“By Divine Providence, Thomas, was not present at the burial of the life-giving body of the Mother of God, but arrived on the third day, he was greatly saddened for not having witnessed her funeral and burial. By a common decision all the Apostles opened the tomb so that this Apostle could venerate the body of the Theotokos. Opening the tomb, they were all astonished. For they found the tomb was lacking the body…” - Synaxarion of the Feast of the Dormition(1)
Reflection:
Do we ever feel frustrated or sad that certain life-events or ‘progress’ in our life (schooling, job opportunity, marriage, etc) are not happening when we expect?
Thomas was late to both Christ’s Resurrection, and the Theotokos’ funeral and burial. However, had it not been for Thomas being late we would not have had crucial details about our own salvation revealed to us. God allowed Thomas to be absent when Christ first appeared to the disciples, in order for the details of Christ's resurrected body to be revealed in scripture. These details help us learn about our salvation of both body and soul, informing our daily decisions.
God allowed Thomas to be late to the funeral and burial of the Theotokos, so that we could learn about the Theotokos’ bodily resurrection/assumption by her son and our God(2) - prefiguring the bodily Resurrection for all humanity.
In both situations God allowed Thomas to be late, not having the timing he would have wished for. We read that Thomas was saddened, we can guess even disappointed, because he was living the moment from his perspective rather than God’s perspective(3)(what is best for us in our salvation).
God’s timing in our lives is perfect. Sometimes it is very difficult to see how, but opportunities in our lives do present themselves and come together when it is best for us, according to God’s knowledge and Will. This in part, presupposes that our relationship with Christ is growing, and that we are humble enough to listen to His gentle direction. Just like Thomas, what we may perceive as a delay, might allow for a larger blessing in our lives. “God has foreknowledge, but He does not pre-ordain. For God there is no past, present, and future.”(4) Let us trust in Him.
Some people say, “When it is not in God’s time, you cannot force it. When it is in God’s time, you cannot stop it.” In as much as we are humble enough to recognize and follow God’s Will, this may be true. We must always have our hearts and minds open to paths and opportunities that we have not previously considered.
Ultimately we are responsible for choosing with our free will the direction of our lives. God's timing may be hinted through our circumstances or through other people, but we must choose to love God and neighbor and follow His Will. Let us live in a way that is close and open to God so that we may discern His Will in our lives, since He, our loving Creator, knows what is best for us.
