Today we celebrate the feast of Saint Thomas the Apostle, who is considered a patron saint of India by a large section of the Indian Christian population. In today’s gospel we read how Thomas who had been away when the Lord appeared to the other disciples, refused to believe them when they told him they had seen the Lord. It could well be that they seemed like before, distraught and fearful. Thomas would have expected them to be upbeat, excited and not afraid if they had indeed seen the Lord. So, he could be justified in not believing them and wanting to have tangible proof himself. This tangible proof is provided to him by Jesus leading to Thomas’ exclamation of “My Lord and my God.” But then Jesus questions Thomas’ faith asking him whether it is so shallow that it rests on tangible signs. “Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed” possibly refers to all those who the disciples will preach to who never knew or saw Jesus and by extension refers to all of us Christians today who believe without any firsthand experience of the human Jesus. But this phrase could also be an invitation to each of us to a faith that is so deep that it does not need tangible signs or proofs. A faith that believes in and proclaims God’s active presence despite pain, suffering, fear, anxiety, and chaos surrounding us. A faith that keeps asking even if our prayers are not answered, a faith that keeps loving even if we experience rejection from others, a faith that keeps forgiving even if others refuse to forgive us, a faith that surrenders to God’s care for us regardless. Blessed are we indeed if can have such faith.