Is Seeing Truly Believing?

A Reflection on the Gospel for April 24th, 2022:
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.
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“Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.” 

Have you ever heard the phrase: “Seeing is believing?” I know I have heard this phrase numerous times and have definitely said it myself. It seems as though we place the majority of our trust in the sense of sight, as if it is more credible than other aspects of knowing. If you can’t see something, how can you know it is real? With this mindset, we can underestimate our feelings and beliefs, perhaps missing out on some of the greatness that God has in store for us. The Lord strengthens our faith by challenging us to rely on belief. 

Do you ever wonder how you would have reacted if you were Thomas? Being told that Jesus is once again walking the earth after you had witnessed the pain of His death just days earlier? I would like to think that I would believe instantly, but I’m not so sure that’s true. It is extremely difficult to have such unwavering trust. And seeing is not always believing. We are called to a deeper faith than that. Faith and belief in the Lord are choices we must make each day. Though we may not always be able to see Jesus with our sense of sight, it is important to look for Him daily in other ways. Look for Jesus in your love for others, in your church community, in your friends and family, in the strangers you meet each day. He is always there, with us and for us. 

I pray that I may have the courage to look for Jesus in myself and others each day, and to have the faith to believe in His goodness. Amen.




Megan Noye
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