Faith and reason are two responses to encounters of the Holy. In John 20:19-31, the writer sets these responses apart in the disciples’ comments. For a long time in the church, however, all education, all “science” or knowing existed within the boundaries of religious oversight. Sadly, rather than embracing discovery and invention as Holy gifts, they were frequently perceived as heresy.
Those religious scholars needed to reread John. Jesus does not chastise Thomas for his questions or for his need for physical proof. Nor does Jesus treat faith without proof as a sign of naïveté or gullibility. Rather, he accepts the different ways his followers accommodate a difficult truth. The gospel of John encourages us to “know” ourselves through integrating Mystery that becomes reality for us. The disciples come to terms with their grief that things are different than they imagined, but that Jesus is and was and will become the Christos they loved and would only begin to know after the resurrection.
So I don’t think the story of Thomas is about a schism between faith and reason; rather, faith and reason form the base for spiritual development. Faith is bedrock that promises a foundation of relationship with the Holy, a spiritual home for the seeking heart and mind. Reason — questioning — is also a Holy gift that impels beyond the truth of today into the unfolding truth of tomorrow.
Judy Cannato said, “All our knowledge leads us to greater consciousness. Our knowing what we know is an act of self-transcendence, and our acting upon what we have learned will lead us to greater consciousness still.” (Radical Amazement)
At this time in history, we have folks who want to hide from learning about life, faith, the universe, while equally there are people asking deep spiritual questions that our religious institutions are just beginning to entertain. It is an exciting time for the church as we release ourselves to learning and to more profound consciousness.
In The Gnostic New Age, April DeConnick, says, “Gone is the God of damnation. Gone is the focus on sin and retribution. In its place is the God of Love that the Gnostics claimed to know. Separation from God and reunification with the sacred has become the story of salvation…. To be successful, religion today must promote personal well-being, health, and spiritual wholeness.”
I would say that the latter values have been held safely by the mystics and the cloistered for all of these centuries. At this time, though, faith and reason are beckoning us into an adventure, an ark to a renewed world, an exodus into liberation, a wilderness of testing and fulfilment. And at the end, whenever and whatever that may be, we are promised joy.
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