The apostle was a complex and unique personality. That uniqueness may explain why Jesus chose him in the first place. It is probably that our Lord was determined to use personality for our education. Who knows? Perhaps Mr. Edison learned in the course of his long life the wisdom of RB Graham. “It takes more faith to be an atheist than it does to believe in God.” There are but 3 informative references to Thomas in the New Testament. Perhaps John the Eagle concluded that the neglect of Thomas in earlier accounts did a serious injustice to Thomas himself and to Catholics at large. Thomas is pessimistic, stubborn as that famous mule, and subject to the all too common line that teaches seeing is believing. Someone has noted Thomas had a question mark for a mind. This complicated psyche is graphically illustrated in the 16th century Caravaggio painting of Thomas placing his finger into Christ’s wound. We know the Gospel story and especially its happy ending. Thomas would never forget that searing line of his resurrected Leader, “Happy are those who have not seen and yet believe!” The doubting Thomas had received a lecture on faith that he would never forget. It is a message which Edison never learned. Thomas the apostle had told his fellows that seeing is believing. Christ thought the apostle that believing is seeing.
The Gospels tells us Thomas had a twin. Who is his twin? It is you and I. William Bausch tells us that we are all a mixture of doubt and certainty, pessimism and trust, unbelief and belief. On those days, when doubt, pessimism, and unbelief hold the cards, we must hold onto Thomas’ cloak and not let go for dear life. As we leave this Liturgy, we should say a prayer in gratitude for such a person as the apostle Thomas. But in addition each one of us will want to reflect on the aphorism that teaches that it is not sufficient for Catholics to believe their faith. They must tell others about it. “Our lives end the day,” said Martin Luther King Jr., “that we become silent about things that matter.”