Eight days later, the disciples were again inside the house and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were locked,
Jesus came and stood in their midst and said, “Peace be with you!”
Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and see my hands; stretch out your hand, and put it into my side.
Do not continue in your unbelief, but believe!”
Thomas said, “You are my Lord and my God.” Jesus replied, “You believe because you see me, don’t you? Happy are those
who have not seen and yet have come to believe.”
REFLECTION:
In 2015, amid the devastating war in Syria, a bleeding three-year old boy died in a hospital with these final words:
“I’m gonna tell God everything.” Some would call it false hope. Others would call it pure act of faith.
We did experience tragedies wherein God was seemingly absent. Yet, along the way, we did get consoling proofs
that He is with us. In today’s Gospel, Thomas is fortunate to get concrete proofs—Jesus’ wounds—to overturn his doubts.
Other believers, like that three-year old boy, never get those proofs. They suffer and die never asking where God is
but just clinging to a deep relationship. The boy’s words convey such a pure bond with God. Jesus’ appearance to
Thomas—and to us—is thus a check of relationship than a test of evidence. A true disciple pursues what he loves not what he can prove.
© Copyright Bible Diary 2020