Doubting Thomas

In a high school theology class, we were once asked to write a paper about the character with whom we most identified in the Gospel of John, using examples from the gospel to explain our choice. Most of the girls in the class chose Mary Magdalene, the only major female character named in this gospel besides Mary, the Mother of God.

I was the only person who chose Thomas, the Apostle—“Doubting Thomas.” I recall writing about how I too often questioned God. This is not who I aspired to be, but I did feel that I identified with this character in his uncertainty and hesitation to simply believe what others told him without proof. I am a scientist; I seek verification for the things that I am told. “Show me your data,” I frequently ask of my students in the laboratory.


This more than decade old association with Thomas the Apostle spurred my interest in reviewing The Doubter's Novena: Nine Steps to Trust with the Apostle Thomas by Mike Aquilina and Christopher Bailey. The structure of each day of the novena is consistent: beginning with scriptural and historical information about Thomas, it then transitions into a reflection on how we can be “Just like Thomas…”, and concludes with a prayer drawn from a traditional source, directed either at God or appealing to the Apostle for his intercession.

While it is clearly structured as a novena and I enjoyed praying it, one could easily read this concise book in a single sitting. Its small size made it easy to carry on a recent trip, and it will likely accompany me to the Adoration Chapel in the future. I appreciated that the book acknowledged where information about the historical Thomas is potentially questionable due to its source, often affiliated with Gnosticism and the “Acts of Thomas.”

“But doubt is never an end in itself. What we’ve forgotten in our skeptical age is that doubt is a means. In fact, it’s one of the essential steps toward certainty.
Without doubt, there could be no knowledge. No one would ever ask, 'How do you know that?'
And this is the real story of Thomas in the Gospel. The doubt is the beginning of the story. The end is the certainty: 'My Lord and My God.'” (page 34)

“The biblical Thomas is best known as the doubter. But it was he who launched devotion to the Sacred Heart—arguably the most recognizably Catholic devotion in the world—when he cured his doubt by gazing upon Jesus’ wounded side.” (page 15)

Perhaps this month devoted to the Sacred Heart would be a good time to learn more about the character at the origin of this devotion.

Note: I received a complimentary copy of his book from the Catholic Company in exchange for this honest review of the book. Visit the Catholic Company for more information about this book; they are also a great source for a Catechism of the Catholic Church or a Catholic Bible.