St. Thomas - He Is US

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Today the Church celebrates the Feast of St. Thomas the Apostle.

First Reading – Ephesians

Brothers and sisters,

You are no longer strangers or foreigners. You are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God. You have been built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus Himself as the cornerstone.

Upon Christ the whole structure is joined together and grows into a holy temple in the Lord. United with Him, you also are being built together by the Holy Spirit into a dwelling place for God.

The Word of the Lord.

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Gospel – From the Book of John

Thomas, one of the Twelve, called the Twin, was not with the others when Jesus came.

The other disciples told him, "We have seen the Lord."

But Thomas replied, "Unless I see the marks of the nails in His hands, put my finger into the nail marks, and place my hand into His side, I will not believe."

Eight days later, the disciples were gathered again behind locked doors, and Thomas was with them. Jesus came and stood among them and said,

"Peace be with you."

Then He turned to Thomas:

"Put your finger here and see My hands. Bring your hand and place it in My side. Stop doubting and believe."

Thomas answered,

"My Lord and my God!"

Jesus said to him,

"You believe because you have seen Me. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe."

The Gospel of the Lord.

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One of the things I love most about St. Thomas is how human he is.

Whenever we talk about Thomas, we immediately think of his doubt... We call him “doubting, Thomas,” in fact.
We remember his unwillingness to believe until he saw the risen Christ for himself. "Unless I see... I will not believe." We all know that phrase. We might even call him the first Nominalist 😃

But that's exactly why I love him.

Thomas reminds us that holiness is still possible despite our weaknesses. He gives hope to every one of us. If an apostle — someone who walked beside Jesus, Himself — could struggle with doubt, how much more should we expect to experience moments of weakness in our own lives?

That's why I appreciate the way the Church presents Thomas.
In him, all of us find a place.

Those who have doubted...
Those who have gone through spiritual deserts...
Those who have questioned God...
Those who have felt disappointed or even complained to Him...

We all fit here.

We're human. We are not perfect. If these things happened to an Apostle..., they can certainly happen to us.

That tells us something very important: holiness isn't about living a flawless life. |
It's about continually striving to become better. It's about hangin there, and seeking Christ so He can show himself to us. It is about fighting to become more loving, more faithful, and more like Christ.

That's the goal.

For me, the message of today's feast is simple:

“Yes, you can.”

You can keep trying.
You can keep moving forward.
You can keep fighting the good fight.

You really can become a saint.

The first invitation from St. Thomas is to embrace our humanity.

Today, many people - including those who seek God - almost seem to distance themselves from being human. We live in a culture obsessed with perfection.

The perfect diet.
The perfect body.
Perfect health.
Perfect spirituality.

It often seems as though imperfect people have no place anymore.

If we're overweight, we're told to fix it.
If our teeth aren't straight enough, whiten them, straighten them.
If something about our appearance isn't symmetrical, change it.

We live in a world chasing perfection.

Sadly, we've brought that same mindset into our spiritual lives. We think we have to appear perfect before God. But we aren't perfect.

And perhaps the most beautiful thing isn't becoming perfect — it is becoming truly human.

Let's learn to be honest about who we are while continuing to walk forward, always trying to become better, always trying to become good.

That is the Christian struggle.

Today, more than ever, the world needs genuinely human disciples.

We've stopped feeling the pain of others.
We've stopped noticing the needs around us.
Too often, the attitude has become, "Everyone for themselves."

Even in the spiritual life, some people think, "I have to be perfect. I can't have any sin." You even see church volunteers who panic because they think they have to be absolutely sinless before serving.

But that's not Christianity. Thomas proves that.
We all continue to struggle with sin.

The problem isn't our weaknesses. The problem is what I would call spiritual perfectionism—the constant effort to appear holier than everyone else.

Everyone wants to be the most perfect. Yet many who appear perfect – or worse who act like they are - end up becoming critical, judgmental, constantly pointing fingers at others.

So today's first lesson from St. Thomas is this:

Be a disciple — but be a human disciple.

Don't be afraid to show your humanity.

Don't be discouraged if you've doubted.

Don't be discouraged if you've felt alone.

Don't be discouraged if you've drifted away from the community for a time.

Thomas did too. Thomas doubted. Thomas was absent.

And Thomas still became a saint.

Holiness isn't about pretending to be perfect.... or thinking you have it all figured out. Rather, it's about honestly walking the path God has given you, allowing Him to correct you little by little, peacefully and patiently.

If we keep walking with Him, we too can become saints.

So today let us ask the Lord to help us become better each day, to accept ourselves honestly, and to keep striving for holiness one step at a time.

With God's grace, we can reach that holy life.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

The Lord be with you.

May the blessing of Almighty God—the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit—come upon you and remain with you always.

Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. Amen.