thomas identifies Jesus with the Lord God himself: Yahweh.

Thomas makes this profession of faith because he recognizes the wounds on the glorified body of Jesus as a sign, a disclosure of his divinity through his glorified humanity.

The Ancient Greek manuscripts lack punctuation, so we are uncertain if Jesus responds to Thomas with a statement or a question. Was Jesus disappointed in Thomas because he needed proof to believe, or is he simply telling Thomas that you have arrived at a full Easter faith through this proof that was given to you? Jesus declares, “Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed." This shifts the focus from Thomas to later generations of disciples who have not encountered this risen Christ in the same way as the disciples, but yet their faith is just as real and genuine. This Gospel continues to stress the importance of the Apostolic witness of the risen Christ. Jesus prayed for those who would come to believe in him through the witness of the Apostles, “but also for those who believe in me through their word.” (John 17:20)

Daily Application

Saint Thomas the Apostle is someone that, if we are honest with ourselves, we can all identify with. At some point in our faith journey, we have all responded in a way similar to how Thomas initially responded to his brother Apostles. We have demanded proof that Christ is truly risen and working in our lives. The intensity of that doubt varies from person to person, but we have all experienced it. We have all demanded that Christ prove to us who he truly is.

Jesus responds to that request just as he responded to Thomas’s request. He proves that he is truly risen and alive today. Now, the manner of that response varies. Most of us will not be like Saint Thomas and have Jesus in his glorified body in our midst. Nor will most of us be like Saint Faustina and have an intense vision of Christ. For most of us, the manner of that response will be silent and subtle yet it is nonetheless real. The challenge for us is to learn how to recognize his response: to recognize how God is active in our lives.

Purchase The Spiritual Exercises of Saint Ignatius

The great Spiritual Master, Saint Ignatius of Loyola, provided us with the tools that we need. He encouraged a nightly examen: a time to be with God and recognize how He has been active in your life that day, how He has responded. His examen has five steps:

1. Place yourself in God’s presence. Give thanks for God’s great love for you.

2. Pray for the grace to understand how God is acting in your life.

3. Review your day — recall specific moments and the feelings you experienced at the time.

4. Reflect on what you did, said, or thought in those instances. Were you drawing closer to God, or further away?

5. Look toward tomorrow — think of how you might collaborate more effectively with God’s plan. Be specific, and conclude with the “Our Father.”

Life is busy and noisy. God doesn’t speak in the noise but rather in “a still small voice” (1 Kings 19:12). This is why the examen is so essential, because if we don’t take time to stop and understand where God was and how He spoke to us, we will miss his voice. We will allow the business of our daily lives to drown him out.

If you are not used to doing a nightly examen, I would urge you to start. Don’t overcomplicate it or stress out. To start, you only need a few minutes. Over time, you may need a bit longer as you become more in tune with God and understand how He is working in your life. As you do this, your faith will increase, and when Jesus speaks to you, you will be able to respond to him just as Saint Thomas did, "My Lord and my God!"