14th Sunday in Ordinary Time 2022

St. Thomas the Apostle, (July 03)

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Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.

(Jn 20:24-29)

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The refusal of Thomas to believe in the resurrected Jesus is a very famous topic of discussion. It is surprising that he demanded such solid evidence for belief.  The disciples cited their own personal experiences as well as eyewitnesses as evidence. But they all fell short of his standard of evidence. 

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We don't know if he believed that such evidence would be impossible and in which case he would be more comfortable to not believe in the resurrected Lord.  But Jesus appears and confronts his unbelief. He asked Thomas to satisfy his demand for solid evidence. It is not said whether he touched Jesus or not. What follows is a great confession of faith in the resurrected Jesus. 

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It is important to note that Jesus cautions against the insistence on excessive proof beyond personal experiences, witnesses and testimonies in matters related to God. Even if Thomas did not touch and only saw, that he was deeply touched by the resurrected Lord is very clear from his grand confession. 

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Unless the presence of the resurrected Lord in the Word and sacrament touches us, the type of radical transformation from unbelief to deep faith that took place in Thomas would never happen in our Christian life. 

Paul Kallan, OFM

Photo by Gime Salvatelli on Cathopic