Pastor's Corner; Kenny St. Hilaire

The apostle Thomas (poor guy – we’ve nicknamed him “Doubting Thomas”) was not present with the other disciples when Jesus appeared to them after his resurrection from the dead (Jn 20:19ff). When the others told Thomas what had happened, he declared that he would not believe until he saw the nail marks in Jesus’ hands and put his finger into Jesus’ side.

Jesus didn’t disappoint. He appeared again a week later, with Thomas there this time, and when Thomas saw, he believed. He exclaimed, “My Lord and my God!” We might make a similar outburst if we saw our best friend standing next to us, ten days after he had been laid in a tomb!

Although Jesus gently chided Thomas and reminded everyone that those are blessed who believe without seeing, the saying “Seeing is believing” has come to be one of the main lessons that people have learned from Thomas’ story.

And in spite of the fact that many people associate faith only with things that cannot be seen (God, moral principles, past events, etc.), seeing really does have something to do with believing, whether we’re talking about our own faith or the impact we have on others.

Think back to the first disciples. They saw Jesus, heard his voice, left everything, and followed him. People were also drawn to him because they saw the mighty and wonderful deeds he was doing: curing the sick, casting out evil spirits, and even bringing the dead back to life.

The things we see most definitely have an impact on what we believe to be true. Some have faith only in what they can see and what they can demonstrate scientifically. Others believe that there is “more than meets the eye.”

Whatever we believe, whatever our religion or spirituality, it’s important to keep our eyes open and always to seek a greater understanding of what is true. Discovery of truth strengthens our faith. It makes our lives more complete.

As we come to a deeper and fuller knowledge of what is true, we also recognize that a life of faith does not concern mere intellectual acceptance of facts. Authentic faith changes the way we carry out our day-to-day lives.

From this perspective, seeing is once again linked to believing. When other people in our lives see how we speak and act according to our faith – how our way of life is impacted by what we believe – their seeing gets translated into believing.

On the other hand, if our friends see us carrying out our life in a way inconsistent with what we know to be true, they will likely doubt that what we believe is really true.

The world is full of Thomases – people seeking the truth and wanting to put their faith in it. Many of us may be “Doubting Thomases,” but hopefully all of us are in some sense “Seeking Thomases.”

We just need to remember that at the same time we are seeking to believe – even without seeing – other seekers are looking at us, and what they see will affect what they believe.