Feast of St. Thomas, July 03

The Incredulity of St. Thomas by Caravaggio

Today is the Feast of St. Thomas. The painting pictured above highlights the most well known biblical reference to him. After the resurrected Jesus appears to the apostles when Thomas is not present, St. John's Gospel 20:25,

So the other disciples said to him, "We have seen the Lord." But he 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."

An important verse in St. John's Gospel is just before that, Chapter 20, Verse 24:

"Thomas, called Didymus, one of the Twelve, was not with them when Jesus came."

Thomas' doubt comes in when he isn't within the rest of the Church community: when he was away and hiding. When he returns to join the other apostles within the Church, he believes and says one of the greatest prayers one can say, "My Lord and my God!".

The lesson that we fully embrace Jesus by being part of the Church community is as important today as it was then.