A Chat With Thomas

A Reflection on the Gospel for Sunday, April 27th, 2025:
Divine Mercy Sunday

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John
​20.19-31

It was evening on the day Jesus rose from the dead, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews. Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.”

When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.”

But Thomas, who was called the Twin, one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe.”

After eight days his disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were shut, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe.” Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!”

Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.”

Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book. But these are written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name.

Pause. Pray. Reflect.

Characters- Narrator (You)
- Thomas

Narrator [absorbing a jam-packed Gospel with a million and one threads to comment on]: So, I see the sacrament of reconciliation being initiated here. That’s big. But how can I ignore Jesus’ grand entrance via teleportation? I guess when you conquer death, walls just don’t matter anymore.

[pauses, reflecting]

Still … everyone else saw Him, and believed. Thomas didn’t.

[squints, curious and contemplative, with an ounce of judgment and a pinch of self-righteousness]

Seriously, Thomas. You didn’t even bat an eye to Jesus defying the laws of nature. Even though your ten brothers [had to double-check the math on that one] stood there, wide-eyed, telling you in amazement, “We have seen the Lord,” you still said, “Yeah, no, brethren. Unless I can touch the holes in His hands, I’m out.”

[shakes head, incredulous]

You walked with Him. Ate with Him. Watched Him raise the dead. You heard Him say He’d suffer, die, and rise again. And yet … you still wanted more proof?

Thomas [with the patience and love of a saint]: I understand your confusion. I’ve heard it echoed through centuries. “Doubting Thomas,” they call me – a cautionary tale.

[chuckles]

You’re right – I did walk with Him. It was the greatest adventure of my life: to follow Him through it all, to witness the miracles and wonders left in His wake. Everything He did, every step He took was filled with love – and it was transformative. The world never felt more peaceful, and all of life seemed to be in such rich harmony. Yes indeed, the days He walked the earth were the brightest days – He who is the Light of the World.

Imagine, then, what happens when that Light is suddenly extinguished. When the days feel like night, and the nights grow even darker still. We followed Him, and He brought us to breathtaking heights – closer to truth, closer to hope. Now, picture the fall from that mountaintop. How jarring would it be to find yourself in the deepest valley you’ve ever known, one that mirrors the heights in intensity, only in the opposite direction?

“Grieving” is an understatement for what I felt in that moment.

[smiles softly]

I was a shattered man. I needed to know – without question – that it was Him. It was never His power I doubted but His presence. I couldn’t afford even the slightest bit of uncertainty. I needed to be sure that He was truly there. 

Empirical evidence. Tangible proof. Haven’t you needed those things, too?


Vanessa Noujaim​

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