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''"Jesus said  to  him:  Be  not  faithless,  but  believing. Thomas  answered:  My  Lord  and  my  God" — John xx. 27, 28.

Ex. : I.  Salutary  doubt. II. Rationalism. III. Based on pride.

I. Truth :  1. According to  rationalists. 2. According  to Catholics. 3. Three  stages.

II. Unreasonable: 1. Truth infinite. 2. Revelation  possible and  a  fact. 3. Necessary.

III. Even natural  truths:  1. Difficult  2. Danger of  error. 3. Romans.

Per.: Practice  of  1. Catholics. 2. Rationalists. 3. Inconsistency.

Brethren, the  Apostle,  Thomas,  was  the  first sceptic or  rationalist  of  Christian  times. " Oh,  happy doubt,"  exclaimed  St.  Gregory,  "  which  removed  all doubt  and  placed  the  fact  of  Our  Lord's  Resurrection beyond  dispute." Would that  one  might  say  as much  for  later-day  rationalism,  whose  effect  invariably is  indifference  and  infidelity. The doubting Thomas is  one  of  the  strongest  pillars  of  the  Christian Church;  the  modern  rationalist  is  religion's  most dangerous enemy. The rationalist  in  his  pride  of  intellect rejects  and  ridicules  the  supernatural,  while Thomas uses  Nature  to  lift  him  up  to  God,  saying: " Lord,  I  believe;  Lord,  help  with  evidence  my  unbelief." As Judas  by  despair  was  lost  and  Peter  saved by penance,  so  the  modern  rationalist's  ruin  is  his