Today we are celebrating the second Sunday of Easter, which is also Divine Mercy Sunday. In today’s gospel, we read about the apostle Thomas, who famously doubted the resurrection of Christ. Thomas had been absent when Jesus appeared to the disciples after his resurrection, and when his fellow apostles told him about it, he refused to believe. He said, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.” But a week later, Jesus appeared to the disciples again, and this time Thomas was present. Jesus showed him his wounds and said, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.” At that moment, Thomas was transformed. He went from being a skeptic to a believer, and he proclaimed, “My Lord and my God!”. This is one of the most dramatic and transformative journeys a person can take: the journey from unbelief to radical belief. But what happens in between? What happened in the community and in the heart of Thomas during this week that separated the two apparitions of Jesus? How does it help us in our journey of faith?

Many spiritual leaders suggest that in today’s world, one should be either a radical believer or an unbeliever, an ascetic or a self-indulgent Christian. However, the reality is that most believers are still on their journey of faith. Even faith, which is a once-and-for-all act of submission of the will and intellect, remains a process. It is a journey in which, after the first profession of faith, we start experiencing unanswered questions, doubts, confusions, fear, setbacks, limits, which at times are mingled with beautiful experiences of joy, peace, certainty; plus, many reasons to believe, hope, and keep going. What the Evangelist tells us about Thomas is the crossing from one extreme of faith to the other: "I shall not believe," making him a skeptic, and "My God and my Lord," making him a radical believer.

However, it would be interesting to think about the week between Thomas’ declaration of unbelief and his proclamation of faith and to stir our imagination about what might have been happening in the heart of the apostle for such a long time. After taking such a strong stand against the testimony of his companions, for a long week, Thomas must have started wondering silently: “But maybe they are right. How could all of them, on one accord, lie to me? Maybe it is true... but anyway, I need some proof!” It is the vacillation between faith and unbelief for a whole long week that sometimes characterizes many believers in the Pilgrim Church on earth. Although many start with (strong) faith at baptism, we find ourselves still vacillating between sin and fidelity, courage and discouragement, hope and hopelessness, fear and boldness, and we journey with all of them, hoping that the best virtues will prevail.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus said, “Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.” In fact, we are blessed because we have come to faith just by the testimony of others, but we cannot ignore the persisting longing for evidence, proof, signs, miracles, and visions that are rampant among some contemporary Christians. We cannot ignore our longing to see, touch, and even possess the cross, the real image of Jesus. We cannot ignore that at times our adoration for Jesus becomes difficult and dry when we don’t have these representations of Him, whose importance I dare not question in my own faith.

The week between these two apparitions of Jesus is a time of journeying in faith. It may represent for the Christians a time of confusion, a time of silent growth in faith, which may include some “dark night of the soul”, some dryness, some longings, and some cravings. It is a time to test the faith, purify it, and let go of our unbelief. A time to endure and bear with those who do not believe with the same degree of our faith (imagine that Thomas remained with the other disciples even though he contested their testimony). It is also a time to encourage those who are struggling with faith and help them on their journey toward authentic faith.

Finally, it doesn’t matter how shy, confused, reluctant, doubtful, or sinful you are in your journey of faith. What matters is the capacity to continue searching and, when you encounter Jesus, to make everything meaningful by accepting Him, believing in Him, and committing to Him like Thomas who signed his faith and commitment by the shortest creed ever: “My Lord and my God”. All our struggles, failures, shortcomings, and sins are at the end covered by the relentless and untiring mercy of God. He who did not chastise Thomas for his lack of faith gives us numerous opportunities to have a personal encounter with Him so that we may grow in faith, hope, and charity. Therefore, while we are still on this journey of faith, we have all the reasons to say, Jesus, my Lord and my God, I trust in You.