In today’s Gospel of John 20:19-31, on the day of Jesus’ resurrection, the Apostles are still hiding behind locked doors in fear and uncertainty when Jesus appears. First they hear His voice, “Peace be with you”. Once He said this, “He showed them His hands and His side. The disciples rejoiced when…” When did the disciples rejoice? “when they saw the Lord.” A week later, the disciples were telling Thomas that they had seen the Lord. Thomas then says the words that would brand him for 2000 years and going. “Unless I see the mark of the nails in His hands and put my finger into the nailmarks and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.”

   We hear later in the Gospel that Thomas does in fact see Jesus and comes to believe. Though Jesus does not rebuke him He says, “Have you come to believe because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.” Though Thomas ends up with the name “doubting Thomas”, all of the disciples struggled to believe until they “saw” Him. Let this be a lesson to us that when we struggle with our faith, we allow this to be a means for us to seek God even further. Our own doubts should not condemn us but should open up our hearts and minds to allow God to reveal Himself to us in new ways. Even in the times we don’t understand, we must continue to put our trust in the Lord’s plan. Though we may not be able to “see” His plan, we must continue to believe.

   For it is in this faith, one in which we can believe without “seeing” that Jesus is speaking of when He says, “Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.”