Please tell me I’m not the only goofball out there who hears today’s reading about “Doubting Thomas” and immediately thinks of this…
Oddly enough, it’s actually a pretty good thing Thomas had his little bout with doubt. As St. Gregory The Great noted…
“It was not by chance but in God’s providence. In a marvelous way God’s mercy arranged that the disbelieving disciple, in touching the wounds of his master’s body, should heal our wounds of disbelief. The disbelief of Thomas has done more for our faith than the faith of the other disciples. As he touches Christ and is won over to belief, every doubt is cast aside and our faith is strengthened. So the disciple who doubted, then felt Christ’s wounds, becomes a witness to the reality of the resurrection… What follows is reason for great joy: Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed. There is here a particular reference to ourselves; we hold in our hearts one we have not seen in the flesh. We are included in these words, but only if we follow up our faith with good works. The true believer practices what he believes.”
Well, okay, there is that last part. Saying we believe is one thing; living like we believe is another. Always a catch, isn’t there?
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