Do you get tired of seeing the hackneyed discussions of Doubting Thomas around St. Thomas Sunday? I do.
Let's look at the facts. St. Thomas didn't witness Christ's return when the others did. When the others told St. Thomas about the resurrection, his attitude was "Prove It". Would the others have believed in Christ's resurrection if Christ hadn't visited them and hadn't shown them the nail holes in his hands? I doubt it.
Let's look at the Gospel. Jesus said that he performed miracles so that folks would believe. Would anyone have believed that Jesus was the Christ if he hadn't performed such miracles, especially the raising of Lazarus? I doubt it.
The Orthodox Church, in her unnatural wisdom, refers to St. Thomas as Believing Thomas. Jesus encouraged belief by presenting evidence and engaging in rational arguments.
Certainly, believing solely by faith is blessed, but I suspect that St. Thomas didn't doubt God's miracles, including the Resurrection, more than anyone else. Why he's singled out as a doubter is something I don't understand. Maybe someone will explain it to me.
Meanwhile, I like this sermon about Believing Thomas.
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3 comments:
I think it's because of a negativism in western piety, the same kind of thing that makes Mary Magdalene a prostitute whereas the East commemorates her as a virgin saint. The idea of Mary Magdalene gave the west a niche for fallen women, perhaps Thomas would have done the same for fallen men had they been able to imagine such a thing ;-) Still I too prefer Believing Thomas.
Mahomed performed no wonders. And one-and-a-half billion people believe in him.
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