Thomas, called Didymus, one of the
Twelve, was not with them when Jesus came.
So the other disciples said to him, “We have seen the Lord.” But Thomas said to them, “Unless I see the
mark of the nails in his hands and put my finger into the nail marks and put my
hand into his side, I will not believe.”
Unless I see I will not believe. Who can blame Thomas for not believing? Who can fault him for not believing his friends? Who can blame him for not believing that Jesus rose from the dead? I don’t.
First of all, I want to thank the apostle John for sharing this incident. It may have been a little embarrassing for St. Thomas, but it sure helps a lot of us come to terms with our own doubts in the resurrection.
However, what I do find difficult to believe in is how easily Thomas came to believe! Did all it take was Christ’s resurrection? Is that it? Would I have come to believe that Jesus is “my Lord and my God” by simply seeing him come back from the dead?
I don’t know about you, but I’ve always been more impressed with Christ’s passion than with his resurrection. I’m not saying that the Lord’s resurrection is not important. God forbid! It is! And as St. Paul tells us, If Christ did not rise from the dead, then our faith is in vain (cf. 1Cor 15:14).
What I am saying is that my faith, my heart, my mind and my soul have been nourished beyond belief by what the Lord suffered for me; not so much by the fact that He came out on top.
I don’t know, but I get the impression that St. Thomas was more interested in Christ’s victory than in His love. Maybe that’s the reason why the Lord told Thomas, “Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.” Why ? Because all it took for them to believe in Christ's divinity was His carrying of their cross.
In just 100 days, Pope Francis has changed the face of the Catholic Church. How? With sincere and sacrificial love. He truly loves who he is; loves what he does; and loves to share what he has with others. He loves Jesus. He loves people. He loves our world. These things are more important than ANY other things!
The Holy Father’s message, his cross, his mission is no different from those who came before him. What is different is his humility, his friendliness, his smile, his warmth and his tremendous desire to spend time with us!
What I have come to see and believe. There once was an atheist who used to write comments on my blog. They argued and argued with me that atheists could not be grouped together; and that they could only agree on one thing: that they didn’t believe in God. But then came a monument, erected by a group of atheists, that proved atheists can come together and believe in more than just one "thing" (or the absence of one "thing").
This person was wrong. I was right! Can you believe it??? I would never have believed it if I had not seen it with my own eyes.
Atheists truly believe they can bring peace to the world. But what I have seen with my very own eyes is that where two or more atheists are gathered (often under fictitious names); there, among them, are many profane, vulgar and belittling comments directed towards their opponents. Now they will tell you that their "friendship must be earned."
Ah yes, now that will stop a lot of wars...
Their profane, vulgar and belittling comments not only appear on their very own websites, but also when they invade Christian sites as well. If you have not done so, take a look at the Holy Father’s twitter account and you will know what I mean.
What I have come to see and believe. Atheists love to call themselves “friendly”. Well, what I have seen is that they are everything but friendly (unless they redefined the word "friendly" and never bothered to tell anyone about it).
Whoever disagrees with an atheist receives a boat load of profanity after profanity after vulgarity! Those who point out their hypocrisy and unreasonable inconsistencies are mocked, ridiculed and belittled. They love to call their opponent’s arguments “embarrassingly ignorant.” Really? Did you have to prep us just in case we missed it? Or were you concerned that we would be let down by your [“embarrassingly ignorant”] responses?
The temptation is to fight fire with fire, and not too long ago I fell into this temptation, but I never hit their bottom (Do they even have one???).
When it comes to the Holy Father’s beautifully profound yet simply worded tweets, atheists are obviously convinced that the best way to fight cool refreshing love is with fire. If they believe there is no hell, then they've done a pretty good job creating one for others. They have taken the sweetest face of Catholicism and replaced it with their worst face imaginable.
Atheists are driven by the fantasy of a better world without religion, and that they alone can help mankind reach the peak of evolution and civilization, regardless of how many dead bodies they must climb over.
All I have to say to them is: Nice start! In reply, I'm sure they would say: Well…give us some f*&#ing more time, you @$&# #$^%# #$%&a@!
My Lord and my God!
Ah…thank you very much, but I prefer to place my hands in God’s hands and in his side.
Unless I see I will not believe. Who can blame Thomas for not believing? Who can fault him for not believing his friends? Who can blame him for not believing that Jesus rose from the dead? I don’t.
First of all, I want to thank the apostle John for sharing this incident. It may have been a little embarrassing for St. Thomas, but it sure helps a lot of us come to terms with our own doubts in the resurrection.
However, what I do find difficult to believe in is how easily Thomas came to believe! Did all it take was Christ’s resurrection? Is that it? Would I have come to believe that Jesus is “my Lord and my God” by simply seeing him come back from the dead?
I don’t know about you, but I’ve always been more impressed with Christ’s passion than with his resurrection. I’m not saying that the Lord’s resurrection is not important. God forbid! It is! And as St. Paul tells us, If Christ did not rise from the dead, then our faith is in vain (cf. 1Cor 15:14).
What I am saying is that my faith, my heart, my mind and my soul have been nourished beyond belief by what the Lord suffered for me; not so much by the fact that He came out on top.
I don’t know, but I get the impression that St. Thomas was more interested in Christ’s victory than in His love. Maybe that’s the reason why the Lord told Thomas, “Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.” Why ? Because all it took for them to believe in Christ's divinity was His carrying of their cross.
In just 100 days, Pope Francis has changed the face of the Catholic Church. How? With sincere and sacrificial love. He truly loves who he is; loves what he does; and loves to share what he has with others. He loves Jesus. He loves people. He loves our world. These things are more important than ANY other things!
The Holy Father’s message, his cross, his mission is no different from those who came before him. What is different is his humility, his friendliness, his smile, his warmth and his tremendous desire to spend time with us!
What I have come to see and believe. There once was an atheist who used to write comments on my blog. They argued and argued with me that atheists could not be grouped together; and that they could only agree on one thing: that they didn’t believe in God. But then came a monument, erected by a group of atheists, that proved atheists can come together and believe in more than just one "thing" (or the absence of one "thing").
This person was wrong. I was right! Can you believe it??? I would never have believed it if I had not seen it with my own eyes.
Atheists truly believe they can bring peace to the world. But what I have seen with my very own eyes is that where two or more atheists are gathered (often under fictitious names); there, among them, are many profane, vulgar and belittling comments directed towards their opponents. Now they will tell you that their "friendship must be earned."
Ah yes, now that will stop a lot of wars...
Their profane, vulgar and belittling comments not only appear on their very own websites, but also when they invade Christian sites as well. If you have not done so, take a look at the Holy Father’s twitter account and you will know what I mean.
What I have come to see and believe. Atheists love to call themselves “friendly”. Well, what I have seen is that they are everything but friendly (unless they redefined the word "friendly" and never bothered to tell anyone about it).
Whoever disagrees with an atheist receives a boat load of profanity after profanity after vulgarity! Those who point out their hypocrisy and unreasonable inconsistencies are mocked, ridiculed and belittled. They love to call their opponent’s arguments “embarrassingly ignorant.” Really? Did you have to prep us just in case we missed it? Or were you concerned that we would be let down by your [“embarrassingly ignorant”] responses?
The temptation is to fight fire with fire, and not too long ago I fell into this temptation, but I never hit their bottom (Do they even have one???).
When it comes to the Holy Father’s beautifully profound yet simply worded tweets, atheists are obviously convinced that the best way to fight cool refreshing love is with fire. If they believe there is no hell, then they've done a pretty good job creating one for others. They have taken the sweetest face of Catholicism and replaced it with their worst face imaginable.
Atheists are driven by the fantasy of a better world without religion, and that they alone can help mankind reach the peak of evolution and civilization, regardless of how many dead bodies they must climb over.
All I have to say to them is: Nice start! In reply, I'm sure they would say: Well…give us some f*&#ing more time, you @$&# #$^%# #$%&a@!
My Lord and my God!
Ah…thank you very much, but I prefer to place my hands in God’s hands and in his side.
Have fun beating up straw men.
ReplyDeleteBrian just gave us a brilliant example of an informal fallacy, where he makes his case by dismissing "the case."
DeleteHe also gives us a living example of a "friendly" atheist.
Brian,
DeleteThank you for reminding me why i pray the Chaplet of The Divine Mercy. You are a true reinforcer of my faith.
"Eternal Father, i offer You the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Your dearly beloved Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. In atonement for our sins and those of the whole world."
Brian, if you have read this far, you have just prayed for yourself :-) and for the whole world.
So guess what, although you don't believe you have many people who do and pray even for your sins. Yea, just like Simon we will help you carry your cross of unbelief.
---Peace be with you
No doubt, Brian, you just validated the meaning behind everything Father just said without using all the "!$@X#" words.
DeleteEnlightening thoughts! Thanks.
ReplyDelete