In the Gospel passage for this week Thomas refuses to believe that the other disciples have seen Jesus risen from the dead (John 20:19-31). Thomas has the priceless gift of cutting to the heart of an issue. It was too soon for Jesus' body to have healed and so he wanted to see the nail marks to be sure that the person the other disciples had seen was the same man who had been crucified a few days earlier. Thomas' thought process can be summarised simply - once he had seen Jesus' suffering he was convinced by his new life. It is the same for us - suffering for others always brings with it the mark of new life. It is when we are care for others that we realise ourselves as authentically human.

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