July 3: Saint Thomas / Santo Tomás

Why was St. Thomas such a doubter? On Easter Sunday, the other disciples had experienced the risen Jesus – vividly. He appeared among them – mysteriously – even though the doors were shut. To prove that He was no mere ghostly apparition, but the same Jesus who had been Crucified, but was now Risen, He showed them His hands and His side. They all recognized Him as the very one they knew and loved, for He spoke with the same loving kindness and with the same authority as before. St. Thomas, however, was not there.

In a way, it’s a good idea to be grateful to St. Thomas for being as contrarian as he was and arguing with the others as he did. His being slow to believe shows he was a doubter by temperament, like so many of us. His recovery of faith, however, can help us renew our faith, to vicariously put our fingers into the holes and our hands into the Lord’s side. St. Thomas needed the visual and the tactile, he wanted solid proof. Ultimately, he needed a personal encounter with the risen Lord. Who doesn’t?

***

Los Evangelios tienen textos preciosos sobre Santo Tomás. No solamente aquel “Señor mío y Dios mío,” expresando su fe después de su duda, sino también: “Vayamos y muramos con Él,” y la pregunta, “Señor, no sabemos a dónde vas. ¿Cómo podríamos conocer el camino?” Y también recordamos las palabras de réplica del Señor: “Dichosos los que no han visto y sin embargo creen.”

Tenemos que agradecer a Santo Tomás porque, gracias a sus dudas y a sus preguntas, nuestra fe queda fuertemente confirmada: “O Dios, danos ojos de fe para ver que todo lo que somos y hacemos tiene un significado y finalidad y que tu Hijo está con nosotros y nos guía a través de nuestras obscuridades y vacilaciones hacia la plenitud de vida y alegría. Que Él permanezca siempre con nosotros ahora y por siempre. Amén.”