THOMAS,
APOSTLE OF INDIA
Tradition
tells us that Thomas, one of the twelve apostles of Jesus, after evangelising
other parts of the East, finally came to India. He evangelised many parts of
this country, especially the South and, it is claimed, certain parts of
present-day Pakistan. At the end he
received the martyr’s crown at Mylapore. In India, his feastday is a solemnity.
‘Solemnity’ is a big word, usually
reserved for the Feasts of the Lord, not the feats of the Saints. So how did
Thomas sneak into this honour reserved for the Lord? Can any canonised
do-gooder be foisted on to the Lord’s domain? Well, if you look more closely
you’ll understand that there wouldn’t be a Thomas unless there was a Jesus.
Were it not for Jesus, Thomas would have lived and died in Palestine and no one
would have coined the expression “doubting Thomas.”
It is in St. John’s Gospel that Thomas emerges as a
personality. There are three scenes in John’s Gospel where we meet with Thomas
the apostle.
Scene one: Jesus is at work across the Jordan
away from Jerusalem. Martha sends word that Lazarus, her brother and Jesus’
friend is ill. Two days after receiving the news, Jesus decides to go to
Lazarus, who by then is dead. The disciples are jittery about going to
Jerusalem where hatred and enmity towards Jesus has been growing; they’d rather
not take the risk. But Thomas speaks up: “let us go that we may die with him.”
To share fully in the life and perils of Christ: that is what Thomas is ready
to embrace.
Scene two: the discourse after the Last Supper. Jesus
has been telling the apostles about his departure from this world, about his
return to the Father, to prepare a place for them. This sort of talk went above
their heads; so Thomas, speaking on their behalf, asks: “Lord, we do not know
where you are going, so how can we know the way?” Jesus gives the never-before-heard reply: “I
am the Way, I am the Truth and I am the Life.” We owe to Thomas this mysterious
but beautiful revelation of who Jesus is. Through Jesus Christ the Father takes
possession of us. Thomas’ question not merely manifests his ignorance, but also
his searching and probing mind, his desire for clarity and comprehension.
Scene three is the
Gospel about the ‘doubting Thomas’. It gives us a glimpse of two sides of
Thomas. First, the unbelieving Thomas will submit only after some physical
assessment of the body of Jesus. (Could our friend have been an MBBS?) Jesus
takes on Tom on the latter’s terms and invites him to do the physical. Which
brings us to the other side: Thomas the unbeliever is demolished and in his
place Thomas the humble proclaimer: “My Lord and my God!” This is the most
beautiful confession of faith ever recorded in human literature. Jesus replies
with that last and most reassuring beatitude: “Blessed are they who have not
seen and yet believe.”
In all these three scenes Thomas is presented as a man of
loyalty and courage. He is ready to share the lot of Christ. Yet, like the
other apostles, he lacks understanding. Not one of them really understood
Jesus. His whole person, his words and deeds are from and to the Father. So
when Jesus speaks of his departure to the Father, they are nonplussed. Thomas
has the courage to confess his ignorance and ask for clarification. When he’s in
doubt, he says so; he can show himself different from the others. He even puts
conditions to Christ. And when the light of truth shines on him he is humble
and receptive. We often speak of the doubting Thomas; but we oughtn’t to forget
the loyal and courageous Thomas; the questioning and searching Thomas; the
open, humble and adoring Thomas. And is there anything to stop us internalising
these qualities for ourselves and our countrymen? We thank God for giving
Thomas as our apostle, and pray for our country in a special way. We shall pray
that our nation, known for its relentless search for God from time immemorial,
may come to recognise and accept Jesus Christ as their Saviour.
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