Thomas' Doubt And Devotion

During this Easter season, the Church presents us with the various meetings and appearances of Our Risen Lord to His Apostles and disciples. Today we meet up with Thomas. Personally I think Thomas sometimes gets a bad rap. He has been branded with the title of Doubting Thomas. Granted, he did want hard evidence of Our Lord's resurrection, but when finally presented with this most sacred evidence, it drove him to his knees and he uttered the most beautiful act of faith in the words "My Lord and My God!"
Thomas accepted Jesus' invitation to touch His sacred wounds. I sometimes wonder if when Thomas said he wanted to do this, he actually believed it would happen. But it did happen and in touching Our Lord's sacred wounds Thomas may have been the first to venerate and show devotion to them.
I know that at times I can be a little like Thomas and feel the need for hard evidence in the matters of my spiritual life. It is at those times I need to remember Thomas' act of faith and devotion.
Our Lord kept His sacred wounds in His glorified body; He didn't have to do this. They are a reminder to us of the suffering He endured out of the great love He has for each of us. They are also a source of devotion.
Divine Mercy Sunday is also celebrated today. I love that we hear about Thomas on this day because we see in the Gospel Our Lord pouring out His Divine Mercy upon Thomas in the way that He treats his doubt. He doesn't berate him, but gently reminds him that he believes because he sees, but blessed are those who believe without seeing. Well not to contradict Our Lord, but in Thomas' defense, he did not have over 2000 years of Salvation History as we do. We may not have Jesus here with us with His skin on, but He is just as present under the veils of the Holy Eucharist. We, like Thomas, can come before Our Lord and utter that same act of faith: "My Lord and My God!"
Blood and water gushed forth from the wound in Our Lord's side. Through this His Divine Mercy is poured out on all of us. We can enter this mercy through devotion to Jesus' sacred wounds. What a wonderful place of refuge they are!

Jesus, my Lord and my God, I trust in You!