REFLECTION:

Ever had a kid that asks a lot of questions? Well, my five-year-old nephew asks a lot of questions. Some are very good questions. Some make you wonder where in the world he came up with them. But one thing is certain: he asks because he wants to learn. He wants to understand what's happening around him.

I'm much the same way. Whenever I begin serving at a new parish or school, I ask a lot of questions. Why do we do this? What is the purpose behind this event? How did this tradition begin? Who is this person? What is the history here? I don't ask because I'm trying to criticize anyone. I ask because I want to understand before making decisions. Questions, when asked with humility, are often signs of a person who desires wisdom.

Today, as we celebrate the Feast of Saint Thomas the Apostle, we meet another man who wasn't afraid to ask questions.

In fact, Thomas asked questions more than once in the Gospel. At the Last Supper he asked Jesus, "Lord, we do not know where you are going; how can we know the way?" Because of that question, Jesus gave us one of the most beautiful verses in all of Scripture: "I am the way, and the truth, and the life."

Then after the Resurrection, Thomas asked another question—not with words this time, but with his heart. When the other apostles told him they had seen the Lord, he replied that he needed to see Jesus for himself before he could believe.

Thomas has been labeled "Doubting Thomas," but I think that title misses the point. Thomas was not running away from Jesus. He wanted an authentic encounter with the Risen Lord. He wasn't satisfied with secondhand faith. He wanted to know Christ personally.

What is beautiful is how Jesus responds.

Jesus does not embarrass Thomas. He does not scold him for asking questions. Instead, eight days later, Jesus comes directly to him and says, "Put your finger here... Bring your hand and put it into my side."

Jesus met Thomas exactly where he was.

I think many of us can relate to Thomas. We have questions about God. We wonder why prayers sometimes seem unanswered. We question why suffering exists, why people leave the Church, why good people experience hardship, or why certain things happen in our families, workplaces, schools, or parishes.

God is not afraid of our honest questions.

The danger is not asking questions. The danger is asking questions without ever bringing them to Jesus.

Thomas stayed with the community of believers. He continued searching. And because he remained open, his questions eventually led him to make one of the greatest professions of faith found anywhere in Scripture: "My Lord and my God!"

Notice how Thomas' story ends. He is no longer remembered for his questions but for his faith. According to the ancient tradition of the Church, he carried the Gospel farther than almost any of the other apostles, even to India, where he gave his life for Christ. The man remembered for his questions became one of the Church's greatest missionaries.

Perhaps today the Lord is inviting us to do the same. Ask your questions. Seek understanding. Learn more about your faith. Don't be afraid to wrestle with what you do not understand. But don't stop there. Bring every question to Jesus.

Because when our questions are guided by humility and a sincere desire for truth, they don't weaken our faith—they deepen it. And perhaps, like Thomas, one day our questions will lead us to say with even greater conviction, "My Lord and my God."