Skip to main content

Thomas


Gospel
John 20:24-29
'My Lord and my God!'

Thomas, called the Twin, who was one of the Twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. When the disciples said, ‘We have seen the Lord’, he answered, ‘Unless I see the holes that the nails made in his hands and can put my finger into the holes they made, and unless I can put my hand into his side, I refuse to believe.’ Eight days later the disciples were in the house again and Thomas was with them. The doors were closed, but Jesus came in and stood among them. ‘Peace be with you’ he said. Then he spoke to Thomas, ‘Put your finger here; look, here are my hands. Give me your hand; put it into my side. Doubt no longer but believe.’ Thomas replied, ‘My Lord and my God!’ Jesus said to him:

‘You believe because you can see me.
Happy are those who have not seen and yet believe.’


Reflection on John 20:24-29

In this passage, we witness the profound moment of Thomas’s doubt and subsequent faith. Thomas, often called “Doubting Thomas,” represents the very human struggle to believe without physical proof. His honest demand to see and touch Jesus’ wounds reveals a deep desire for certainty. Yet, Jesus meets Thomas not with rebuke but with gentle invitation—“Put your finger here; look at my hands.” This encounter transforms Thomas’s doubt into a powerful confession: “My Lord and my God!”

Jesus’ words to Thomas, “Happy are those who have not seen and yet believe,” extend beyond this moment. They call us to a faith that trusts in the unseen, a faith that embraces mystery and grace without needing physical evidence. This passage challenges us to consider the nature of our own belief. Are we like Thomas, needing tangible proof? Or can we grow into the blessedness of faith that trusts in Jesus’ presence even when we cannot see Him?

Question for Reflection:

How can I deepen my faith to trust in Jesus’ presence, even when I cannot see or fully understand Him?

Prayer Based on John 20:24-29

Lord Jesus,
You met Thomas in his doubt with patience and love, inviting him to believe. Help me to trust in Your presence even when I cannot see You clearly. Strengthen my faith to believe in Your promises and Your love, especially in moments of uncertainty. May I, like Thomas, come to recognize You as my Lord and my God, and may my faith bring peace to my heart.
Amen.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Difficult for the rich to enter for God's kingdom

Gospel Matthew 19:23-30 It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven Jesus said to his disciples, ‘I tell you solemnly, it will be hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. Yes, I tell you again, it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.’ When the disciples heard this they were astonished. ‘Who can be saved, then?’ they said. Jesus gazed at them. ‘For men’ he told them ‘this is impossible; for God everything is possible.’     Then Peter spoke. ‘What about us?’ he said to him ‘We have left everything and followed you. What are we to have, then?’ Jesus said to him, ‘I tell you solemnly, when all is made new and the Son of Man sits on his throne of glory, you will yourselves sit on twelve thrones to judge the twelve tribes of Israel. And everyone who has left houses, brothers, sisters, father, mother, children or land for ...

His name is John

Gospel Luke 1:57-66,80 'His name is John' The time came for Elizabeth to have her child, and she gave birth to a son; and when her neighbours and relations heard that the Lord had shown her so great a kindness, they shared her joy.     Now on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child; they were going to call him Zechariah after his father, but his mother spoke up. ‘No,’ she said ‘he is to be called John.’ They said to her, ‘But no one in your family has that name’, and made signs to his father to find out what he wanted him called. The father asked for a writing-tablet and wrote, ‘His name is John.’ And they were all astonished. At that instant his power of speech returned and he spoke and praised God. All their neighbours were filled with awe and the whole affair was talked about throughout the hill country of Judaea. All those who heard of it treasured it in their hearts. ‘What will this child turn out to be?’ they wondered. And indeed the hand of the Lord...

The Way The Truth and the Life

Gospel John 14:6-14 To have seen me is to have seen the father Jesus said to Thomas: ‘I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. No one can come to the Father except through me. If you know me, you know my Father too. From this moment you know him and have seen him.’ Philip said, ‘Lord, let us see the Father and then we shall be satisfied.’      ‘Have I been with you all this time, Philip,’ said Jesus to him ‘and you still do not know me? ‘To have seen me is to have seen the Father, so how can you say, “Let us see the Father”? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words I say to you I do not speak as from myself: it is the Father, living in me, who is doing this work. You must believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; believe it on the evidence of this work, if for no other reason. I tell you most solemnly, whoever believes in me will perform the same works as I do myself, he will perform even greater w...