#doubting Thomas

[namarikonda]

Jesus showing off his top surgery scars to the boys (John. 20:27)

[tomicscomics]

04/25/2025

Guess Who!

___

JOKE-OGRAPHY: 1. In this Bible story, the apostles are hiding in fear and regret after Jesus's crucifixion. Suddenly, the resurrected Jesus shows up and they all rejoice. Well, all of them except Judas (who was... indisposed... if you catch my meaning) and Thomas (who presumably had errands). Later, when Thomas rejoins the apostles, they tell him they saw Jesus, but Thomas refuses to believe it. He's logical, but also very emotional after Christ's death. He needs to see and feel the wounds himself to believe. Days later, Jesus reappears while Thomas is with the apostles, and He offers for Thomas to feel His wounds. Thomas is amazed and believes now that he's seen, but Jesus blesses those who believe WITHOUT seeing. 2. In this cartoon, Peter tells Thomas about Jesus's appearance, and, as in the story, Thomas doesn't believe him. However, unlike in the story, as Thomas begins his declaration of doubt, Jesus sneaks up behind him and puts His hands over his eyes, urging Thomas to guess Who's behind him. The old "guess who" gag is popular among friends... so I'm told... though rarely do participants have giant see-through nail-wounds in their hands, defeating the purpose of covering someone's eyes. This is not only hilarious and funny, but also reverent and hole-y.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: One of my most popular comics, remastered for the modern age! This is a "Tomics Ascension," where I've taken a previously-redrawn comic (a "Tomics Resurrection") and redrawn it again! For my full breakdown of the previous versions, check out my latest free Patreon post, in which I bear my dark and tortured artist soul to the world for no money at all!

[sleazyjanet]

« then saith he to thomas [...] reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing »

[thestarsarewinning]

[mybrainwontcooperate]

Thanks to user @thestarsarewinning for pointing out the visual parallel; now I can't get it out of my head.

The side wound of Christ also comes with its own set of implications that are very apt for what is being revealed here -- medieval mystics were a wild bunch y'all. I have so many thoughts about the dynamics between these two, none of them coherent at this point. Unwavering faith given freely in the face of doubt, devotion that transcends the boundaries of the sacred and the profane -- dear god Harris/Straughan why would you write something like this *buries face in hand and sobs*

1. SALUTARE TUUM*, white charcoal on black paper, 8 × 5 "

2. The Incredulity of Saint Thomas by Caravaggio

*'[For mine eyes have seen] thy salvation' from the Nunc Dimittis.

This is all very 'old man yelling at clouds'-esque; you'd have to physically gag me to make me shut up about this movie.

[wgat-fr]

okk i posted this in the conclavement community but i need more people to see and validate my insanity

ok so i saw this tiktok edit and the caption was "when you finally decide to stand up and believe in yourself but God shoves you back down in your seat after not answering your calls for weeks /:" abt thomas cardinal lawrence and the 2nd to last ballot in conclave 2024 and OMGGGG i need to talk abt this.

i thought abt this before, but this edit sparked a heavily sleep deprived tirade in the wee hours of the morning to my friend (@basil_doing_things) about how cruel this was if it was an act of God.

like how cruel is it that lawrence, this guy who does not believe in himself, has never believed in himself, devoting himself to Your church despite feeling bereft and abandoned of Your guiding hand, Your fatherly warmth, having faith despite lacking the security that there is something there for him (doubt to a crushing degree, mirroring his namesake of doubting thomas), feels as if he has to believe himself to be the best final option and prostrate himself to be; to be the lamb and shepherd of God despite it being the last thing he wants with his self loathing and feelings of inadequacy.

and then when he displays the hubris that his hand was practically forced to (as the alternative is... tedesco and... well.) which is playing the politics game rather than spiritual guidance, (which ig could be seen as sinful as benitez voted for who he thought to be pope no matter what politics but again lawrence is trying for what he thinks is the best choice), but to lawrence it feels as if this is God's will forcing for him to become pope with all the dominoes falling no matter how he loathes it; fate; an act of God as His will be done, not lawrence's. so ashamed of voting for himself despite many others having definitely done that before (esp trembley, adeyemi, tedesco, bellini) that he slams his ballot closed as soon as he finishes writing, feeling filthy with the show of hubris, but everyone, everyone is telling him that he is the last choice, and not only that, but that he is a good choice, a worthy choice, having the resolve to do what's right despite causing schism and strife in exposing trembley and whatnot.

and then. AND THEN. as he's casting his ballot, seeming to be setting up his own gallows (as becoming pope is the worst fate for a man like cardinal lawrence, so guilt ridden with his own infarctions of simply existing as a man with his wrath, uncertainty, selfish grief and longing, and most of all, his inability to connect with God, to feel His guidance to lead him and the rest of his bretheren; to be pope he's supposed to be the overarching shepherd, the universal shepherd, and yet, how is he to do that when he is just as blind? as matthew 15:14 says, "if the blind lead the blind, both will fall into the ditch", deeper and further from the grace of light.) being mocked by his counterpart tedesco who he is saving the church from (like jesus taking the sins of humanity to prevent humanity from satan's hell, with such a great yet small sacrifice of himself; becoming pope to be a shepherd as jesus was christened as the Son of God, as holy and divine and a savior, so immense with power, but also crucified that way as the weight of billions of lives and twice as many eyes look for guidance and salvation, despite lawrence (and every pope) being human and jesus as well, uncertain and just as blind, only seeing a sliver of light and chasing after it, hoping they are right and not tumbling towards the fiery inferno of hell but towards the light of salvation) and then as HE is placing the ballot for HIMSELF. an omen. an explosion. hurting him and marring him, literally striking him down for daring to think that he could actually be anything. that he could seriously think that he could put his name on the ballot (as his brothers had surely done for their own before). the one time he believes in himself enough to put himself out there after being content to be the worker mule of the vatican, psyching himself up to being imprisoned for the rest of his days as a shepherd without direction, that he can do this and he's not too terrible or filthy to be irredeemable as a pope, he is immediately shunned in the most humiliating way. in front of his brothers as HE puts HIS name into the ballot (that surely everyone knew for that due to the political aisle that exists), as a firm, "you are unworthy." not because of any actual flaw or sin of action, like adeyemi's lustful sin of his sex scandal, trembley's sin of greed in embezzlement and buying votes, and bellini's pride and envy in his superiority but not having enough spine for the curia to vote for him, but just. because. just because the pope is not to be him. thomas lawrence.

he is condemned for the sin of being thomas lawrence. doubting thomas.

tedesco, trembley, adeyemi, they were all not struck down. and there was a large possibility it could've been any one of them without thomas' actions, but that was part of God's plan for thomas to carry His will out by exposing their inadequacy, and so was he to be struck down for benitez to be pope, but that is again, cruel. to allow thomas to feed that human part of himself in anticipating tasting victory, in tasting importance and eminence, rising above because of his virtue and goodness in a church hes served his entire life (no matter how reluctant he is to become the pope and take that responsibility), as it is base humanity to relish in victory and triumph over others despite the consequences, in exceptionalism. it is a flaw, but a human one that he could never have avoided.

and then that is ripped away, a direct message. the curia will now see him as directly rejected by their Lord, directly unfit not because of reasons they can discern of his faults as a man, but because the Holy Spirit decrees it.

doubting thomas, so ignored in his prayers and so cold without a sliver of the shroud of God's guidance, even a word of admonishment or a syllable in passing, this is his first correspondence. his first message from God. that he is so unfit for having the keys of saint peter that God has to push him down Himself. that God didnt deem any of his previous pleas as worthy of gracing His presence, but this slight, of thomas even fathoming that he could be pope, that, He cannot let go unpunished.

ugh they make me crazy i hate them i hate them i hate them i hate them i hate themi hatethem ihatethemihatethemihatethemihatethemiha

[gothassloser]

I think I finally understood why I relate so much with these old cardinals. It’s the doubts.

I’m not religious, not even raised this way, and I’m young but I too doubt every freaking day of my life.

Is my career choice the right one? Am I a boy, a girl, both, either? What is my sexuality? And basically, those are exactly the topics Conclave talks about.

You will have moments of doubts about your career, even after 40 years of it. Especially after 40 years of it maybe, and it doesn’t mean you made the wrong choice. It just means that sometimes it gets harder, not that you have been bad at it the whole time. It will get better, you’ll adapt. Gender is a concept nobody actually knows how to tackle, it might change over time, but what really matter is not the appelations, the pronouns, but that you are comfortable. You can be called by the most feminine name and use he/him pronouns and conversly, as long as it feels right. You don’t owe anything, any expectations, to anyone. Sexuality is about love, it doesn’t need labels. If you’re not sure just go with the flow, don’t close yourself to people you like just because it’s not who you decided you were. Or worst, who you think people expect you to be.

And if these cardinals in their sixties can find faith again, in God, in who they are, then you will too. But in the mean time, keep reading old man yaoi angst, it’s cathartic somehow.

[jh-newman-opn]

Doubting Thomas

[weepingwidar]

Chloe West (American, 1993) - Doubting Thomas (2023)

[zjofierose]

needed a lil’ guy to go with my benitez from the other day

[artandthebible]

Saint Thomas

Artist: El Greco (Greek, 1541-1614)

Date: ca. 1600

Medium: Oil on canvas

Collection: Chrysler Museum of Art, Norfolk, Virginia, United States

Thomas the Apostle

Thomas the Apostle was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus according to the New Testament. Thomas is commonly known as "Doubting Thomas" because he initially doubted the resurrection of Jesus Christ when he was told of it (as is related in the Gospel of John); he later confessed his faith ("The lord of me and the God of me") on seeing the places where the wounds appeared still fresh on the holy body of Jesus after the Crucifixion of Jesus.

[proseandpsalms]

Sometimes I find it hard to believe Jesus really rose from the dead and it makes me feel like a bad Christian.

Then I remember that Jesus would smile and show me His scars just as he did with Thomas. He wouldn't get angry or berate me. He understands.

[begottaum]

Caravaggio, “The Incredulity of St. Thomas,” c. 1601

[thestarsarewinning]

okay so i am obsessed with how conclave explores/uses the imagery of doubting thomas and the transformation of cardinal lawrence’s faith and prayer throughout the conclave and after benitez is elected, and this has led me to an intense research spiral.

all of this to say i think everyone here needs to appreciate Caravaggio’s The Incredulity of Saint Thomas and how the filmmakers used aspects of this

(this is the secular version, the difference between this and the ecclesiastical version is that you can see jesus’ bare thigh whilst the ecclesiastical version has him otherwise fully covered. scandalous)

i unfortunately described this to my friend as a portrayal of doubting thomas being knuckles deep in jesus [three second pause] ‘s chest wound.

some of my favourite quotes about The Incredulity:

and, if we look at the final scene with lawrence and benitez, it becomes very clear that conclave’s cinematographer stéphane fontaine deserves an award

[vigilantkilliforniakatholixxx]

[hudo-jnik]

I'm a big fan of "the Chosen" actually. Hold them very carefully 🤲💖