On July 3rd the Feast of St. Thomas, I read a short article that made a great point worth pondering. The author wrote:
“My friend has two children, a boy and a girl. If she tells the girl not to do something, the girl thinks ‘good, now I know one more thing about how to be a grown-up’ and doesn’t do it. If she tells the boy not to do something, he thinks ‘I wonder why not?’ and goes and does it, to see.
“When the church, inspired by Christ and millennia of prayer and reflection, tries to teach us what to do and what not to do, we pay no attention. We have to go and try it out for ourselves and later, made wise by experience, we discover that the teaching was right all along. We are like my friend’s small son. We are like Thomas, who obstinately wouldn’t believe what he was told but had to see and touch for himself.”
The Church knows our nature so it has been working tirelessly for millennia to collect and make available countless resources that can help us believe. Writings and teachings from over four thousand years reveal the story of salvation. More recent writings by popes, saints, and theologians translate those teachings into 21st century applications, helping to guide our daily choices. Paintings, mosaics, statues, stained glass and music touch our minds through our eyes and ears, hearts and souls, while relics of the saints prove that those holy ones were made of bone like our bone.
Other faith traditions and Christian denominations do not have that advantage. A Protestant friend of mine accompanied us to Rome and Lourdes in 2023 and was touched by all the evidence the Church has collected to enforce our faith. When we emerged from the depths of St. Peter’s Basilica after seeing the bones of St. Peter under the main altar, my friend was in tears. She was very grateful that the Catholic Church has worked so hard to preserve and protect these precious artifacts. What we didn’t know then was that the Catholic Church has even preserved St. Thomas’ famous finger. On your next trip to Rome you can venerate it in St. Basil’s Cathedral!
Scripture: Read John 20:24-28. What stands out?
Call to Action: Thomas teaches us that it is ok to doubt, but we can’t remain doubters, the Church has all the resources you need to identify the truth. Use them, and pray to St. Thomas for wisdom and discernment.
