Feast of Saint Thomas, apostle
(Ephesians 2:19-22; John 20:24-29)
Earlier in his gospel as in today’s reading,
John says that Thomas is also called “Didymus.” This is the Aramaic version of the
Greek name “Thomas.” In both languages
the words mean “twin.” John’s explanation of the name does not seem to be parenthetical. Rather he may be suggesting that we identify
with him. We are Thomas’ twin. Like Thomas, we are on a journey to know the
Lord. Of course, our journey is spiritual
where Thomas is both physical and spiritual.
Thomas is introduced in the gospel as Jesus
decides to return to Judea to raise Lazarus from the dead. When the other disciples warn Jesus of the
danger of the return, Thomas enthusiastically proclaims, “Let us also go to die
with him.” As young men and women the thought of dying for Christ was
attractive to us as well. We thought of ourselves
as becoming heroes praised by the people and assured of a martyr’s reward. But aging often wears the soul as well as the
body. We become more cautious not wanting
to cut short the years remaining to us.
Thomas becomes skeptical of Jesus’ resurrection. He will not believe when the other disciples
tell him that they have seen the Lord. In
the same vein, we begin to doubt the value of martyrdom. However, when the
risen Jesus appears to him, Thomas professes faith that he is Lord.
Not because we have seen the risen Lord but
because we have witnessed his glory, we profess faith in the Resurrection and
the Lordship of Jesus. What have we
observed? We have heard stories of the
saints and have known holy men and women whose lives manifested an uncompromising
love of Christ. We have noted how Christian doctrine quite sensibly coordinates
both Scripture and experience. And who
of us has not prayed to Jesus and not found our requests honored? We know that the Lord Jesus lives and follow
the road he marked for us in the gospels.
If God calls us to martyrdom, we will not run away from it.
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