Jul 3 - St. Thomas, Apostle

+ Today we celebrate the feast day of one of the most quoted Apostles of them all: St. Thomas the Apostle. There was a time when we would immediately connect the name “Thomas” with “Doubting” – but in our day we have come to the certain realization that the other side of the coin is the more important one: Thomas’s resounding act of FAITH, by which he cries out (when he touches the sacred wounds of Christ): MY LORD, AND MY GOD! -  and which redounds throughout the ages as the most perfect prayer of FAITH and ADORATION that were ever spoken!

That Thomas first shot off his mouth in a barrage of disbelief was absolutely normal for a human being, the human being that he was. It resembled quite a bit the times when Peter, James and John and some of the other Apostles shot their mouths off as well in a rain shower of ignorant and senseless words. But that is all they were: words, words with no real substance or meaning. We all shoot off our mouths from time to time.

But the great and wonderful message today on this feast of St. Thomas is that forgiveness and reconciliation is always more important than holding a grudge and harboring resentments: if Jesus did that: no one would be forgiven and no one would go to heaven.

In the gospel passage, we see that what triggered Thomas’s act of faith and renewed zest for apostolic work was “touching the wounds of Christ” – if we need a retriggering of our faith: the most direct way is to “touch the sacred wounds of Christ in the poor and needy around us” – we must reach out to them and touch them physically (when appropriate) but always prayerfully, spiritually and even monetarily: they are after all depending on us for their lives!

There is uncertainty about Thomas’s missionary activity after Pentecost, but it is generally believed that he spent a great deal of time in India, and was martyred there: there is a cathedral there bearing his name!

May our faith be as strong as this “doubter’s” was; and may we like Thomas know when to cooperate with grace given and allow our acts of doubt to melt into acts of faith: faith and belief that Jesus Christ is truly the Son of God – made flesh – for us and for our salvation!

Let us go out to all the world and tell this Good News!