The one who comes from above is above all. John 3:31

Recently, I was listening to a podcast on Saint Thomas Aquinas. Included in the program was an anecdote about an experience that he had near the end of his life. In short, this experience - a revelation - compelled Thomas to abandon his work of completing his Summa Theologiae. In fact, he came to characterize his writings as 'straw' in comparison to what he had seen in this revelation. Though Thomas was an intellectual giant as a theologian, this was infinitesimally small when placed against what he saw. 

In the history of Christianity, so much has been written on God. So much thought and discussion on God's nature, God's will, God's love, humanity's place in God's plan. This desire to know God is right and proper and Thomas was among the best the Church has ever known in writing about God. Still, what was revealed to him - while not necessarily negating what he had written - relegated his towering work to mere straw. Reflecting on today's scripture, this story of Thomas is what came to mind because, just as Thomas' previous work was dwarfed by what he saw, the Sanhedrin's ire is dismissed by the Apostles precisely because what they had experienced - Jesus' resurrection - eclipsed whatever admonishment the Sanhedrin could deliver. They could not be swayed from their resolve in carrying out Jesus' directive.

Unlike the Apostles, we did not see Jesus resurrected. What a gift that must have been. Yet, we are called to share their resolve in proclaiming Jesus as Lord and sharing the Gospel with our whole lives. For this, Jesus said we are blessed. This requires not the intellectual prowess of Thomas Aquinas. In fact, we have heard from him how little that matters anyway. Let us, instead, lean on our faith in Jesus and share the love that is God with one another.