In a world filled with artificial intelligence, avatars and photoshop, we can easily wonder if we really see what we think we see. What or who is real? If Jesus appeared today, would we believe or would we think that we were victims of some kind of computer graphic games?

With that background, our doubting Thomas does not seem that strange at all. “Believe none of what you hear and only half of what you see” is an often quoted saying. Thomas would have none of that. Hearing and seeing are not enough for him. He wants to see the marks left by the nails and touch those wounds and put his hand into the wounded side of Jesus before he will believe. He truly deserves the title “Doubting Thomas.”

Are we that different from Thomas? In other words, how strong is our faith in Jesus? Are we always looking for signs of God’s presence? Even more, do we tell God what signs he needs to give us?

In fact, Jesus is present to us in many ways, ways that only the eyes of faith can recognize. Our first encounter with Jesus came on the day of our baptisms when we or our parents on our behalf accepted God, accepted his mercy, and proclaimed our faith and belief in what he taught.

Our faith grew until we approached the sacrament of reconciliation and accepted God’s mercy once again and asked God to forgive our sins. In today’s Gospel passage, Jesus gives his disciples that awesome ability to forgive sins.

Our faith pushed us forward to receive Jesus’ body and blood in the sacrament of the Eucharist. That same faith brings us here each Sunday and even more frequently to celebrate that Eucharist, that body and blood of Christ that Thomas was able to touch with his hands and see with his eyes, but we see and touch with our lives and eyes of faith. This Eucharist affirms and strengthens our daily participation in life so that we can truly experience this life-presence of God in our ordinary daily living.

Our faith brought us to the sacrament of confirmation. At baptism, God says “yes” to us, but in confirmation, that will be celebrated in so many of our parishes this spring, our candidates will say “yes” to God because faith has brought them to that point.

Faith allows couples to commit themselves in matrimony so that they can build up the Body of Christ with their children and live in harmony with one another.

Faith motivates some to become ordained priests and deacons in our Church so that they can live their vocation in dedicated service to the members of Christ’s body.

Finally, God comes to us in faith when our lives become weak, and we need his spiritual comfort for body and soul in the anointing of the sick.

Life itself can challenge our faith, the existence of God, the value of Church, the truth of our doctrines. These challenges can gnaw on our belief systems, but through it all we must remain firm and solid.

Our faith is real; our beliefs are real; the objects of our faith are real. Yes, sometimes like Thomas, we want to see, feel and touch. We cannot do that as did Thomas, but we have a great affirmation by Jesus that applies to all of us: “Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.”

So, today’s scriptures remind us, people of faith, that we are blessed, blessed in our faith, in our beliefs, and in our lives. We pray that, like Thomas, we may be able to proclaim: “My Lord and my God!”