Believers? Thomas and Nicodemus

Belief/faith is depicted in the scriptural readings this week, starting with Thomas' journey from doubt to fervent belief, to Nicodemus' vacillating faith, and the reminder today that Christ comes because of God's love for us, not to condemn, but to save. We are asked to believe in Him.

The scriptural commentary I read noted that the word "belief" derives from an old word "lief" meaning love. So belief is connected with love, as are all other important values! John 3:16 ("God so loved the world that he gave his only-begotten Son . . .") conveys that God loves us, and asks us in return for "belief" in that love, meaning that we are to respond in love to God's love. Belief is the proper return we make (in love) to love. Love is the coin of the realm, God's realm that is made of love and lives on love. And so belief is a recognition of God's love, and a grateful response in love: forgiveness in response to hatred; compassion in response to coldness; a helping hand to the limping.

As Nicodemus was a "creature of the shadows" (Living With Christ, April 2012, p. 91), and as Thomas emerged out of his doubt into fervent faith ("My Lord and my God!"), we are called to move into fervent faith in action, into belief acted out in love.

Listen to Phil Ochs, "Ballad of the Carpenter"