Today is the Feast of the Apostle St. Thomas, often referred to as “doubting Thomas.” This appellation has become so ingrained into our psyches that it would be difficult to eradicate it from usage. However, it must be said that St. Thomas is the only apostle in the four Gospels, indeed in the entire New Testament, to proclaim that Jesus is “my Lord and my God.” These are not the words of a doubter. These are the words of a man of faith. His initial reaction to the news that Jesus had been raised from the dead is perfectly understandable. In all of human history, no one had ever risen from the dead. You might remind me that there are several instances of Jesus raising “dead people” back to life (the daughter of Jairus, the son of the widow of Nain, Lazarus). While this is true, the difference is that Jesus raised them from the dead. In this case, Jesus had risen from the dead all by himself. When Thomas actually sees Jesus, he does not hesitate to proclaim that Jesus is God. He is the only Jew to do so. The only others who have acknowledged that Jesus was the Son of God were the demons that Jesus expelled and Roman (pagan) centurion who stood beneath the cross. Thomas goes one step further; he attests that Jesus is God in the flesh. His faith is an example to us all.
Fr. Lawrence Jagdfeld, O.F.M., Administrator