3rd July St.Thomas

Some years ago I was invited to Kerala by some parishioners in Preston and spent two weeks in Kerala with a lovely family in Thrissur before moving north. The story of St. Thomas’s missionary work is everywhere and churches like the one above can be found all over Kerala. The story is that St. Thomas arrived in the 50s AD and of course is not impossible as trade links went down the coast of India from the Persian/Arabian Gulf. It is definitely true that when the Jesuits arrived centuries later there was already a thriving Christian community there with its own rite and still strong links with the Catholic Church in the west. St. Thomas carries with him the nickname ‘Doubting Thomas’ as we know, but his questioning not only brought about a dramatic scene with the Risen Jesus that has inspired many in prayer with his words of faith, ‘My Lord and my God,’ and also many a painter like Caravaggio. Each time he questions Jesus the result is important. John 14, ‘How can we know the way, if we do not know where you are going?’ Jesus replies, ‘I am the Way, the Truth and the Life.’ In the scene just mentioned above Jesus says, ‘You believe because you have seen, how much more blessed those who have not seen and yet believe.’ That of course is us. Thomas’s questions bring us further into the truth. We should never fear doubt, nor think it wrong to question.