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.”
The Church is a living temple built with Christ Jesus himself as the capstone. But the process individuals being joined to this temple, or more fully incorporated into it, is sometimes challenging. We can't completely control who is present and who is absent. We can (and should) try to tell others that, "We have seen the Lord", but this, by itself will never be fully sufficient. For a new branch to be grafted onto the vine requires the work of the gardener. For us to become a dwelling place of God in the Spirit requires that we are "built together" by God himself. The workings of providence that bring this about tend to be somewhat obscure. We all have hard edges with odd angles that need to be sanded down to fit smoothly into the place meant for us.
Thomas could not just walk in the door and immediately embrace a superficial faith at the mere say so of his fellows. On one level this seemed to reveal a lack of trust and those who had been his companions. But it is often the case the such a rapid acceptance of the Good News lacks sufficient roots. And in any case we remember how recently the disciples had almost without exception proved that they were unworthy of trust.
Thomas realized there could have been any number of reasons why the others would have claimed to have seen the Lord. Furthermore, if the Lord had indeed appeared, why had he chosen to do so when Thomas was absent? It was perhaps easier to believe that his friends were overly credulous or even crazy than to believe that Jesus had neglected or abandoned him. He couldn't believe that it was simply bad timing on the part of Jesus. If a) Jesus was truly risen and b) really wanted to see him then c) he certainly would have found a time when all of Eleven were assembled.
Now a week later his disciples were again inside
and Thomas was with them.
We notice that Thomas had not abandoned the companionship of the other disciples. And this time before Jesus revealed himself to Thomas must have been a challenging time with the others, them so full of joy, Thomas still gripped by sadness and despair. Yet it was into such a human situation that Jesus again entered and where he chose to reveal himself. Neither the misgivings of Thomas nor even the physical doors were any obstacle to him. He didn't wait to hear whether or not Thomas would be so bold as to ask for the proof he had told the others he would require. No, like the father of the prodigal son he embraced Thomas with his love before Thomas could get any words off of his lips. He knew exactly what Thomas had asked the others when he was supposedly absent. Thomas, for his part, was already so overwhelmed by the presence of Jesus that he had forgotten all the previous possible objections that had been circulating in his mind. Somehow the joy of the resurrection was more than enough to compensate for any tears shed on the way. There was now no reason to doubt divine providence, that even his absence at the previous appearance of the Lord was part of a larger plan.
It was not an accident that that particular disciple was not present. The Divine mercy ordained that a doubting disciple should, by feeling in his Master the wounds of the flesh, heal in us the wounds of unbelief. The unbelief of Thomas is more profitable to our faith, than the belief of the other disciples; for, the touch by which he is brought to believe, confirming our minds in belief, beyond all question.- Saint Gregory
Thomas gave the most clear and direct confession of the divinity of Jesus in any of the four Gospels, saying "My Lord and my God!" Although he came to believe through the mediation of the visible signs of the risen body of the Lord still marked with his sacred wounds he nevertheless believed something greater than what sight could reveal.
Thomas saw and touched the man, and confessed the God whom he neither saw nor touched. By means of the one he believed the other undoubtingly: Thomas answered and said unto Him, My Lord and my God.- Saint Augustine
The confession of Thomas was also for those future generations of Christians who would not see visible signs but who would still believe through the testimony of the disciples. Of this testimony, none is more persuasive than that of Thomas, precisely because it was so hard won.
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