Jn. 20:24-29
As part of our Pope’s Day celebration, we have screened a movie titled “Two Popes,” directed by Fernando Meirelles. There was a scene where Pope Benedict XVI and then Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio were speaking about listening to God’s voice. In connection to that, Pope Francis, then Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, shared his own vocation story. He had a desire to become a priest. His grandmother asked him to ask for a sign from the Lord, but he did not get one. Therefore, he decided to enter into married life. He found a suitable partner for him and decided to propose to her. However, on his way to meet his girlfriend, he happens to come across the church and feels the need to enter inside. There he met a priest and, for the first time, he saw him. He asked the details of that priest. He introduced himself as the inmate of a priest home meant for looking after sick priests. He said that he had leukaemia. Then this young man asked that priest, “Why did you come to hear confession now?” Then that priest says, “I could not sleep. The Lord asked me to hear confession. That’s why I am here.” Then the young Jorge says, “I asked the Lord for a sign but I did not get it.” Then the confessor tells him: “The Lord is giving you a sign now…” At that moment, Jorge Mario Bergoglio recognised his vocation and decided to be a priest…
As we celebrate the solemnity of St. Thomas, the apostle of India, we are called to reflect on the roots of our faith. The gospel passage of the day presents to us the life-transforming Christ experience of St. Thomas. This experience inspired him to dedicate his life to preaching Christ and his Good News, overcoming all the physical, cultural, and other hardships. Thomas could have been very well satisfied with the witnesses of the other apostles. When all the other apostles testified that they had seen the Lord, he need not have desired yet another encounter with the Lord. Anyhow, he had an ardent faith in Christ. He was sure that the Lord would come in search of him. Finally, his faith was not in vain. Jesus grants his deepest desire and intimate encounter with his person. At that juncture, Thomas makes his most convincing faith testimony: “My Lord and My God.” The gospel of John begins with the statement: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” (Jn. 1:1) This eternal word dwelt amongst us as one among us. Now, Thomas having experienced the both God and human person in Christ proclaims that the person of Christ is the same God, the eternal Word of the Father. The Christ experience of Thomas teaches us that God will fulfill our desire to have an experience of him when we sincerely seek him, and this experience will help that person to be rooted in Christ and proclaim to the world that Christ is the Lord.
The first reading of the day, taken from the Acts of the Apostles, speaks about the Christ experience of Cornelius and how they came to believe in the person of Jesus through the instrumentality of St. Peter. When Cornelius was praying, he had a mystical experience telling him to listen to Peter. This experience of Cornelius underlines the fact that God reveals himself through his son to all those who sincerely seek him. Our forefathers used to pray, to lead us from untruth to truth, darkness to light, and death to life. The Lord heard their prayers, and at the appointed time, like Peter, he sent St. Thomas to reveal to us Jesus, who is the truth, the light, and the life.
The second reading of the day is taken from the first letter of St. Peter. He speaks about the heroic faith that each of us is called to grow in. He says: “even if now for a little while you have had to suffer various trials, so that the genuineness of your faith—being more precious than gold that, though perishable, is tested by fire-may be found to result in praise and glory and honour when Jesus Christ is revealed.” (1Pet. 1:7) Wasn’t that the nature of the faith of St. Thomas? Again, Peter says: “Although you have not seen him, you love him, and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him.” (1Pet.1:8) We have not seen Christ but the Christ experience of St. Thomas gives us grace and strength to believe in him without meeting him in person. St. Thomas gave himself up as a sacrifice for the evangelization of our land. His ardent and strong faith sowed the seeds of Christianity in our land. We should never forget that his blood is the seed of our faith. Now it is our duty to continue and complete the mission of St. Thomas by making Christ known… Let us seek a God experience like that of St. Thomas so that we may be channels of the Good News of Jesus to those who await us.