Thomas - My Hero!

We live in a world of experts. We have an expert for almost everything from surfboard design to open heart surgery. We do little without consulting an expert, reading the latest research or listening to Oprah Winfrey! The internet is full of appropriately titled ‘7 ways to do you hair’, ‘9 ways to ensure a successful roast dinner’, ‘3 ½ ways to almost get out of bed on time’ and more!

We seem to need a validation or some one to blame if it the actions we take fail to give the results or outcomes we desire. Rarely do we make decisions on our own. We have become acclimatised to quoting our sources before we act!

That’s why I like Thomas. He owns his faith for himself. It is simply not good enough that others relate their experience to him. It’s not that he disbelieves them, it’s not that he thinks they are delusional or making it up. He just has to make up his own mind based on his own encounter with the risen Christ.

And isn’t that the wonder of Christian faith? God does not force us to believe. We are given a life journey in which we experience the wonder of creation, the beauty of life long learning and the mystery of unplanned experiences and have to make up our own minds about each of them. What do they mean? Where is God in this experience? What do I do now?

Jesus does not force Thomas. He allows him time to critically think about what he had heard, what he had learnt from his time with Jesus and to come to a place an encounter with him would be appropriate. Even on the day he simply presents himself and leaves the epiphany up to Thomas. And Thomas, having thought it all through, responds in the same way we do when encounter Jesus anew in some ordinary event, he says,  ‘My Lord’ My God’.

May we emulate Thomas and experience a waiting Jesus today.