THOMAS' DOUBT

St. Thomas is often seen to be doubting Thomas as though all other apostles never doubted. However Thomas has become the figure of the doubt of the apostles themselves. He is seen to be the personification of the 'doubt and suspicion' of our own.

Why did St. Thomas doubt? One could see St. Thomas to be a representative of the empiricist tradition of philosophy - unless I see and touch I will not believe. This seems to be as simple as that. But there is something more to it. When does one believe what someone says? Think of a situation in which you have witnessed something spectacular in your life. You convey this wonderful news to your colleagues that you had witnessed something great without any felicity, gladness as though you are a news reader. Do you expect the other to believe that you had witnessed something spectacular?

This is what happened with Thomas. He sees his own friends in the same way as he left them after the death of Jesus. Thomas was like all others in a closed room. In his absence Jesus appears and all the other apostles were present and Thomas was missing. When Thomas returned to join the company of his own colleagues, he did not see anything different in the room. The room was still closed. There was no enthusiasm. The fear that surrounded them still seems to be there. And they tell him that they had seen the master. Would anyone believe that they had seen the master?

Think of another situation where the room is wide open. The other apostles are very happy. They have become courageous. They want to go out and preach the truth about the Master. They want to go to the streets. Thomas enters and wonders what had happened in his absence. They tell him that they had seen the Master. Would anyone doubt that they had seen the master? Do you think that Thomas would doubt it?

This is the situation that happens with the apparition of Jesus again – when he asks Thomas to touch him. Not only the doubt of Thomas disappears but also that of all other apostles. They open the doors – go to the streets. Thomas can be seen to be the one who transformed the life of the apostles by his doubt.

It is not enough that one witness something wonderful and extraordinary, but it should touch you, it should transform you. It is not enough that it transforms one’s life but he shares this wonderful joy with others.
It means  that it is not enough that you see Jesus but you should allow him to touch you, to transform your fear into courage, courage to proclaim the truth.

Religious Harmony !

December 6th is a black day for the Indian Democracy. Whatever be the motive for the demolition, I do not know whether this act can be justified. Those who initiated this brutal act may have their reasons and the other party may still have resentment to counter attack. What happens often is that any event, sometimes even a political blunder or some vested interests of the politicians are often identified with religion and therefore they are seen to be religious conflicts rather than the blunder of some politicians or fundamentalism.   

All of us do know that religions, irrespective of their place of origin, keep Love as their central teaching.

Everyone thinks that his religion is the greatest. His religion is the truest and the purest. I do not think that this is wrong. When one believes he accepts a particular creed because it is meaningful to his life. But communicating one’s religious truth often ends up in violent conflicts. One wants to prove his religion’s love and non-violence by violence. Proving one’s love through violence can never be possible.

Comparative studies have shown that non-violence is the foundational teaching of all religions. Mere writings about the message of love or non-violence cannot reduce the religious conflicts. It can be done only with the believers’ act of trust and love. One has to trust the other and more love the other forgiving the mischievous deeds of the other. Only when we find someone transcending the act of rebellion and revenge, trust can be built.

Unless this love is taken to heart

 and we trust and respect and love one another, 

we will not be able to live as true believers.