Doubting or Desiring Thomas ??

The doubt of Thomas is so famous that it entered the literature of many languages. Thomas was one of the disciples, and he missed seeing the Risen Lord. He was adamant on seeing. Jesus gives in to his demand. And there is the famous promise offered to all who believe without seeing Jesus.

Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

Two common messages taken from this event is the blessedness of all of us who believe without seeing the Risen Lord as some of the early Christians have seen; and the intensity of the desire of St Thomas to see Jesus. When the promise of blessedness is a happy occasion for all of us, whether we too can have a desire like Thomas to see Jesus.

I believe we can have; many saints and others did have that desire. Experience of Jesus might be a better word than seeing Jesus. Most of us won’t see Jesus as Thomas saw, but most of us can have the desire to experience God; and we do experience God in our prayers or even in our daily life situations.

When that encounter with Jesus resulted in one of the most beautiful faith proclamations in the Bible, “My Lord and My God”, our experiences and encounters can also produce something beautiful and lasting. We desire God; we are not God. We can be open to experiencing God in the way God reveals to us.