Low Sunday: Homily of St. Gregory the Great: "Blessed are they that have not seen, and have believed"

There was one of the twelve, Thomas, who is called Didymus, who was not with them when Jesus came. This disciple alone was absent; on his return, he learnt what had happened; but he refused to believe what he was told. Our Lord came a second time, and to this disciple who would not believe, he offered his side for him to touch, he showed him his hands, and showing him also the marks of the wounds in them, he cured in him the wounds of unbelief.

What do you notice in this passage? Do you think that it happened by chance that this chosen disciple was absent at that time, and afterwards coming, heard the news, and hearing doubted, that doubting, he touched, and touching, he believed? This did not happen by chance, but by divine dispensation. For the divine goodness brought it about in a wonderful way, that that doubting disciple, while touching the wounds in his master's flesh, should thereby heal the wounds of our unbelief. The unbelief of Thomas is more useful to our faith, than the faith of the believing disciples. While he is brought back to faith by touching, our minds are set free from doubt and established in the faith.

Blessed are those who have not seen, and yet have learned to believe. What great joy these words give us! These words apply especially to us, who cherish in our minds him whom we do not see in the flesh. They apply to us, but only if we carry out our faith in works. For he truly believes, who puts his faith into practice. Hence the Apostle says of those whose faith is only in words: They profess recognition of God, but their practice contradicts it. And the Apostle James says: Faith separated from good deeds is a dead faith. Here, my brethren, is the danger that you must fear; this is the thought to keep before you. We are now celebrating the Paschal festival: let us act all our life in such wise that we may come to the eternal festivals. All earth's solemnities are passing: let us watch that we be not excluded from the eternal solemnities. Today's feast is but a foreshadowing of the feasts to come. We take our share of spiritual joys on earth, let us excite in our souls a fervent desire for the eternal joys, so that one day, in our true country, we may rejoice with real delight in what on earth we meditate upon with the shadow of a delight.