Friday, July 03, 2020 - Saint Thomas, Apostle - Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint John 20, 24-29 - Thomas, because you have seen me, you believe, says the Lord. Blessed are those who believe without having seen!
Today the Church celebrates Saint Thomas. He was one of the twelve whom Jesus called to follow him. The Gospel therefore tells us about the character of Thomas, the one who does not believe without having seen.
Saint Thomas truly believes that Jesus is the Son of God. But this faith needs tangible proof. Eight days after Jesus' resurrection, he does not believe the testimony of the other disciples who saw that Jesus conquered death, but he still needs to experience himself the encounter with the risen Christ. This trait of Thomas is still present in us today: to demand something tangible in order to advance in faith. When life goes our way, we dare to declare "by the grace of God", but if not, we hasten to ask: "Is God really present?".
The appearance of Jesus and his words to his disciples after the resurrection changed the way Thomas believed in Him: "My Lord and my God". His faith came to maturity because he saw Jesus overcoming death and spoke to him. As Christians, we did not see Jesus being crucified or resurrected, nor did He appear to us, but we are very happy and proud to believe that Jesus died and resurrected for us.
Thus, the prayer of St. Nicholas reminds us: "My Lord and my God, take away from me all that takes me away from You. My Lord and my God, give me everything that can bring me closer to You. My Lord and my God, let me forget myself in order to give myself better to You".
Saint Thomas, pray for us.
