Mural, St. Joseph’s Church, New Plymouth, New Zealand, by Michael Smither.

“Michael Smither was commissioned to prepare 14 Stations of the Cross for St Joseph’s Church in New Plymouth, New Zealand and although there was controversy because parishioners thought they were too stark, he was, nevertheless, later invited to paint a mural on the back wall of the church. He has completed the mural of “Doubting Thomas” (opposite) and a a second mural on the baptism of Jesus (see here ).

“When he was a child, Michael Smither was taught that doubt was a sinful and negative trait but, despite this, he always had a sneaking respect for Thomas as a person who had the strength to stand alone and make a personal search for the truth. When asked to paint a church mural, he chose Thomas because, he said, ‘he was, for me, one of the most courageous of the apostles. He had to find out for himself. It was a courageous thing to do. I named one of my children Thomas.'” (Source for this and the image: The Bible Through Asian Eyes by Masao Takenaka and Ron O’Grady 1991)