Every July 3, the Apostle Saint Thomas is celebrated, who doubted that Christ had risen until the Lord himself appeared to him. This could be seen as a lack of faith, but according to three great saints, this saint’s doubt brought benefits that confirmed Christians in their faith.
He Gospel of Saint John It relates that the Risen Christ appeared to his disciples, but Thomas was not present. When they told him, he said that he would not believe until he touched the sores on his hands and side. Eight days later the Lord appears to them again and asks Thomas to touch his wounds. Then he rebukes him that he is not an unbeliever, but a believer.
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Saint Gregory the Great
For the Pope Saint Gregory the Great What happened was not a coincidence, but the work of Divine Mercy “so that while the unbelieving disciple felt the wounds on his Master’s body, he would heal those of our infidelity in us.”
“The disbelief of Thomas has been more beneficial to our faith than the faith of all the disciples, because while he, by playing, is restored to faith, our spirit is confirmed in it, laying aside (discarding) all doubt,” he adds. the Doctor of the Church.
Saint John Chrysostom
Saint John Chrysostom, Doctor of the Church and patron of preachers, points out that Christ, seeking to save Thomas’ soul, appears to him showing him his wounds. But he emphasizes that this did not happen immediately, but eight days later so that “his desire was more inflamed and he was more faithful from now on.”
In another momentthe saint warns that the incorruptible body of the resurrected man maintained the marks of the nails “to show them that it was the same one who had been crucified.”
San Agustin
For your part San AgustinDoctor of the Church, specifies that Christ agrees to Thomas’ request “not only for himself, but also for those who were going to deny the true flesh of the Lord.”
He then indicates that Jesus “wanted the scars to remain in his flesh to eliminate the wound of unbelief from the hearts of men and for the signs of the wounds to heal the true wounds.”
Abel Camasca
Journalist graduated from the Communication Sciences degree at the University of Lima. He has been part of the ACI Prensa journalistic team since 2014. Between 2016 and 2022 he was in charge of the production of the television program EWTN Noticias and Más que Noticias, a World Catholic Radio program. He often writes articles about the lives of saints.