Theme: Witnessing to the Gospel in Faith and Love
Pragmatism
is an ideology that evaluates theories or beliefs in terms of the success of
their practical application. For instance, a pragmatist will only believe that
one is a good cook not when he describes the process of preparing a particular
dish but when he actually prepares it well.
Pragmatism
has permeated every sector of our society and religion has not been spared. In
times past, people believed a man of God by the authority with which he spoke,
but today, by the signs and wonders he perform. The world wants every theory to
be practiced and proved effective before it is accepted.
In
the gospel reading (Jn. 20:19-31), we see Thomas as a core pragmatist. He did
not believe in reasoning but in experience. He never wanted to listen to the
event of Christ’s resurrection and appearance but wanted to experience it. He needed
an empirical first-hand experience.
In
our religious practices, many of us are like Thomas. We want God to show us
everything, to reveal every mystery to us before we believe. We want to see the
Eucharist turn into empirical flesh and blood. We want to see a candidate for
anointing of the sick rise up immediately after receiving the sacrament. We want
God’s blessings and promises to materialize immediately, etc.
But
have we ever cared to compare our expectation from God and God’s expectations
from us? We expect God to be pragmatic, to be practical, but are we also
pragmatic in our relationship with God? Can our religious doctrines and beliefs
be seen practically in our lives?
