A  Daily Gospel Reflection by Dn. Chuck McDaniels for July 3rd, 2026

The Gospel according to John (20:24-29) 

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 nailmarks

and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.”

Now a week later his disciples were again inside

and Thomas was with them.

Jesus came, although the doors were locked,

and stood in their midst and said, “Peace be with you.”

Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and see my hands,

and bring your hand and put it into my side,

and do not be unbelieving, but believe.”

Thomas answered and said to him, “My Lord and my God!”

Jesus said to him, “Have you come to believe because you have seen me?

Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.”

Reflection:

Today, we remember St Thomas, and we hear the Gospel that we hear on the Second Sunday of Easter, where we see Thomas in all his “doubting” glory.  But, isn’t it true that Thomas gets a bad rap, you know – “Doubting Thomas”?  We don’t know why he wasn’t present that first Easter night.  But, we know from the few verses prior to today’s Gospel that Thomas missed that blessing of peace that Jesus came to give them that first night. 

Thomas in the Gospels is portrayed as being very literal-minded.  When Jesus says they are to return to Judea, even though He was under threat of death, Thomas says that they should go to die with Him.  Remember, too, that while Jesus had raised others from the dead (Lazarus, the daughter of Jairus, the synagogue official), He hadn’t raised Himself before.  Some caution about that probably was reasonable, if we consider Thomas to have that kind of personality.

Yes, Thomas does say that he won’t believe without touching the nail marks, or putting his hand into Jesus’ side.  And, maybe the very harsh words we have in the translation of Thomas’ words to English may have been said in a way that seems less faithless.

But, consider this – in verse 27, Jesus offers to let Thomas touch His wounds, knowing Thomas needed that.  Thomas, however, does not do that.  John does not record Thomas touching Jesus in any way.  Instead, in verse 28, Thomas proclaims Jesus as “My Lord and My God”, something that none of the other Apostles do in His presence.  In essence, Thomas makes the most bold proclamation in place of seeking proof.  So, why do we malign him with the name “Doubting Thomas” after all that?

In my mind, we can’t.  Thomas was a fallible human being, like all of us.  As a fallible human being, we all have doubts.  We don’t know what God’s plan is in its entirety – only God knows it.  We only get to see little bits of it, and when we cooperate with Him, we get to help bring it about.  But life is messy.  People hurt each other.  People fail to love their brothers and sisters.  People are unforgiving and even mean-spirited.  We may wonder why God doesn’t just “fix” everything.  The answer is that He calls on each of us, who are followers of His Son, to help, by reminding everyone that we are all – yes, ALL – loved endlessly by the One who created us.

That, I believe, is a mission that will take us all a lifetime to try to carry out!  And, we have St Thomas to pray for each of us that we may never be overcome by doubt, but overcome doubt with faith and love.

St Thomas, pray for us.

Action for the Day:  

Take time today to consider the times that you have doubted God’s plan in your life (or in the world in general).  And, instead of asking God for proof that He does indeed love us, ask Him to give you a desire to just trust in Him, and that you may be open to whatever part of that mission in the world that will bring others to know Him and love Him.  It’s okay if you have to repeat that prayer tomorrow and the day after, and the day after that.  Trust that He will answer it!

Link to the DEACON5 website: https://deacon5.com/

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