Where Do You Bring Your Doubts?
Good Morning Friends,
Well there is a lot we just do not know about Thomas the Apostle. He was called the twin but that could have been metaphorical for he had a believing side and a not believing side to his character. The stories about him though are interesting. Some say that Thomas was the only witness to the Assumption of Mary into heaven. And as her body entered heaven, she dropped her belt. Medieval art often depicts Thomas catching it. Thomas is perhaps best well known for not initially believing the apostles when they saw Jesus the first time after the resurrection. Thomas saw Jesus himself during his second appearance, and touched the wounds on his hands. Some traditions say that Thomas traveled to eastern lands, including modern day Iran and Iraq, to evangelize to the people there about Jesus and these include stories of him baptizing the three Magi. He is said to have settled in India, where perhaps at first, he was a stranger in a strange land, but then before he was martyred, I think he found a new home. Thousands of Indians claim to be descendants of the Christians that Thomas helped to convert.
For My Catholic friends, today is a feast day for Thomas. It was once held on the Winer Solstice but was changed to July 3rd. So, here’s to Thomas and since so many of the stories about him are not in the Bible, it prompts today’s question. Where Do You Bring Your Doubts?
Scripture: So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are citizens with the saints and also members of the household of God, built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone. In him the whole structure is joined together and grows into a holy temple in the Lord; in whom you also are built together spiritually into a dwelling place for God.
Ephesians 2:19-22 (NRSV)
But Thomas (who was called the Twin), one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples told 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 in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe.” A week later his disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were shut, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe.” Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.”
John 20:24-29 (NRSV)
“Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, so that where I am, there you may be also. And you know the way to the place where I am going.”
John 14:1-4 (NRSV)
Thomas, who was called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.”
John 11:16 (NRSV)
Those who try to make their life secure will lose it, but those who lose their life will keep it.
Luke 17:33 (NRSV)
Message: Originally the feast day for St. Thomas was on Dec. 21, the shortest day of the year around Christmas. All sorts of traditions surrounded the day, including serving meat pies and charitable giving and dreaming about future spouses. The traditions are rich, and whether you believe them is not the focus of today’s communication. The core of the message and meditation today is about how our emotions effect whether we believe in things we cannot see…like acts of God and honest to goodness miracles. Essentially it is about trusting events though we are anxious. It is about the miracle of Jesus and the miracle of believing. And yes, the miracle of life itself. Of course, we all have doubts from time to time and sometimes they are intellectual about whether the stories in the Bible are true, for example, and sometimes spiritual about our own insecurities about being a Christian and whether we measure up, and sometimes they are circumstantial, encompassing all the “whys” of life, like why Thomas was challenged about the resurrection of Jesus when he had recently seen Lazarus raised from the dead. The point is that it can be hard to keep believing when we are anxious and fearful about circumstances. The thing is that Thomas gets a bad rap and that probably Thomas was not the hard-core skeptic that history has made him out to be. I think he was a man of courage. When Jesus decides to go to Bethany, to help Lazarus, his disciples tell him it would be suicidal to go back. But Thomas says in John 11:16, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.” This is not a man that doubts Jesus. Maybe there is another reason why Thomas desired to inspected the pain of Jesus. Perhaps he wanted to know Jesus on a much deeper level so he could better face the pain and fears of life. Maybe that is why he brought the issue to Jesus.
Pray we bring our doubt to God. Pray we realize that doubt is not the opposite of faith. Pray we realize that our doubt is forgivable. Pray we realize that struggling with God is a sure sign that we indeed do have faith. Pray we realize that it is all right not to except easy answers and it is all right to ask deeper questions. Pray we not think small but have courage. Pray we realized that doubt can spring from a broken heart. Pray we rejoice because we believe and have not seen first-hand the resurrection. Pray we realize that when we seek to secure our life we lose it, but when we lose our life we gain it. Pray we believe that the strongest doubters can become the strongest believers. Pray God make our mind, soul and body a place where we feel comfortable and safe and loved. Pray God makes a home in each of us.
Blessings,
John Lawson
Daily Devotionals 