The Apostle Who Showed Up Late
The First Sunday following Pascha is known as "Thomas Sunday." The gospel reading recalls the fact that St. Thomas was absent when Christ first appeared to the other disciples. He refused to believe their talk of a resurrection and declared that he would only believe if he could touch the very wounds of Jesus.
On that first following Sunday, Christ appears to the disciples, including Thomas. Christ directly confronts Thomas' doubt and offers His wounds as proof of His identity and resurrection.
Thomas is only one of many examples of the early disciples' difficulties in coming to grips with the reality of Pascha. They were not quick to believe. The impact and nature of Christ's resurrection were such that they demanded the whole of who the disciples were. It "changed everything." The resurrection was never a "mere fact." It could and can only be The Fact.
The stories of the gospels reflect the honest struggles of the early community as well as their profound acceptance of what God had done. This is the true heart of the faith - the one thing necessary. In celebrating Thomas we celebrate our own journey to belief.
