THE WORD AND THE SAINT
Ephesians 2:19-24; John 20: 24-29
Thomas is called the Apostle of India, and there are great legends regarding how faith was brought to India by the Apostle already in the first century after Christ. Not entering to the history of the events, let us remain with the event itself...
"Bringing Faith", "Passing on Faith", "Transmitting or Communicating Faith" - these terms have always interested me, personally. Faith is a gift from God, a grace, an inspired response given by a person to the Self-revealing God! If so, can faith be 'brought', 'passed on' or 'transmitted or communicated'? The question does not in anyway negate the process that is referred to here with gratitude and recognition of history; instead it offers an opportunity to bring forth a nuance that dazzles within it.
Transmitting faith or Communicating faith, means primarily testimony of one's faith, that inspires faith in others! The testimony of one's personal response to God, that inspires the others to respond likewise! The Apostles' way of transmitting faith was that, they responded to the God who revealed God's self in Christ Jesus, and in that response they challenged and invited all who were around to respond to the same Lord!
The history narrated about St. Thomas and his evangelising activity in the southern part of India, is basically a testimony lived and held out as a challenge. The Challenge is not merely to accept the testimony, but to become a testimony ourselves and continue being the salt and the light of the earth, in whichever corner we find ourselves!