For those who find belief elusive, there is an  uncomfortable beatitude in today’s gospel. “Happy are those who have not seen and yet believe.” This can feel like a reproach to those of us who harbour doubts, but the important thing to remember is that doubt can be a good thing. Doubt means that we are still  questioning something that we care about. Doubt means that we are still looking for answers …..  that we are still learning and growing. Doubt is a tool that we can use to carve a mature faith. Belief isn’t something we either have or haven’t got … belief is a process, and the end product of that process, is one’s own spiritual self.

The story of ‘Doubting Thomas’ is aimed at all those generations of people who will not see the risen Lord, yet are asked to believe. So are we really being asked to believe in what we cannot see or hear or touch, when even those closest to Jesus had problems in accepting what was happening?

In today’s gospel we see Thomas struggling with a problem that many of us still struggle with today. Thomas desperately wanted to believe in the risen Jesus, but he wasn’t the sort of person to pretend he understood something when he didn’t. He wasn’t the sort of person that could pretend that he didn’t have doubts when he did. There are many of us today who desperately want deeper meaning in our lives. There are those amongst us who have become disillusioned with the Church and wish they could embrace what it once meant. There are many of us who would like to find a deeper faith but have found only stumbling blocks. Like Thomas, we find that the gap between faith and doubt too big a leap. The good news is that just as Jesus showed Thomas patience so he will be patient with us too. The good news is that just as     Jesus gave Thomas a way to forward his faith so too will we be shown a way forward if we want it enough.