St.Thomas an example of Faith and courage

St.THOMAS, the Apostle of India lived in Galilee. The Gospels of Matthew, Mark
and Luke do not tell much about him. However, John defines him more clearly in
his Gospel. Thomas appeared in the raising of Lazarus, and in the upper room
where he wanted to know how to know, where Jesus was going. In John 20:25, we
see him saying unless he sees the nail prints in Jesus hand and the gash of the
spear in His side he will not believe.

Once, when Jesus and his disciples hear about their friend Lazarus's death near
Jerusalem, the center of Jesus' opposition, Thomas comments darkly, "Yes, let's
go there that we might die with him." His words are almost prophetic. Thomas
sees his Master arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane and he flees for his life.
On Good Friday he watches at a distance as they spike his Friend to a cross on
the Roman killing grounds of Golgotha. As Jesus' life drains away, so does
Thomas's hope.

Thomas was a bewildered man. Yet, he was a man of courage. He was a man who
could not believe until he had seen. He was a man of devotion and of faith.

When Jesus rose, he came back and invited Thomas to put his finger in the nail
prints in his hands and in his side. Here, we see Thomas making the greatest
confession of faith, "My Lord and My God."

When he sees the risen Jesus, all that Jesus has taught over the years now
clicks in, and to his death Thomas is an outspoken advocate for his Lord.

Thomas would speak to doubters today, to those of us who have seen our hopes and
dreams destroyed. Doubting Thomas would tell his story of how Jesus' life had
intercepted his own. He would tell us of his fears and his doubts. And then,
with a radiant, joyful face, St. Thomas, Apostle to India, would recount his joy
at seeing and knowing the risen Jesus himself. "My Lord and my God!" he would
say. "My Lord and my God!".

I just returned after a series of meetings on NC Hills, discouraging, more
violence unabated violence, most of the victims are women and children, how to
stop this violence. Well St.Thomas did boost me. With his inspiration I am able
to look at the many of possibilities of peace building instead of dwelling on
the vulnerability of our problems. I have found that there aren't very many
problems that cannot be solved, but the hardest task is developing the right
attitude to start the process of solving them. Become a possibility thinker, the
story of St.Thomas is that. Life is challenging regardless of what vocation we
choose. The point is that we should be willing to accept the challenges with
courage, regardless of how big or small, deal with them the best way we know
how, and accept whatever the outcome may be.

The Bible presents many such examples of people like St.Thomas who acted
courageously in the midst of troubles and conflicts. When we analyze the secrets
of their success, we will notice that all of them drew courage from the same
source, from God, the source of all power. Isaiah 40:29-31 says: "He gives power
to the faint, and to them that have no might he increases strength”.