Today July 3

Today is the feast of dear St. Thomas. As Jon Meacham said in "American Gospel": "Lincoln once wrote that 'probably it is to be my lot to go on in a twilight, feeling and reasoning my way through life, questioning, just as doubting Thomas did.' It is intriguing that Lincoln chose the apostle Thomas as an example, because for all his initial uncertainty and skepticism, when Thomas beholds the risen Jesus, he exclaims, 'My Lord and my God!' " (p. 132.)

So instead of the epithet "the apostle of doubt," he should more truly be called "the apostle of faith" in my estimation. He is, after all, the one who when the other apostles protest against Jesus going back to Judea, says they should go too "that we may die with him." He has been called "loyal," "pessimistic," "common-sense," "neurotic," "sullen," and "bitter." Hey, what's not to like? To that list could be added the word "passionate," I think. After all, he is the one who declared, "Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and put my finger in the place of the nails, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe." But he remained loyal, waiting all that week that must have seemed pretty long, and rejoining the apostles when Jesus came to them and convinced him dramatically. Many paintings portray a dramatic (and imagined) scene -- Thomas probing his fingers into Jesus' hands and putting them in His side, but I don't think it ever came to that . . . I think he fell to his knees and proclaimed his profound confession of faith as soon as He spoke to him.

He stuck by the apostles after that: he and Peter are the first two disciples mentioned as present when Jesus appeared at the Sea of Galilee. A strong and early tradition has St. Thomas preaching in India. Certain of the Christians of India, of which more than half are Catholic, and especially those designated of the Syro-Malabar Rite are called "Christians of St. Thomas" in honor of this tradition.

Faith and reason, reason and faith. St. Thomas has a lot to teach us. St. Gregory the Great says we learn more from the doubt of St. Thomas than from the faith of the others! That probably has something to do with the similar saying that there is more rejoicing in heaven over one repentant sinner than over 99 who have no need of repentance. But also because we see things better in high contrast, of course; whites look whiter when thrown against black, black against white, any color against its complementary color, and so forth. So we see all the new Christians' faith more clearly in the face of loyal, sensible, dramatic Thomas' doubt. He used his sense, his reason, to achieve faith (faith he undoubtedly shared, perhaps very far from Israel's shores) and so can we. The things of sense perception: the flowers and the trees; the farthest star, the nearest single-celled organism; the whole beauty and mystery of creation points to something beyond itself . . . and Thomas was privileged to see that Something in His eyes . . .