We Can Be Heroes

We all have heroes. Heroes are important. They serve as guides, as mentors, as a source of inspiration and consolation.

Here are a few of my heroes. Marcus Aurelius, the Stoic philosopher and Roman Emperor, author of the powerful and profound Meditations. Paul Robeson, the scholar, linguist, athlete, lawyer, singer, actor, and human rights activist. Anne Sexton, the brilliant but tormented poet and playwright from whose suffering arose a rich harvest of literature.

All these people have one thing in common. They were gifted but flawed, and struggled their whole lives to overcome that quality in themselves which undermined their humanity. In a sense, they are the human condition writ large.

Which is why the Apostle Thomas is one of my greatest heroes. “Thomas the Doubter” as he is commonly known, is almost always understood as a cautionary tale against inadequate faith: “Happy those who have not seen and yet believe”.

Yet I take a very different view. The locked upstairs room with its bolted doors and shuttered windows is a powerful metaphor representing the prison of fear and despair into which all the Disciples had plunged after the Crucifixion. Nor did the Disciples initially believe Mary Magdalene when she informed them that Christ had risen; it took an appearance from Jesus himself to convince them. In other words, they were all doubters, every one of them.

So what was different about Thomas? Quite simply, he had the courage of his doubts, and the strength of character to acknowledge and articulate his uncertainties. And in doing so, he offered his fear and uncertainty to Christ, and opened himself – made himself utterly and trustingly vulnerable - to God. Nor do I think Christ’s response can be taken as a rebuke: it might have been a correction, certainly, but is it not also possible that it may have been a somewhat wistful observation about human nature? Afterall, why should the Son of Man be lacking a sense of humour, however ironic?

In other words, Thomas is my hero because his relationship to God was the most human and therefore the most honest. And that’s what I call a strong faith: the honesty to doubt, and the courage to trust. And the willingness to offer it all to God.

Talk to you soon,

BB

Quote for the Day: Such as are your habitual thoughts, so also will be the character of your soul; for the soul is dyed in the mind. (Marcus Aurelius)