Loading...
Loading...
Click here if you don’t see subscription options
John J. KilgallenMarch 27, 2008
The ’doubting Thomas’ story was intended to be the final story of the Johannine Gospel; Chapter 21 is a later addition to the Gospel. The Gospel of John had begun on the highest note: the Word which was God became equivalently Jesus of Nazareth. Throughout the Gospel the author means to have his reader remember always that the Jesus of the public life is the Word-made-flesh, that Word which was from the beginning and without which nothing came into being. This theme explains the wondrous story which is the culmination of the Evangelist’s effort. The story is a resurrection story, which builds on the prior absence of Thomas when the risen Jesus appeared to his chosen disciples. Thomas will believe that Jesus is risen from the dead only if he can touch Jesus, i.e. his wounds and wounded side. Once Jesus appears again to his friends, with Thomas present, the outcome is most unexpected. The logical response of Thomas to his being able to see and touch Jesus should have been: I believe you are risen from the dead. Instead, Thomas makes the leap which springs from the certitude that Jesus is risen: my Lord and my God. Finally, someone believes, as no one else had, in the full meaning of Jesus: Lord and God. To go beyond the resurrection, and all previous signs about Jesus, to the very core of Jesus - this is the finest fruit of the Gospel witness, and it is the hope of the Evangelist that whoever reads his story will reach that same belief, that Jesus is nothing less than my Lord and my God. John Kilgallen, SJ
Comments are automatically closed two weeks after an article's initial publication. See our comments policy for more.

The latest from america

“One of the things I find most appealing about the award-winning writer and poet Mary Karr is her forthright, almost brutal, honesty.”
James Martin, S.J.July 01, 2025
Pope Leo XIV urged new archbishops to help him foster unity in a church rich in diversity. Eight of those new archbishops are from the United States, and they spoke to Catholic News Service about how they can help promote fraternity in today’s polarized world.
This week on “Jesuitical,” Zac and Ashley chat with Christopher White about his new book, ‘Pope Leo XVI: Inside the Conclave and the Dawn of a New Papacy.’
JesuiticalJune 30, 2025
Kerry Weber, incoming president of the Catholic Media Association, and executive editor of America Magazine, speaks June 26, 2025, during the Catholic Media Conference in Phoenix. (OSV News photo/Bob Roller)
Kerry Weber is an executive editor for America. On May 20, 2025, the Catholic Media Association announced that she was elected president,
Grace LenahanJune 30, 2025