On this Sunday (04/23/23), referred to as Thomas Sunday, the Church reads the account of Jesus reappearing to the disciples after the resurrection (John 20:19-31). The first time that Jesus met with the disciples, Thomas was not there. Thus, Thomas declared that he will only believe that Christ is risen if “I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side…” (John 20:25). From this reading, we can see how the Lord always makes an effort to bring us back to Him—even if our faith is lacking.
Why did Jesus reappear with the wounds in His hands and on His side still open? Surely, if He could resurrect from the dead, He could also heal these wounds. However, Jesus purposefully returned with His wounds so that He could inspire Thomas to have faith once again. As St. John Chrysostom explains, “Note the Lord’s compassion! For the sake of one soul, He revealed Himself carrying His wounds. He came to save each one personally.” Whenever we are struggling with our faith, let us remember that the Lord is always making an active effort to have us return to Him—on a personal level.
Moreover, Thomas’s actions resemble the typical mindset we have when it comes to our faith. Oftentimes, we struggle with our faith because many of the mysteries are not observable—we cannot see the Holy Spirit come down during baptism/chrismation and we cannot see the bread and wine be converted into the Body and Blood of Christ. However, the Lord tells us, “…Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed” (John 20:29). Let us strive to believe despite not being able to see many of the mysteries in our Church. As Pope Gregory the Great explains, “The lack of faith displayed by Thomas was more beneficial to our faith than to the believing disciples. When Thomas regained faith by touching the Lord, our minds were released of all doubt, and have become steadfast in the faith.”
Sources:
Bible, English Standard Version
Commentaries on the Gospel of St. John by FR. Tadros Malaty