“Whenever we hear the name of St. Thomas, we immediately think of one description: “Doubting Thomas.” But I think that is a little unfair. Thomas was not a man who refused to believe. He was a man who sincerely struggled to believe. He wanted a faith that was real.

There is one detail in today’s Gospel that has always intrigued me. St. John tells us that Thomas was called Didymus, which means “the Twin.” But have you ever noticed? The Gospel never tells us who his twin was.

Maybe that is not an accident. Maybe the Gospel leaves the identity of the twin blank because each one of us is meant to fill in the space. Perhaps we are Thomas’ twin.

Isn’t that true? Like Thomas, we have moments of faith, but we also have moments of doubt. We pray for a sick loved one, but the illness continues. We ask God for guidance, but the answer seems delayed. We look at our country and wonder why corruption, violence, fake news, and division seem so strong. Sometimes we quietly ask, “Lord, where are You?”

If you have ever asked those questions, don’t be discouraged. You are in good company. Even an apostle asked them.

The beautiful part of today’s Gospel is not Thomas’ doubt. It is Jesus’ patience. The Lord did not say, “Thomas, because you doubted Me, you are no longer one of My apostles.” No. Eight days later, Jesus came back. I like to imagine that He came back especially for Thomas. He knew exactly what Thomas needed. With great tenderness He said, “Put your finger here. See My hands. Bring your hand and place it in My side. Do not be unbelieving, but believe.”

What a beautiful Lord we have! When our faith becomes weak, Jesus does not become impatient. He comes closer. He does not push us away because of our questions. He invites us to bring those questions to Him.

Thomas then made one of the greatest professions of faith in the entire Bible: “My Lord and my God!” The man who once doubted became the man who believed so deeply that he eventually gave his life preaching Christ. Tradition even tells us that he reached India to proclaim the Gospel. His doubt did not define him. His faith did.

My brothers and sisters, perhaps our doubts can also become doors to a deeper faith, if we bring them to Jesus instead of running away from Him.

Let me end with a simple story.

A young boy was flying a kite on a cloudy afternoon. The kite had gone so high that it disappeared behind the clouds.

A man passing by asked, “What are you doing?”

“I’m flying my kite,” the boy replied.

The man looked up and said, “But I don’t see any kite.”

The boy smiled and said, “Neither do I.”

“Then how do you know it’s still there?”

The boy held up the string and answered, “Because I can still feel it pulling.”

——

Isn’t that how faith often is?

There are days when we cannot clearly see God. He seems hidden behind the clouds of suffering, disappointment, or uncertainty. But if we pay attention, we can still feel His gentle pull—in the peace that comes after prayer, in the strength to forgive, in the kindness of another person, in the love of our family, and especially every time we receive Jesus in the Holy Eucharist.

So today, let us remember that perhaps Thomas is called the Twin because his twin is every one of us.

Like Thomas, we sometimes struggle. Like Thomas, we sometimes question. But also like Thomas, we are invited to make the greatest confession of faith: “My Lord and my God!”

May that prayer be on our lips today, and may it be reflected in the way we live tomorrow.”