Change and Grow in faith

A part of the process of growth and development is the need sometimes to change our mind about the way we see things. The letter of Paul to the Ephesians, from the Roman Catholic Lectionary, proclaims that disciples and apostles of Jesus who have come from the Jewish tradition have had a change of understanding. The audience in Ephesus was mostly Gentile and Paul declares that they are members of the household of God. This short passage also stretches the description of the mystery of being in the household of God to being corporately and individually Temples or dwelling places for God. The words here can be passed over too quickly. The early Christians struggled with God being intimately Present within people or humans who seem so degenerate and distant from the Divine. This sense of the distance of God is a component of Greek theology and continues to be challenging to people aware of their unworthiness or intimidated by such detailed concern of Creator for creature. Friar Jude Winkler comments on the passage from the Gospel of John, chosen today to celebrate the feast of the apostle Thomas. Friar Jude mentions Docetism, an early Christian heresey which held that Jesus only seemed to be human. The great gulf between degenerate humanity and Divinity could not allow God to be human. The Gospel underlines the experience of many who in questioning their faith, seek the assistance of God in their struggle and in time are called to grow and understand, in a new way, the situation which had initiated their doubts. The "doubting Thomas" is an example of how when the "weak points" in the structure are given to God, the re-creation and the annealing of the faith structure results in super strong conviction which propels the believer to Life in God for others.Tradition says that at the dispersal of the Apostles after Pentecost Thomas was sent to evangelize the Parthians, Medes, and Persians; he ultimately reached India, carrying the Faith to the Malabarcoast, which still boasts a large native population calling themselves "Christians of St. Thomas".