Gospel in Art: Thomas replied, 'My Lord and my God!'

The Incredulity of Saint Thomas, by Paolo Moranda Cavazzola (1485-1522), Painted in 1520 © Museo di Castelvecchio, Verona, Italy

Source: Christian Art

Gospel of 7 April 2024
John 20:19-31

In the evening of that same day, the first day of the week, the doors were closed in the room where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews. Jesus came and stood among them. He said to them, 'Peace be with you', and showed them his hands and his side. The disciples were filled with joy when they saw the Lord, and he said to them again, 'Peace be with you.

'As the Father sent me,

so am I sending you.'

After saying this he breathed on them and said:

'Receive the Holy Spirit.

For those whose sins you forgive,

they are forgiven;

for those whose sins you retain,

they are retained.'

Thomas, called the Twin, who was one of the Twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. When the disciples said, 'We have seen the Lord', he answered, 'Unless I see the holes that the nails made in his hands and can put my finger into the holes they made, and unless I can put my hand into his side, I refuse to believe.' Eight days later the disciples were in the house again and Thomas was with them. The doors were closed, but Jesus came in and stood among them. 'Peace be with you' he said. Then he spoke to Thomas, 'Put your finger here; look, here are my hands. Give me your hand; put it into my side. Doubt no longer but believe.' Thomas replied, 'My Lord and my God!' Jesus said to him:

'You believe because you can see me. Happy are those who have not seen and yet believe.'

There were many other signs that Jesus worked and the disciples saw, but they are not recorded in this book. These are recorded so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing this you may have life through his name.

Reflection on the painting

What is probably the greatest confession of faith in Jesus in all of the four Gospels now comes out of the mouth of the great skeptic. When Thomas saw the Lord, he exclaimed, 'My Lord and my God'. He recognises Jesus in his full reality, as Lord and God, and does so in a very personal way, 'My Lord and my God'. The deepest faith is often found in those who have lived through a period of great spiritual darkness, a time of doubt and unbelief.

There is an element of doubt in all our believing. We all journey through life enveloped in darkness to some degree. We have moments where we feel God's presence as very real and tangible; other moments we feel he is distant. Even the great Saint Paul could say, 'now, we see in a mirror, dimly'. Some seem to have a much stronger experience of that spiritual darkness than others. In a way, Thomas is their patron saint. He shows that times of disturbing and isolating religious doubt can be the prelude to deeply rooted and richly expressed faith.

Eventually Thomas saw and believed, like the other disciples who saw the risen Lord and believed. However, what about us who have not seen the Lord in the way that those original eyewitnesses saw him? It is to us that Jesus addresses the final beatitude in all of the gospels, 'Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe'. Jesus acknowledges that our faith is every bit as genuine as the faith of the original eyewitnesses, those who saw and believed.

In our early 16th century painting by Cavazzola, we see figure of Christ wearing a white robe and surrounded by a gilded mandorla (almond-shaped aureole of light surrounding the entire figure of Christ), of which only traces of gilding remain. In the background we see the Ascension represented in an open landscape on the left and Pentecost set in a ruined apse on the right.

LINKS

Gospel in Art: https://christian.art/
Today's Reflection: https://christian.art/daily-gospel-reading/john-20-19-31-2024/
Competition: The Laudamus Award 2024 for Sacred Art - www.indcatholicnews.com/news/49310