Word to the Wise
Wednesday, July 3, 2024 - July 3 - St. Thomas, Apostle
[Eph 2:19-22 and John 20:24-29]"Have you come to believe because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed." [John]
The old expression, "Seeing is believing!" may be based on the story of Thomas the apostle and the post-resurrection appearance of Jesus. That scene also gives us Thomas' expression of faith on being challenged by Jesus to touch his wounds: "My Lord and my God!" Sight is more than a physical act. A physically blind person may "see" with the eyes of faith. Those same eyes of faith may "see" on the basis of the testimony of others. It is these, which include all those living and believing after the time of the apostles, to whom Jesus refers when he says, "Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed."
In the Gospel According to Matthew, in the scene of the final judgment (Matt. 25:31-45), the eyes of faith are turned toward others and we hear that question, "Lord, when did we SEE you hungry, etc.?" Faith requires that we "see" beyond our physical, psychological, cultural, political biases which can blind us to the wounds of Jesus that are open to us in our neighbor! The crucifix on the wall points to the world around us and challenges us to "see" the figure on the cross in people and places beyond that wall. We who claim to "see and believe" must live and respond to the wounds of Jesus all around us. AMEN