Father Albertus Herwanta, O. Carm
Today's reading, especially the second and the gospel, speaks about seeing and believing. The relationship between seeing and believing is central to Christian faith, yet Scripture consistently inverts the world's assumption that "seeing is believing." The difference between the two is between empirical proof and trusting relationships.
The Scriptural Order: Faith Without Sight
1 Peter 1:8 directly addresses the Christians who have never seen Christ physically: "Although you have never seen Him, you love Him, and without seeing, you now believe in Him." The Greek text uses perfect participles—"not having seen" and "not seeing now"—emphasizing a continuing condition of sensory absence that does not hinder genuine faith. Peter acknowledges that these believers experience "inexpressible and glorious joy" precisely because their faith works without visual confirmation.
In John 20:29, Jesus reinforces it: "Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe." Thomas demanded physical proof—to see and touch the wounds—and Jesus granted it but pronounced a greater blessing on those who believe without such evidence. This suggests that faith based solely on sight is actually weaker, not stronger.
Does Faith Require Seeing?
Faith, by definition, concerns the unseen. Hebrews 11:1 declares that faith is, "the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen." The person who saw Jesus physically in the Gospels could still walk away sad, like the rich young ruler. Physical sight guarantees nothing. Conversely, millions who never witnessed the resurrection have loved Christ passionately.
Does Seeing Guarantee Belief?
The Pharisees saw Jesus' miracles firsthand yet rejected Him. Judas witnessed everything and still betrayed Him. Seeing provides evidence, but belief requires a volitional response of trust that no amount of physical proof can compel.
The Church Fathers Teach
For the Church Fathers, seeing and believing are not opposites but different modes of knowing—one earthly and temporary, the other spiritual and eternal.
Saint John Chrysostom explains that Thomas was not rebuked for wanting evidence but for delaying belief until he saw. Chrysostom notes that Christ allowed the touch not to satisfy doubt but to heal unbelief, teaching that future believers would be more blessed because their faith relies on testimony, not senses.
Saint Augustine deepens it: the bodily eye sees flesh; the heart's eye sees truth. He writes that Thomas "saw and touched the man but confessed to God, the One he did not see nor touch." Physical sight saw wounds; faith saw divinity. Thus, seeing does not guarantee belief, nor does the absence of sight prevent it.
Conclusion
Seeing and believing operate in different realms. Sight belongs to the body; faith belongs to the heart. One does not produce the other necessarily. True faith does not require sight beforehand, and sight does not guarantee belief afterward. The blessed ones are those who, like the first Christian generations, trust the unseen Christ based on trustworthy testimony. And by believing, they truly see.
We are also blessed because we believe, although we live two thousand years after Jesus appeared to His disciples and do not see Jesus. (*)