Daily Gospel Reflection
Join the Notre Dame family of faith. Receive God’s Word and a unique reflection in your inbox each day.
July 3, 2019
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 Thomas 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.””
Poor Thomas! To go down in history as “Doubting Thomas” is not flattering; in fact, Thomas’ nickname seems a lot like an accusation.
Yet Thomas is a kindred spirit.
Not many years ago, I entered a season of doubt. At that time, I asked a friend to have faith for me. Recently she called and asked me to do the same for her, as her faith was shaken upon receiving devastating news. She, too, is experiencing doubt in the love and compassion of God just as I was.
It’s difficult to believe, trust and love God when bad things happen. Nevertheless, when the anger abates and the sadness fades, we will see him standing in our midst as we slowly begin to believe and trust him again.
After this famous encounter in John’s Gospel, Thomas traveled to India to share the Good News about the Lord he no longer doubted. Today, there are still Indian Catholics known as “St. Thomas Christians” whose families proudly trace their lineage of faith to the first centuries AD, the fruit of Thomas’ missionary journey.
Like Thomas, it’s ok to voice our doubts and share them with others so they can hold us up. “Doubt is human,” Graham Greene’s Monsignor Quixote says, comforting a friend, “Oh! I want to believe that it is all true,” Monsignor Quixote muses, pondering the faith of others, “perhaps some of their belief might rub off on me.”
I’ve learned not to be afraid of my doubts but to share them with fellow disciples whose own belief can help restore my faith and trust in “My Lord and My God.” And, if I listen, I believe I will hear, “Peace be with you.”
Prayer
Jesus, we admire your patience with the disciples, and yet you also balanced it with truth. You understood where Thomas was coming from, but at the same time gave him a challenge. You are merciful, compassionate, and fully understand our human weakness. You know our fears, the things which hold us back from trusting you and from becoming fully ourselves. But you won’t let us use those things as an excuse. There is always a challenge to grow, and with the challenge comes the grace to meet it. Thank you for caring so much about us.
Saint of the Day
As one of the twelve disciples, St. Thomas was one of the closest followers of Christ.
His humanity is on full display in the Gospel. At first, he urges his friends to follow Christ, even to death, as they approach Jerusalem, the headquarters for the enemies of Jesus. Then, when Jesus is arrested, he runs away like almost everyone else.
One night after the death and resurrection of Jesus, the Lord appeared to the disciples, who were locked in the upper room. Thomas happened to be absent, and when his friends told him that they had seen Jesus, he said, “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands and put my finger into the nail-marks and put my hand into his side, I will not believe” (John 20: 19-29).
A week later, Jesus appeared to the group again, and this time Thomas is able to place his fingers in the very wounds of Christ. He professed his belief with the words, “My Lord and my God.”
After Pentecost, Thomas went east, evangelizing people in India. He was eventually martyred in India in the year 72. Legend holds that he was stabbed with a spear while he was praying. Thus, he holds the spear of his martyrdom in many of his depictions, including these statues on campus.
Because of all the churches he built in India, St. Thomas is the patron saint of architects and builders. The statue on the left stands on the north face of Cushing Hall of Engineering, and the other can be found on Crowley Hall, which now houses music programs but used to house science and engineering labs. His relics rest in the reliquary chapel in the Basilica.
This desire to know by touching is common to the human condition. As children, we come to know the world through touching and manipulating it. If we can feel it, we know it is real. Yet, what is most real and true about our life—that it is rooted in God—escapes our senses. Jesus says to Thomas and to us: “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.”
St. Thomas, you believed because you saw the risen Lord, and helped others believe on faith alone—pray for us!
Image Credit: Our featured image of St. Thomas the Apostle is in the public domain. Last accessed March 19, 2025 on Wikimedia Commons.
