“Thomas, called Didymus, one of the Twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples said to him, ‘We have seen the Lord.’ But he said to them, ‘Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands and put my finger into the nailmarks and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.’ Now a week later his disciples were again inside and Thomas was with them. Jesus came, although the doors were locked, and stood in their midst and said, ‘Peace be with you.’ Then he said to Thomas, ‘Put your finger here and see my hands, and bring your hand and put it into my side, and do not be unbelieving, but believe.’ Thomas answered and said to him, ‘My Lord and my God!’ Jesus said to him, ‘Have you come to believe because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.’” (John 20:24-29 NABRE)
Thomas was probably experiencing a wide and varied range of emotions when his fellow disciples said that they had seen Jesus after His death. He may have been feeling sad, angry, overwhelmed, and perhaps even doubtful of his faith after the death of his Lord. He may have allowed the situation and his emotions to hinder his faith and to prevent him from believing that Jesus had risen. However, Jesus met Thomas where he was at, and restored his faith by standing in his midst.
So often we allow the situations of our lives, and our emotions, to direct our faith, rather than allowing our faith to direct our lives and emotions. Like Thomas, sometimes our experiences can be so overbearing that what we are going through becomes all that we see. Our troubles, stresses, and worries, drain us of hope and distract us from faith.
Yet, we must learn from Thomas’ mistake and trust that Jesus is in our midst, even when we cannot see Him. Just as He was with the disciples during their lives, Jesus is with us during ours. He is here, present to us, always. When the situations we face or the emotions we experience become too much to handle, we must remember that Jesus is with us, and that He is in control.
Unlike Thomas, we must allow our sufferings, trials, and sorrows to grow our faith, not hinder it. We must offer up our problems and hand them over to God. Doing so will bear us much fruit, as we will grow in virtues like patience and hope. We must trust in God and have deep faith in Him, even amidst our problems, confusion, and pain. May we strive to have unwavering faith and to be among those who have strongly believed without seeing!
I liked .... “So often we allow the situations of our lives, and our emotions, to direct our faith, rather than allowing our faith to direct our lives and emotions. “ Very true! Great reflection
Great food for thought and prayer!