THE WORD AND THE SAINT
July 3, 2023: Celebrating St. Thomas, the apostle to India
Ephesians 2: 19-22; John 20: 24-29
Feast of St. Thomas leaves us with three lessons...
1. We are One Church built on the Apostles.
The feast of every apostle is a reminder of the essential unity that is not only a characteristic but a mandate given to the Church, the mystical body of Christ. As Paul so vehemently opposes (cf. I Cor 1:10-13), right from the earliest times division has always been a dreaded scandal within the Church. This reality notwithstanding, even today the divided body of Christ drains the Church of its witnessing power and evangelical authority. That is indeed a motive for concern and prayer for us always.
2. The Church in India has a special responsibility.
The Church in India, boasting a direct handing over of faith by an apostle, has a special responsibility towards establishing the Reign of God on earth. It is unfair to claim privileges but refrain from the duties that come with it. Every person who has received the gift of faith in this country of ancient heritage and culture, has to stand firm in witness to the Gospel thus received, challenging the society towards a holistic transformation, ushering in the Reign of God here and now.
3. Doubts don't matter as long as the Lord remains close to us.
Thomas was not only the one who wanted to touch the wounds that nails made and put his hand into the hole on Jesus' side, but he was also the one who said, "let us also go, that we may die with him" (Jn 11:16). His personal attachment to Jesus covered up for his obstinacy not to believe when the rest of the apostles reported Jesus' resurrection. In our lives too, when doubts assail, when clouds gather over our heads and we tend to be overwhelmed by them, the only thing that can sustain us is our personal relationship with Jesus!
May St. Thomas show us Christians in India, the most fitting way of living out the Gospel in our context, so that we may be ambassadors of the Reign of God, here and now.