When Jesus appeared to the Apostles after the Resurrection, St. Thomas wasn’t there. And when the other apostles told him about what they had seen, he wouldn’t believe it. He even said, “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe.” I imagine this annoyed the other apostles! When Jesus appeared again a week later, Thomas saw him and believed. He was not only convinced that Jesus had risen from the dead, but he realized that Jesus was God.
Since St. Thomas was slow to believe, he is often called “doubting Thomas”. But there is a lot more to Thomas than that! It might be better to call him “Missionary Thomas”.
Earlier in the Gospel, when Jesus was setting out for Jerusalem where he would be crucified, Thomas said to the other disciples, “Let us go and die with him”. At the Last Supper, Jesus told the disciples that he would be going to the Father to prepare a place for them. Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going; how can we know the way?” In response, Jesus explained that he himself is the way to the Father. The only way to God is through Jesus.
After the Resurrection, Jesus told Thomas and the other apostles that he would be with them until the end of time. Even though he was going to ascend into Heaven, he would never leave them. On the day of Pentecost, Thomas was with the other apostles in the upper room. The Holy Spirit descended upon them, and suddenly they were full of courage and ready to tell the whole world about Jesus.
Like the other apostles, Thomas set out to preach the Gospel. He certainly traveled to many unfamiliar places where he did not know the way, and he did go with Jesus, since Jesus went with him. Even though he had not died with Jesus in Jerusalem, he eventually died with and for Jesus as a martyr. According to some traditions, Thomas traveled all the way to India, where he established several churches.
Unlike St. Thomas, we weren’t given the privilege of seeing Jesus after the Resurrection. And we probably aren’t called to found Christian churches in India. But like St. Thomas, we can act as witnesses of the Resurrection every day of our lives.