GOSPEL READING:
John 20:24-2924 Now Thomas, one of the twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples told him, "We have seen the Lord." But he said to them, "Unless I see in his hands the print of the nails, and place my finger in the mark of the nails, and place my hand in his side, I will not believe." 26 Eight days later, his disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. The doors were shut, but Jesus came and stood among them, and said, "Peace be with you." 27 Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side; do not be faithless, but believing." 28 Thomas answered him, "My Lord and my God!" 29 Jesus said to him, "Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe."
Meditation: What can give us unshakeable hope and
confidence in the face of failure, defeat, and death? The apostles
had abandoned Jesus in his hour of trial when he was betrayed in
the Garden of Gethsemani by Judas and arrested by the Jewish
authorities. Their fear turned to despair when Pontius Pilate, the
Roman governor, sentenced Jesus to death by crucifixion for his
claim to be the King of the Jews. In that hour of darkness on
"Good Friday" the apostles saw Jesus' death as defeat rather than
victory.
From death and despair to joy and victory
On Sunday morning when they heard the reports from the women who
saw the empty tomb, they were slow to believe that Jesus had risen
as he prophesied to them previously. Their despair turned to joy
when the Risen Lord at last appeared to them and showed them the
scars of his victory - his pierced hands, feet, and side. Jesus
had indeed triumphed over the enemies which held the human race in
slavery to sin, Satan, and death.
The last apostle to meet the resurrected Lord was the first
to go with him to Jerusalem at Passover time. The apostle Thomas
was a natural pessimist. When Jesus proposed that they visit
Lazarus after receiving news of his illness, Thomas said to the
disciples: "Let us also go, that we may die with him"
(John 11:16). While Thomas deeply loved the Lord, he lacked the
courage to stand with Jesus in his passion and crucifixion. After
Jesus' death, Thomas made the mistake of withdrawing from the
other apostles. He sought loneliness rather than fellowship in his
time of sorrow and adversity. He doubted the women who saw the
resurrected Jesus and he doubted his own fellow apostles who also
testified that Jesus had risen.
When Thomas finally had the courage to rejoin the other apostles
eight days later, the Lord Jesus made his presence known to him
and reassured him that he had indeed overcome death and risen
again. When Thomas recognized his Master, he believed and
exclaimed that Jesus was truly Lord and truly God!
Through faith we meet the Risen Lord
Through the gift of faith we, too, are able to recognize the
presence of the risen Lord in our personal lives. The Holy Spirit
reveals the Lord Jesus to us and helps us to grow in knowledge and
understanding of God and his ways. Through the gift of faith we
are able to proclaim that Jesus is our personal Lord and our God.
He died and rose that we, too, might have new life in him. The
Lord offers each of us new life in his Holy Spirit that we may
know him personally and walk in this new way of life through the
power of his resurrection. Do you believe in God's word and in the
power of the Holy Spirit?
Lord Jesus Christ, through your victory over sin and death you have overcome all the powers of darkness. Help me to draw near to you and to trust in your life-giving word. Fill me with your Holy Spirit and strengthen my faith in your promises and my hope in the power of your resurrection.
Psalm 117:1-2
1 Praise the LORD, all nations! Extol him, all peoples!
2 For great is his steadfast love toward us; and the faithfulness of the LORD endures for ever. Praise the LORD!
Daily Quote from the Early Church Fathers: Touching the wounds of Christ and healing the wounds of our unbelief, by Gregory the Great (540-604 AD)
"It was not an accident that that particular disciple was not
present. The divine mercy ordained that a doubting disciple
should, by feeling in his Master the wounds of the flesh, heal in
us the wounds of unbelief. The unbelief of Thomas is more
profitable to our faith than the belief of the other disciples.
For the touch by which he is brought to believe confirms our minds
in belief, beyond all question." (excerpt from FORTY
GOSPEL HOMILIES 26)
