What we can learn from the doubting Thomas

TO be blunt about it, what we can learn from him is to realize that it is faith more than our human and natural sciences that can lead us and explain to us the full reality that are beyond our natural world and our human self. 

 That’s because faith has a much greater scope. It includes the spiritual and the supernatural realities which our sciences cannot fully fathom, no matter how developed they are, although they can lead us to these realities. 

 Our usual problem is that we rely too much on our sciences, as if they have the last word and as if they can show us the full extent of the reality of our whole life and of the whole universe. That is why on the Feast of St. Thomas, the Apostle, the risen Christ told him, “Because you have seen me, Thomas, you have believed; blessed are they who have not seen, and have believed.” (Jn 20,29) 

 Of course, we have to realize also that faith is, first of all, a gift given to us by God. We need to receive it gratefully and live according to it. It is not something we make or invent. And this faith is made tangible to us because the very author of reality, God, made himself man in Christ who showed us beyond doubt that he is telling us everything we need to know to be what God wants us to be. 

 More than telling us everything, Christ has provided us with everything we need to reach our real goal in life, irrespective of whatever conditions we may go through in this life. As he said himself, he is “the way, the truth and the life.” 

 Though faith cannot be fully explained by our reason alone, there are many things—in fact, everything in this world—that would make it credible and acceptable to us. And that’s because even if we use our reason alone, we can somehow discern that everything in this world actually points us to God. 

 The order, beauty and complexity of the universe, including the intricate workings of nature and the human mind, can lead us to believe in a divine creator. Given the finite nature of everything, we cannot presume that things just came into existence on their own, or spontaneously. There must be a Creator who has been existing from all eternity. 

 We need to realize that we actually need faith. Thus, these words of some of the gospel characters should also be ours. “I believe, help my unbelief!” (Mk 9,24) “Increase our faith.” (Lk 17,5) 

 We can never say that we have enough faith. We should never be complacent in this regard. Faith is an ever-dynamic thing that needs to grow and grow as well as to inspire us more deeply, thoroughly and consistently. 

 We need to make it grow to cope with our natural needs. In this level alone, we always need faith to make things very clear for us, even if in theory we can handle the natural challenges and difficulties we can encounter in life. 

 We need it to deal properly with our weakness and our proneness to commit sin. We also need it most especially, because we have to pursue a supernatural goal, and not just a natural one. 

 That is why we need to discipline our thinking and emotions, because they tend to go on their own and leave faith behind. We have to see to it that the way we think and feel should always be infused by faith, otherwise we expose ourselves to unnecessary dangers that would lead us to fear, doubts, gloominess, etc.

What true friendship is

TO be sure, true friendship is not just a matter of enjoying each other’s company, sharing things in common or just having a good time. All of these are presumed in friendship. But a friend through and through would go much farther than that, since it will always have charity as the main and ultimate driver of his relationship with his friend. 

 In other words, true friendship cannot be separated from charity. Without charity, any appearance of friendship would only be just that—an appearance that lacks the real substance. It remains in the superficial level, and cannot survive the many challenges and trials of life. It’s only good for some time, under some favorable conditions. It wilts when the unavoidable differences and conflicts among us take place. 

 True friendship has a universal scope. It can include enemies. Said in another way, with true friendship, there will be no enemies. And even those who consider themselves as enemies would be treated with utmost care and affection. True friendship works in all seasons and in all conditions. 

 We have to rediscover the authentic face of friendship. As social beings, we can never be alone, we need others. In fact, we have to be open to the ideal of being friends with everyone. 

 Yes, even our enemies, in a certain sense, should be our friends, because Christ himself told us to love our enemies. “If you love them that love you, what reward shall you have?” he said. “Do not publicans do that…Be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect.” (Mt 5,46-48) 

 We need to polish always our skills of making friends, starting with those details that foster closeness—greeting, smiling, spending time together, saying some nice, positive words—to the more demanding ones—flexibility to different types of characters and situations, dominating our bad humor, etc. 

 The warmth and glow proper of friendship should be readily seen and felt. It need not be showy, of course. But by and large, there is kind of heightening of feelings and desire involved in it. 

 We have to know how to enter into meaningful dialogue especially when certain issues divide us. Each one should try to understand the others, listening to their reasons of the others, trying to see things the way the others see them. 

 As persons and children of God, our friendship should go all the way to the spiritual and supernatural level. It has to go beyond, but never discard, the natural or human level. Friendship has to develop into apostolate, far beyond the dynamics of blood or social relations. 

 It just cannot remain in the natural level, given the way we are, who have been created in God’s image and likeness. It has to be theological, since our relation with others should channel the relation that the three persons in one God have among themselves, as well as the relation Christ, the pattern of our humanity, has towards everyone. 

 We should develop this friendship using both human and supernatural means. Friendship has to be based on faith and love for God. It should begin and end in God. Of course, given our human condition, this ideal will be reached in stages, with a lot of drama. But in the end, God should be the seed and fruit of friendship. 

 We have to start training ourselves in this kind of friendship as early as possible.

When life’s tempests assault us

THAT gospel episode about Christ’s disciples experiencing a terrible tempest at sea while Christ was simply sleeping in one corner of the boat (cfr. Mt 8,23-27) should remind us that while we cannot help but be filled with fear and worries when all kinds of life’s troubles would assail us, we should never lose the hope that Christ will always come to our aid one way or another. 

 We should try to recover our hope and serenity so that we can be in a better condition to tackle the many challenges of our life. We have to train ourselves to have this kind of reaction, knowing that trials and all kinds of difficulties are unavoidable in our life. Let’s never forget what Christ once said: “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (Jn 16,33) 

 In all our affairs and situations in life, we should always go to God to ask for his help and guidance, and to trust his ways and his providence, even if the outcome of our prayers and petitions appears unanswered, if not, contradicted. 

 This should be the attitude to have. It’s an attitude that can only indicate our unconditional faith and love for God who is always in control of things, and at the same time can also leave us in peace and joy even at the worst of the possibilities. 

 Remember the Book of Ecclesiastes where it says that for everything there is a season, “a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted; a time to kill, and a time to heal…” But everything is under God’s control, and even if we are capable of eternity, we just the same “cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end.” (3,1ff) We just have to trust him. 

 We have to follow the example of the many characters in the gospel who, feeling helpless in the many predicaments they were in, earnestly rushed to Christ for some succor. They went to him unafraid and unashamed and they got what they wanted. 

 It may happen that we may not get what we want. And in this, we should not be too surprised or too worried. What is sure is that God always listens and gives us what is best for us. If our request is granted, it’s because it is good for us. We should however be careful that the favor should not spoil us but should rather make us more thankful and faithful to him. 

 If our request is not granted, it could be because what we asked is actually not good for us. Examples of this kind of cases are aplenty, and many would later on realize how lucky they were that what they asked for was not granted. 

 In this life, we should just have to develop a sportsman’s attitude, since life is like a game. Yes, life is like a game, because we set out to pursue a goal, we have to follow certain rules, we are given some means, tools and instruments, we train and are primed to win and do our best, but defeats can always come, and yet, we just have to move on. 

 We need a sporting spirit because life’s true failure can come only when we choose not to have hope.