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Please join us in praying for our country--and the world--during
this coronavirus outbreak.
Dear Lord, protect us and keep us
free from COVID-19 infection. Help all who are working hard to
contain the spread of this virus, especially those
in the healthcare professions and those caring for the sick.
Give clarity and right judgement to the WHO, CDC, NIH and
federal, state and local agencies combating this outbreak.
Guard all of us and especially our elderly and immunocompromised.
Bring healing to those who have the disease, Eternal Glory to those
who have succumbed to the virus and
comfort to the families who have lost loved ones.
God bless us, and God bless the United States of America.
Amen.
We are so grateful for all of you—for your friendship and your support!
May the Lord bless you and your families abundantly throughout this
Easter Season.
Second Sunday of Easter
Sunday of Divine Mercy
The Incredulity of Saint Thomas by Caravaggio, c. 1602, Milan. [PD-US] |
On the evening of that first day of the week,
when the doors were locked, where the disciples were,
for fear of the Jews,
Jesus came and stood in their midst
and said to them, “Peace be with you.”
When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side.
The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord.
Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you.
As the Father has sent me, so I send you.”
And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them,
“Receive the Holy Spirit.
Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them,
and whose sins you retain are retained.”
Thomas, called Didymus, one of the Twelve,
was not with them when Jesus came.
So the other disciples said to him, “We have seen the Lord.”
But he said to them,
“Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands
and put my finger into the nailmarks
and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.”
Now a week later his disciples were again inside
and Thomas was with them.
Jesus came, although the doors were locked,
and stood in their midst and said, “Peace be with you.”
Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and see my hands,
and bring your hand and put it into my side,
and do not be unbelieving, but believe.”
Thomas answered and said to him, “My Lord and my God!”
Jesus said to him, “Have you come to believe because you have seen me?
Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.”
Now, Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples
that are not written in this book.
But these are written that you may come to believe
that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God,
and that through this belief you may have life in his name.
John 20:19-31
Oh, Debby, as I was hearing Mass via the Internet last night, I realize how much I love the story, the history of Thomas... not just because he was a doubter, and so human...
ReplyDeleteBut because that man conquered doubt with the power of the Holy Spirit and went forth to bring so many to faith. He traveled far and wide and taught and preached and ended up martyred, like so many early Christians...
BUT HE DID IT!
What a wonderful example of conquering fear and doubt in our troubled Covid 19 times.
We are so blessed to have a rich history of faith, hope and love to look back on to help us through tough times. Those early preachers and believers didn't have that depth of history...
And they still believed.
Alleluia! He is risen!
I love Thomas' response, "My Lord and my God!" I'm praying those words today and asking for an abundant showering of mercy on all of us and on our friends near and far. Peace!
ReplyDelete"Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.”
ReplyDeleteI believe that the above is one of the most important statements in the Bible. Belief and having faith is the key to earning the blessing of eternal life with the Lord. If it could be proved, really proved with mathematical certainty, that God existed, then there would be no blessing or even merit in having such a belief or faith in the first palce.
For example: who would think there should be a blessing for believing and having faith that 1 + 1 = 2. If something can be proven with such certainty, one would have to be irrational not to believe it.
The whole system is set up to reward faith. Jesus could have created and inscribed on stone tablets such proofs for the existence of God that all would believe once they read the proofs. However, Jesus did not want to do this.
Imagine that you lived in a Kingdom where all the citizens have often seen and met the king. What blessing should be earned for believing and having faith that there really is a king?
I think Jesus was showing, in this passage, that Thomas did not earn a blessing for believing the obvious which for him required no faith once it was proven but rather that those who do believe with faith and no indisputable proof, are the ones who will be blessed.
I favor the 'by grace alone' view of Christianity but I also believe that the grace comes on the wings of faith.
Vince
Have a blessed week everyone. Debby, thank you for your wonderful Sunday inspirations.
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