Apr 27 Sun
Lord, I am weak. Increase my faith!
Ours is a God who doesn’t give up on us easily. This Sunday of Divine Mercy, among other things, shows us that Jesus is the Lord of do-overs.
Doubting Thomas’s quick turnabout serves as a lesson to anyone who dares to doubt or disbelieve in matters of faith. It says: the impossible is possible. The faithless can become faithful. Even the unbelieving can believe.
What do you think of this? Do you think that the absence of Thomas the disciple on the previous occasion was a mere chance? Was it by chance that when he came, he listened, and on listening he doubted, and through doubting he touched, and by touching he believed? No, this did not happen by chance, but was willed by Divine Providence. God's mercy worked admirably, so that, at the touch of that unbelieving disciple on the wounds of the Master, God would be able to heal the wounds of our unbelief. To some extent, Thomas' incredulity was more advantageous for our faith than the faith of the disciples who believed, because by his deciding to believe only by touching, our soul is affirmed in faith, and all our doubts are dispelled.
Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ, is a child of God. Indeed, faith helps us recognize that Christ is God; it shows us that he is our Savior; it brings us to identify ourselves with him and to act as he acted.
Without faith, there is no hope; still less charity, because no one can love what they do not know. Without faith, there is no true and profound humility, which is the foundation for all the other virtues. Without faith, life will be worldly and choked by the worries of the earth. Faith is so necessary that without it, it is impossible to please God.
“Humbly ask God to increase your faith. Then, with new lights, you will see clearly the difference between the world's paths and your way as an apostle.
“Let us take another look at the Master. You, too, may find yourself now hearing his gentle reproach to Thomas: ‘Let me have your finger: see, here are my hands. Let me have your hand; put it into my side. Cease your doubting, and believe’; and, with the Apostle, a sincere cry of contrition will rise from your soul: 'My Lord, and my God!' I acknowledge you once and for all as the Master. From now on, with your help, I shall always treasure your teachings and I shall strive to follow them loyally."
Illustration: The Incredulity of Saint Thomas, Caravaggio, c.1601