[A reflection on the Gospel for today's Mass, which may be found here.]
"Prove it."
"Show it to me."
"Seeing is believing."
The above phrases illustrate how much we, either as a culture or a species, mistrust spoken or written testimony. Legally we would call these claims allegations, elsewhere we call them rumour, or speculation, or any other of a number of words, usually negative, that cast doubt and aspersion and even scorn on a report presented as a fact.
Granted, some go in the other direction, swallowing everything there hear as an infallible pronouncement, checking their God-given reason at the door. Whether it is a demagogue providing baseless and harmful medical advice, confusing metaphor for fact, or assigning great mystic meaning to an astronomical event solely because it happens over a particularly (in their mind) favoured spot of geography (ye that predict the Rapture during an eclipse in total ignorance of Our Lord's telling us we cannot predict the (unrelated) Day of the Lord, I'm looking at YOU).
So when it comes to one of what people consider Christianity's most wild claim, the Resurrection of Our Lord Jesus Christ from the Dead, either it is unquestioning acceptance or scorn visited upon the gullible. Those who accept do so blindly on an authority, whereas others won't believe even if Jesus Himself were to hit them between the eyes with a two-by-four. That is why He made a point after His Resurrection to visit as many of His friends and disciples as possible. After appearing to His women disciples, giving them the honour (blessing) of first witnesses and heralds, He visited two more on the road to Emmaus, then He visited the Eleven. This was so there would be corroboration, in many places, with more than the legally required two or three witnesses, that He did indeed rise from the Dead.
One bit of a problem...when He visited the Eleven, He actually visited the Ten. Thomas the Twin wasn't there. So when the others told him that they had actually seen and spoken with Jesus, Thomas told them they were nuts.
Um, that went well.
So a week later, they all gathered together again, and this time Thomas did not lose his invitation in the mail. The others were likely buzzing about Jesus' return from the dead, and what could that possibly mean, with Thomas rolling his eyes and wondering if he legally could get them all committed. Then the famous scene of Jesus appearing in their midst and banishing Thomas' doubts ensued.
The importance, however, is not limited to restoring the faith of one of the Eleven teetering on the brink. This was very important that all were on board with the testimony they were soon to unleash on the world, and Thomas would have one valuable piece above all other.
He actually touched the Risen Lord.
Not only would Thomas say that he saw Jesus, that he spoke with Jesus, no, he would also be able to say that he touched Jesus and that Jesus was as warm, alive, breathing, solid as any of us could ever hope to be. Jesus appeared to His Eleven best friends who would have no trouble recognizing Him, who would be able to sniff out a fraud in a heartbeat, who could then swear that indeed Jesus had risen from the Dead and that all of this was shown to them so they could tell it to us.
And Thomas had touched HIM, so that we might believe. That is why Thomas is so important.