First reading Ephesians 2:19-22
In Christ you are no longer aliens, but citizens like us
You are no longer aliens or foreign visitors: you are citizens like all the saints, and part of God’s household. You are part of a building that has the apostles and prophets for its foundations, and Christ Jesus himself for its main cornerstone. As every structure is aligned on him, all grow into one holy temple in the Lord; and you too, in him, are being built into a house where God lives, in the Spirit.
Responsorial Psalm 116(117):1-2
Go out to the world; proclaim the Good News
O praise the Lord, all you nations, acclaim him all you peoples!
Strong is his love for us; he is faithful for ever.
Gospel John 20:24-29
‘My Lord and my God!’
Thomas, called the Twin, who was one of the Twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. When the disciples said, ‘We have seen the Lord’, he answered, ‘Unless I see the holes that the nails made in his hands and can put my finger into the holes they made, and unless I can put my hand into his side, I refuse to believe.’ Eight days later the disciples were in the house again and Thomas was with them. The doors were closed, but Jesus came in and stood among them. ‘Peace be with you’ he said. Then he spoke to Thomas, ‘Put your finger here; look, here are my hands. Give me your hand; put it into my side. Doubt no longer but believe.’ Thomas replied, ‘My Lord and my God!’ Jesus said to him:
‘You believe because you can see me.
Happy are those who have not seen and yet believe.’
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Doubt and faith
Today, we celebrate the feast of St. Thomas. Like Thomas, we too have experienced times when we struggled to believe and chose to doubt instead. Maybe we doubt God’s love when someone close to us leaves us or when we face a health crisis or unemployment. Don’t we struggle to have faith in these situations? It is alright to doubt as long as it brings us to Jesus. Thomas knew that only Jesus could replace his doubt with faith, and thus, he expressed his desire to encounter Him personally. Jesus did not give up on Thomas for doubting but came to meet him and moved him from disbelief to an experience of a deeper faith. Thomas did not simply call Jesus “Lord and God” abstractly but addressed Jesus personally, “My Lord and my God”. This became the central truth of Thomas. For His Lord and His God, He lived and died.
Jesus constantly wants to meet us through prayer, Scripture, and the daily events of life. In this time of prayer, may we experience His presence and echo the words of Thomas, “My Lord and my God”.
Reflective questions:
Are there any phrases that caught my attention? Why?
Are there any phrases that caught my attention? Why?
Acknowledgment: Reflections are based on “Prayer for Living: The Word of God for Daily Prayer Year A” by Sr Sandra Seow FMVD.
