Feast of St. Thomas the Apostle

Today, the Catholic Church celebrates the feast day of St. Thomas the Apostle. Tradition has him preached the gospel up to India where he was speared to death. The Church has only collected four gospels in the canon of the New Testament. From these four gospels, we can know the stories of only a handful of apostles. Even Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter was not much mentioned. Therefore, we do not expect to find much information about St. Thomas in the canonical gospels. However, there are a few Gnostic apocrypha bearing his name. For example, the Gospel of Thomas and the Acts of Thomas. The canonical gospel of John gives us three incidents about Thomas. So, let us get to know more about Thomas, the Twin.
The first incident took place in the resurrection of Lazarus of Bethany (John 11). Martha, Mary and their brother Lazarus were good friends of Jesus. Very often, Jesus would stay in their home. After knowing that Lazarus was ill, Jesus did not go immediately to cure him about tarried for two more days. He knew he would raise Lazarus from the dead in order to glory God.
Now a certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha.
It was Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was ill.
So the sisters sent to him, saying, "Lord, he whom you love is ill."
But when Jesus heard it he said, "This illness is not unto death; it is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified by means of it." (John 11:1-4)
Some scholars take John 11:3 very seriously and suggest that Lazarus, not John, was "the beloved disciple" of the gospel of John. But Lazarus is not the focus of today. I will discuss it when the occasion arises in the future.
Thus he spoke, and then he said to them, "Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I go to awake him out of sleep."
The disciples said to him, "Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will recover."
Now Jesus had spoken of his death, but they thought that he meant taking rest in sleep.
Then Jesus told them plainly, "Lazarus is dead;
and for your sake I am glad that I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him."
Thomas, called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, "Let us also go, that we may die with him." (John 11:11-16)
Well, do you still want to be a friend of Jesus? Think thrice. Jesus would allow Lazarus to die before he came to raise him. This was how he treated his friend. Jesus would fold up his hands to see you die! Abraham was a good friend of God. Yet God would ask Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac to prove his faith. Alas, it is not easy to be a friend of God, a friend of Jesus.
When Jesus explained to the disciples that Lazarus was dead and the reason why he had not gone to save Lazarus before he died was to benefit his disciples. From what Thomas had said in response, we may conclude that Thomas was cynical. He did not believe that Lazarus had died. Even if Lazarus had really died, Thomas did not like the idea that Lazarus' death was for their benefit. Death is a tragic event. Can any good come out of a tragedy? Thomas could not agree.
"Let us also go, that we may die with him." Thomas showed his disbelief. His response was meant to be sarcastic. He would believe only after he saw it with his own eyes.
John spent chapters 13-17 to tell us what happened in the Last Supper. It is amazing how John was able to remember what Jesus had said in such great details to fill up five whole chapters, a total of 155 verses! What was worse, Jesus spoke a lot of things in ambiguous languages. For example, Jesus said.
Let not your hearts be troubled; believe in God, believe also in me.
In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?
And when I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.
And you know the way where I am going."
Thomas said to him, "Lord, we do not know where you are going; how can we know the way?"
Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but by me." (John 14:1-6)
Jesus was foretelling his passion and his return to the Father. He promised to return to take them with him. Then we would stay with him and enjoy eternal life with Jesus together. Jesus has already taught us how to gain eternal life. This is one possible way to interpret John 14:3-4. But Jesus was ambiguous here. He did not speak explicitly that he was going to die within a few hours and that he would return to heaven. We cannot blame the failure on the part of the apostles to understand him. What Thomas said in John 14:5 was just a repetition of what Peter had said earlier (John 13:36). Since Jesus had mentioned the way in John 14:4, naturally, Thomas was eager to know the way. Unfortunately, though Jesus' answer has often been quoted by our Protestant brethren, I am afraid this answer is too pregnant with theological subtleties that no apostles present were able to understand it. Thomas simply pushed Jesus for more clarifications. Yet, he got nowhere closer to understanding.
When the ten apostles told Thomas that they had seen the risen Lord, Thomas could not believe them. He wanted evidence, not witnesses.
So the other disciples told him, "We have seen the Lord." But he said to them, "Unless I see in his hands the print of the nails, and place my finger in the mark of the nails, and place my hand in his side, I will not believe." (John 20:25)
Eight days later, Jesus appeared to them all and invited Thomas to put his fingers in his wounds. Thomas the empiricist surrendered.
Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side; do not be faithless, but believing."
Thomas answered him, "My Lord and my God!" (John 20:27-28)
Well done, Thomas. Your empiricist attitude was rewarded.

Dear Lord, I thank St. Thomas for his model of persevering pursuit of truth. Grant us the perseverance St. Thomas had so that we may rest satisfied at the end of our life. Amen.