MEDITATION TIPS — Second Sunday of Easter,
April 27, 2025

“Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe” (John 20:25).

　There is a Chinese proverb that says, “Suspicion breeds demons.” It means that when you harbor doubts in your mind, even an ordinary object may appear to be in the form of a demon in the darkness. In other words, preconceived notions and a suspicious mind can prevent you from judging things correctly, making mistakes more likely.

　This story comes from the “Shuo Fu” chapter of the Chinese classic, Liezi. A man lost his treasured axe and searched everywhere but couldn’t find it. He began to think that someone had stolen it. Then he began to think that the son next door was suspicious. Once this thought took hold, his neighbor’s son seemed increasingly suspicious—his attitude when they met seemed odd, his facial expressions and speech unnatural. The man became convinced that his neighbor's son had stolen the axe. However, he suddenly wondered if he might have left the axe by the river. When he went to check, sure enough, the axe was there. The story goes that he was sorry for doubting people, and when he looked at the neighbor’s son, his attitude and words were not a bit different from usual.

　When the resurrected Jesus appeared to his disciples, Thomas was not there. So, when the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!” (20:25), Thomas must have wondered why the Lord had appeared when he, of all people, was absent. He probably felt excluded. Once he started doubting, it truly became a case of “suspicion breeding ghosts.” In the darkness of his mind, a “devilish thought” emerged. “Unless I put my finger into the nail marks and my hand into His side, I will never believe!”

　Jesus appeared specifically for Thomas, who was in such a state of doubt and suspicion. And when Jesus said, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe” (20:27), Thomas, awakened from his delusion, exclaimed, “My Lord and my God!” (20:28), apologizing for his unbelief. In our daily lives, we too may sometimes suspect others out of our own selfish imagination or, in some cases, delusion, causing rifts in important relationships. To avoid such “suspicion bred demons” (idle fears born out of suspicion), when we feel unhealthy doubts in our minds, we need to regain our composure and ask ourselves if our current mental state is truly correct. The more convinced we are that we are in no way wrong, the greater the danger that actually lies ahead.

　 Certainly, Thomas doubted Jesus. Yet he was saved because he did not leave his fellow disciples. Had he believed he was excluded and left the group, he might never have encountered Jesus. We too, in our weakness, may sometimes doubt the Church or even God. Still, the important thing is not to distance ourselves from our fellow believers. As long as we stay connected with them, even in moments of wavering faith, someone will support and help us, and the path to encounter Jesus will open up again.

 　　　　　(Contributed by Father Yutaka Akabae)