Fr. Don's Daily Reflection - July 3, 2024
Psalm 62: “In you alone is my soul at rest. My help comes from you.”
Thomas, unlike some of the other apostles, is mentioned in all four Gospels and described in more detail in John. From the latter we get our warrant for referring to a Doubting Thomas. The account of Thomas' doubts is well known (John 20:24-29). Preachers over the centuries have pointed to Thomas as an example and encouragement for our faith. We see in him someone who clearly was not gullible but yet believed in the Lord. Many others have aided our faith in one way or another. The faith of anyone of us rises on the foundation laid by many others. None of us receives faith simply on our own much as we like to credit ourselves.
Thomas and many others have contributed to our faith: parents, friends, teachers, pastors, the Gospel writers, other authors, even critics of faith. Thomas may have believed, as Jesus says, “because you saw me.” But most of the rest of us have not seen but have learned to believe because of the words and examples of others. Our faith is part of a broad and long connection to the faith of many others.
Faith illustrates something which is true of so much else in life: we are what we are, we have our belief, our hopes and trust in God because of and through others. How much, too, we depend upon the support and example of each other. We have not seen, we have not touched the Lord but, impressed by others, we have believed.
Psalm 27: “I believe I shall see the Lord’s goodness / in the land of the living.
Wait for the Lord; be strong; / be stouthearted, and wait for the Lord!”
