In today’s Gospel, belief is a main theme – Jesus urges Thomas to be believing, not unbelieving, and the author also urges us to believe.
For many years now, people have been drifting away from regular Mass attendance. People speculate on the reasons for this and there is probably a combination of reasons. But one possibility is: They don’t believe any more, or at least their belief has weakened.
• It may be harder to believe today because of the conditions of society. For a long time, people took faith for granted. We assumed that we all believed in God, and Jesus Christ, and life after death. We spent our time talking about what we do, not what we believe.
We need to take a hard look at our faith, because we can’t take faith for granted. Faith is a gift of God, but it takes participation, courage and conviction to believe. You have to take a risk. You have to think about faith and reflect on it. You have to be attentive to it and wrestle with it.
• Belief gives color and meaning to life and to death, and even to suffering. When you have faith, you are no longer dealing with a flat, dull world. It is luminous with the presence of God, and holds the promise of a destiny in God’s hands. It brings life and verve to our existence. And it is always within reach of everyone.
• Don’t ever take belief for granted. Think about it. There’s more to faith than simply coming to Mass, but, my, how it helps to gather at Eucharist. This is where we experience God’s presence in a unique way.
It’s where we come together with other people who honestly admit their belief.
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