Daily Gospel Reflection
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July 3, 2021
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.”
Reflection
“In God we trust. All others, bring data.” W. Edwards Deming
Deming, best known as a management and operations guru, understood the value of using data and statistics to make informed decisions. Being a business analytics’ professor myself, Deming’s quote resonates with me. I’ve used it many times to challenge students to move beyond blind-faith and intuition and to more critically examine problems by collecting and using data to find solutions. At the same time, the “Doubting Thomas” reading, as I’ve always known it, causes me to reflect on Deming’s advice.
Given my profession, I sympathize with Thomas. All he really wanted was data—is that too much to ask? If I put myself in Thomas’ shoes, I suspect I too would have wanted to probe the holes in Jesus’ hands, and that leaves me a bit unsettled. In some ways, I think it would actually take a lot of courage to push back against faith-filled friends who insisted what they saw and experienced was real. But, as it relates to this story, I don’t think Thomas was ever described as courageous. Yet, his story is still one of faith—faith in something, that if I’m being honest, sometimes tests me.
Certainly, we can find data in the scriptures and enlightenment in the Eucharist, but I also choose to believe because I see evidence in many other places: the comforting embrace of the Blessed Virgin Mary when encountering a tragedy, the blessing of being raised in a devout Catholic family, the birth of my children, feeling unconditional love, seeing the seasonal beauty of the Notre Dame campus. Here, I’m blessed to be surrounded by inquisitive students, faculty, religious, and staff. Many of these people hold data in the same regard as I do, and yet, they don’t need a statistical test to justify their faith. The courage they display helps me to have faith, too.
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 all the way to India. He was martyred in India in the year 72—legend has it that he was stabbed with a spear while he was praying. He holds the spear of his martyrdom in many of his depictions, including these statues from 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.
