Doubtful he was the Doubting One

In the Roman Catholic Lectionary, today, we read the story of “Doubting Thomas”. Perhaps we can recall being referred to as a “Doubting Thomas”. The sense of the episode from John’s Gospel is that of a stubborn and difficult one who needs special attention and is having difficulty in being a team player. The historical evidence on Thomas is different. The ‘role’ he plays in this episode is to be an example of the great desire of the Divine for intimacy with humanity. We don’t have to “get it” right away. Jesus and the Spirit are constantly calling and demonstrating the deep desire to overcome our objections to the communion desired by God.