Thursday, July 3, 2025

 

Feast of Saint Thomas, Apostle

(Ephesians 2:19-22; John 20:24-29)

A story about St. Thomas Aquinas may assist in appreciating today’s marvelous gospel passage.  Fellow students told Aquinas that there were pigs flying outside the window.  Thomas went to the window to see what they were talking about.  When the students laughed at his naivete, he declared.  “I would rather believe that pigs can fly than that my brothers would lie to me.”  Unfortunately, Aquinas’ namesake was not so trusting.

Thomas Didymus not only didn’t believe his fellow disciples, he disregarded what Jesus taught and the evidence of the empty tomb.  He might have remembered that Jesus told his disciples he was going beforehand to find places for them in his Father’s house.  Although the empty tomb could not prove Jesus’ resurrection, it does point in that direction.  Thomas, however, prefers skepticism to belief, even when it means breaking faith with his companions.

We should be more discreet.  We do not have to accept everything that people say, but we need not be readily dismissive.  Regarding such fundamental truth such as Jesus’ Resurrection, we must not give way to saying with materialists, “It is impossible.”  Rather we should consider the testimony of the event through the ages, what Jesus said and did, and our own motives - both good and selfish – for believing.  Doing so, we are likely to find solid ground for believing and living in the new creation which the Resurrection heralds.

Tuesday, July 3, 2018

Feast of Saint Thomas, apostle

(Ephesians 2:19-22; John 20:24-29)

The world has become increasingly secular.  Although most people say they believe in God, they no longer posit all hope in Him.  They see a doctor when sick and a lawyer in civil disputes.  They find solace in sports and television drama.  They anticipate technology’s latest product more than the coming of God’s Kingdom.  But people didn’t believe completely at other points in history.  Today’s gospel records an instance when one man refused belief in Jesus’ resurrection.

Thomas has reason to doubt the report of Jesus’ resurrection from the dead.  There could be no doubt that Jesus had died.  His blood was drained from his body until water appeared.  He was also put in a tomb where he lay for over a day.  Yes, Jesus had raised Lazarus from the dead, but Lazarus never walked through a closed door.  Nevertheless, when Thomas is confronted by Jesus, he must let go of his disbelief.  He does more than that, however.  Along with the other apostles, Thomas leaves his native place to preach Jesus Christ to the world.  Their success is amazing.  Through their and others’ effort whole nations have accepted God, the Father of Jesus.

Is Christianity doomed by the advance of secularism?  Some think that its survival requires forming small communities isolated from the dominant culture.  But perhaps it’s too early to call for circling the wagons.  People can find real fulfillment only in personal relationships, not in technological wonders.  If we can demonstrate the value of Christian virtues in forming such relationships, there may be a reconversion.  We will have to proceed like Thomas and many others preaching the gospel with our lives.

Thursday, July 3, 2014

Feast of Saint Thomas, apostle

(Ephesians 2:19-22; John 20:24-29)

Mortimer Adler was the quintessential Jewish intellectual – prolific and deep.  He was a devotee of St. Thomas Aquinas, but for a long time resisted becoming a Christian.  He said that he did not have the gift of faith.  Finally, however, he submitted to what his mind was telling him.  He was baptized an Episcopalian and ultimately joined the Catholic Church.  He, like today’s saint, came to admit that he was mistaken.

For all the doubt he harbored, St. Thomas can be credited with a genuine change of heart.  He doesn’t have to express belief in Jesus’ resurrection from the dead.  Calling Jesus, “Lord” and “God” transcends acceptance of the other apostles’ testimony.  True, as the gospel passage testifies, he has the benefit of seeing the resurrected Jesus, but he gives up all pretension about having to touch Jesus’ wounds in order to believe.  Such a grossly physical act would nullify faith as it comprises empirical proof.

The story about Thomas indicates that the disciples of Jesus did ask themselves the question if they were seeing things.  They prove themselves not visionaries but practical men who were willing to die for what they saw and heard.  We too must act on our belief that Jesus has risen.

Homilette for Thursday, July 3, 2008

Feast of St. Thomas, the Apostle

(John 20:24-29)

Like Thomas sometimes we wonder about the resurrection of Jesus. We may think that life would be neater if death were the end. We could congratulate those who accomplished their goals in life – be they earning a million dollars, helping the poor, or raising a family -- and would not have to consider whether they accepted Christ in love to merit eternal life.

But all that is wishful thinking. The gospel today asserts that Jesus rose from the dead. He appears to a man who did not give credibility to the word of witnesses but insisted on touching the wounds of the crucified if he was alive. The doubter then turns into the person expressing the deepest faith in all the gospels. Thomas’ final words “my Lord and my God” express not only Jesus’ divine sonship but his equality with the one God.

Of course, we can deny the truth of Jesus’ appearance to Thomas. We can say that this is just a pious story fabricated to get simple people to believe. But such a stance denies our experience. People of faith seem to live fuller, happier lives facing hardship with less turmoil and recovering from setback more easily. Likewise, when we call on the resurrected Jesus -- “my Lord and my God,” we experience the providence of his guiding hand.

Homilette for Tuesday, July 3, 2007

Feast of St. Thomas, the Apostle

(John 20)

Like Thomas sometimes we may prefer not to believe in the resurrection of Jesus. We may think that life would be neater if the end were the end. We would congratulate those who accomplished their goals – be they earning a million dollars, helping the poor, or raising a large family. We would not have to consider whether they (or ourselves for that matter) conform to Christ’s love and thereby merit eternal life.

But all that is wishful thinking. The gospel today asserts that Jesus has risen from the dead. He appears to a man who did not give credibility to the word of witnesses but insisted on touching the wounds of the crucified Christ. The doubter even turns into the person expressing the deepest faith in all the gospels. Thomas’ final words “my Lord and my God” mirror the statement of belief at the beginning of the gospel, “In the beginning was the Word...and the Word was God.”

Of course, we can deny the truth of Jesus’ appearance to Thomas. We can say that it is just a pious story fabricated to get simple people to believe. But such a stance denies our experience. It is not only that people of faith seem to live fuller, happier lives – that they face hardship with less turmoil and recover more easily from setback. It is also that when we call on Jesus in distress, “my Lord and my God,” we also experience the steadiness of his guiding hand.