Just Believe And Have Faith

𝐉𝐔𝐋𝐘 𝟑, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓: 𝐅𝐄𝐀𝐒𝐓 𝐎𝐅 𝐒𝐓. 𝐓𝐇𝐎𝐌𝐀𝐒, 𝐀𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐥𝐞

𝟏𝐬𝐭 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠: 𝐄𝐩𝐡 𝟐:𝟏𝟗-𝟐𝟐

𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐏𝐬𝐚𝐥𝐦: 𝐏𝐬𝐚 𝟏𝟏𝟕:𝟏𝐛𝐜, 𝟐 “𝐆𝐨 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐧𝐞𝐰𝐬.”

𝐆𝐎𝐒𝐏𝐄𝐋: 𝐉𝐍 𝟐𝟎:𝟐𝟒-𝟐𝟗

𝑲𝒆𝒚 𝑽𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒆: “𝒃𝒍𝒆𝒔𝒔𝒆𝒅 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒔𝒆 𝒘𝒉𝒐 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒔𝒆𝒆𝒏 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒚𝒆𝒕 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒃𝒆𝒍𝒊𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒅.” (𝒗.29) 

         Belief and faith are like our legs. They are inseparable and without which there is no way we can stand on our own. To go through life, belief and faith must go together. But these two foundations at times cause a lot of debate when it is raised during spiritual discussions. Some argue that belief precedes faith yet there are some who will argue that faith comes first. And doubt enters when these two foundations are shaken.

         And in these days of uncertainty, it has become natural for people to doubt something that they only heard about and have not seen. This is especially true with regards to the many vanity products such as those that make your skin whiter that are being marketed through aggressive marketing campaigns such that people no longer know what to believe in.

         This was the predicament of many of the Jews who couldn’t make out what to believe even after news of the resurrection of Jesus had spread like wildfire in Jerusalem. Today more than 2,000 years later, we are still caught up in our own doubts and or indifference that prevent us from establishing a more concrete relationship with God that is rooted in humility and obedience. Why? Because the world itself is preventing us from doing so as it offers us a comparative view of life.

         On one hand is the material world we live in, the fast-paced search for comfort and luxury, anything that would bring us fame, prestige and wealth have kept us glued in this mundane world. The other dimension is the eternal life that was promised to those who will believe in him.

         Such belief, however, is premised on our subservience to his Holy Will and a life that is anchored on sacrifice and suffering. This last part is what makes people think because most often we want to reap the promise of eternal joy but without the pain and sacrifice attached to it.

         The world has become so fast that anything you need is available at the press of a button. Everything can be procured and acquired, and transactions are consummated within minutes. Every bit of information is available in this wired world we are in. Even Bible verses and inspirational message are now being disseminated through e-Mail and SMS or text.

         But has this connectivity contributed to forming Christians to become a replica of Jesus in all aspects of his life? From the time we received Jesus in our baptism – whether sacramental or para-liturgical – have we allowed the Holy Spirit to take control of our entire persona?

         Have we become forgiving of one another, or do we persist in our unbelief, doubt and meaningless pursuit of what we perceive to be a joyful life. And how many of us demand physical evidence before they believe. “𝑼𝒏𝒍𝒆𝒔𝒔 𝑰 𝒔𝒆𝒆 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." (𝒗.25)        

        It is not that the people now do not really believe that Jesus Christ is Lord but the circumstances of our present lives lead us to unbelief. The economic difficulties that we experience these days also contribute to the estranged relationship between God and the people He has created.

         When Jesus appeared to his disciples, he offered proofs of his resurrection by showing them the wounds of his passion, his pierced hands and side. He calmed their fears and brought them peace, the peace that reconciles sinners and makes one a friend of God.

         Today this has not changed as Jesus still is offering the same proof at the table of the Paschal sacrifice each time Mass is celebrated and this should serve as a memorial for us that God already took our sins and sufferings to the cross and the peace that He offered to his disciples in the Upper Room is the same kind of peace he is offering to us now.

          But in us there will always be a Thomas who will doubt not because we love the Lord less but because we simply lack the courage to stand with Jesus and share his passion and crucifixion. Like Thomas we also run away from the Church not only because we lack motivation but because we only want to earn the glory of heaven without the sacrifice needed to get there.

          Jesus came back and appeared to his disciples not only to prove he had resurrected from death, but he came back because he needed his disciples to establish his Church. In the same way, we who now comprise the Church also need Jesus. As we are being sent to make disciples of all nations, we need someone to send us and without Jesus we have no message to bring to all the nations. This means that as Jesus is dependent on us to keep his message alive, we also need Jesus to equip us and empower us by His Holy Spirit.

         There may be times doubt will cloud our faith but there is something in Thomas that we also need to emulate. Thomas believed and became one of the most faithful messengers of God’s love and forgiveness who is credited for bringing Christianity to India.

         There are times when differences and disputes arise within the Church that move us to leave and there will be times, we will experience some low points in our life and we find ourselves going back to God. But why wait for the light to run out of our lives before we believe and realize that all we need is the light that comes from God.

         When Thomas recognized his Master, he believed and exclaimed that Jesus was truly Lord and truly God! The gift of faith infused in us at our baptism should move us to also proclaim Jesus as our personal Lord and our God. He died and rose that we, too, might have new life in him.

         And today, the same Jesus who appeared to Thomas is offering each one of us a new life in his Holy Spirit that we may know him personally and walk in this new way of life through the power of his Resurrection.

         We don’t have to put our fingers in his wounds to believe that Jesus is real as we only need to believe ang have faith that he has indeed resurrected from the dead and we have the Scriptures and the Church as it stands today as permanent proofs of his passion, death and resurrection.

         The one thing to remember is that Jesus needs the Church to keep the fire burning and we need Jesus because he is the message that we only need to know and bring to others. As God sent Jesus to the cross, so Jesus is also sending us now and no one can truly understand why unless we come to realize that the relationship between God and Jesus is premised on Jesus’ obedience and love.

         And so it must be with us. For us to develop a truly meaningful relationship with Jesus we need to humble ourselves and go down from our pedestal and obey whatever He tells us to do but this subservience to His will must be anchored on love for God and neighbor which is what true conversion is all about. (𝘌𝘥 𝘔𝘢𝘭𝘢𝘺 - 𝘑𝘶𝘭𝘺 3, 2025)