Christians today depend completely on the testimony of those
who have lived by faith for generations before us. Like
Thomas, we have not seen the resurrected Jesus with our own
eyes. Yet, if believing depends solely on seeing, the living Word
of God would never have reached across the more than twenty
centuries after his death.

Indeed when it comes to faith, the scriptural witness helps
us understand that we all go astray. We need to be taught to see
with the eyes of faith and hear with ears attuned to God’s Spirit.
For this reason, the author of the Gospel of John emphasizes
the importance of Thomas’s testimony. Universally known as
“doubting Thomas,” scripture bears witness to his transformation
before our very eyes as he becomes “believing Thomas.”
Once he recognizes Jesus by the wounds in his hands and his
side, Thomas exclaims in awe: ”My Lord and my God!”

When we cling to God’s word, we gain access to a palpable
sense of God’s peace even amidst trial and tribulation. We lack
proof for the incomprehensible event of Jesus’ resurrection, and
we cannot build a life of faith based on our rational doubts.
Instead, we are called to believe in the witness of the early apostles
and disciples even though we cannot see or understand how
such miracles are possible.

Like the author of the Gospel of John, we reconstruct our
life narratives in accordance with a miraculous event that our
minds simply cannot comprehend. We are called to believe
even when we cannot see. And with the author of First Peter,
“Although [we] have not seen him, [we] love him.”