I remember when I was young, when I was told something that seemed unbelievable, I would yell, “Prove it!” So writes Caroline Dirkes, pictured, Director of Evangelization at Saint Thomas the Apostle parish in Ann Arbor, July 3. Some things are just too hard to accept at face value, and that's where Saint Thomas found himself when the disciples said they had seen Jesus. This made no logical sense to Thomas, who had witnessed Jesus' crucifixion just a few days earlier. So he dug in his heels and said, “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” (Jn 20:25).
As the Director of Evangelization at Saint Thomas Parish in downtown Ann Arbor, I have met a lot of Thomases — skeptics who struggle to believe the Gospel. Young adults who were raised with atheism and, as a result, find it difficult to comprehend who Jesus is and what He has done for them. Yet they are seeking. They are coming. Like Thomas, they are not rejecting the truth; they are searching for a reason to believe it. We are seeing this hunger for faith in our own parish community. At Saint Thomas alone, we had 12 candidates and 27 elect enter the Church this year, and young adults have been coming to our faith series in record numbers.
But like Thomas, many can only go so far through the intellectual pursuit of faith. They long for an encounter with Jesus — one that is personal and transformative. Jesus met Thomas in his doubt and revealed Himself, inviting him to “Put your finger here and see my hands, and bring your hand and put it into my side” (Jn 20:27). Likewise, we are called to accompany seekers with love and patience, inviting them to encounter Christ through the Liturgy, Eucharistic Adoration, prayer ministry, authentic Christian community, retreats, and the Sacraments.
And when they encounter the living Christ, many find themselves echoing the words of Thomas: “My Lord and my God!” (John 20:28), moving from skepticism to surrender, from doubt to faith, and from questioning to worship.
Saint Thomas the Apostle, pray for us.
