John 20:19-31

Acts 2:42-47

Psalm 118:2-4, 13-15, 22-24

1 Peter 1:3-9

John 20:19-31

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.

Opening Prayer: Lord God, I truly desire eternal life in the name of your Son, Jesus Christ. As I make my way through this passing world, keep my eyes fixed on heaven so that I may be an instrument of your merciful love. I believe, Lord, help my unbelief!

Encountering the Word of God

1. The Appearances of the Risen Jesus: In the Gospel, John tells us about the first and second appearances of the risen Jesus. The first appearance took place on Sunday, the day of the Resurrection. The second also took place on Sunday, exactly one week later. For some reason, Thomas the Apostle was not present at the first appearance and said that he would not believe until he saw the risen Jesus and verified the wounds of his passion. Because of this, Thomas is called “doubting Thomas.” But, in truth, all of the apostles, except maybe for John, were slow to believe or doubted. In fact, the Gospel of Mark tells us that Jesus rebuked the Eleven for their unbelief. The Eleven didn’t believe Mary Magdalene when she told them that she had seen the risen Lord. And, although some disciples believed that Jesus had appeared to Simon Peter (Luke 24:33-35), some of the other disciples didn’t believe the two disciples who met Jesus on the way to Emmaus and recognized him in the breaking of the bread (Mark 16:12-13). Thomas did not believe until he saw what the other apostles and disciples beheld. When Jesus appeared for the second time, he showed his hands and his side to Thomas and invited him to verify his wounds. This is important because the body of the risen Christ was truly his body, but was also different. Showing the nail holes and the opened side gave evidence of continuity. The risen Jesus was different, but was the same person who was with them during his public ministry. The fact that the glorified body of the risen Jesus still bore the wounds of his crucifixion was a testimony to the depth of his love for us. 

2. The Four Pillars of the Christian Life: In the First Reading, we find a description of the early life of the Church. We read: “they devoted themselves to the teaching of the apostles and to the communal life, to the breaking of bread and to the prayers. These four things are the pillars of every Christian life. “Every Christian should be ‘devoted to the teaching of the Apostles,’ which means they should be interested in studying their faith, whether that means reading and studying the Bible, the Catechism, or other books (by saints or spiritual writers) that faithfully transmit the faith handed down from the Apostles. Every Christian should be devoted to ‘communal life,’ that is, practicing a lifestyle of sharing their time, prayers, and goods with other Christians, deepening spiritual friendships, and sharing spiritual gifts. Every Christian should be devoted to ‘the breaking of bread,’ that is, should practice Eucharistic devotion, both within and outside of Mass.

 And finally, all Christians should be people of prayer, who not only devote specific time(s) throughout the day to mental prayer but also fill their days with aspirations, the Rosary, and other vocal prayers” (Bergsma, Word of the Lord: Year A, 123).

3. Resurrection and Regeneration: In the Second Reading, Peter speaks to those who did not have the grace of seeing Jesus: “Although you have not seen him you love him; even though you do not see him now yet believe in him.” Peter’s letter is an invitation to faith, hope, and love. Peter teaches that the rebirth of Jesus from the dead (resurrection) gives believers a spiritual rebirth by grace (regeneration). “The idea is that God fathers or begets us anew, not in the natural way of biological parentage, but in a supernatural way that gives us a share in his own divine life (cf. 2 Pet 1:4). The benefit of this grace is a new birth into the family of God, so that believers united with Christ become ‘newborn infants’ (1 Pet 2:2) and ‘children’ (1 Pet 1:14) united in a ‘brotherhood’ of faith (1 Pet 5:9). It is their privilege to invoke God as ‘Father’ (1 Pet 1:17) and to await heaven as their ‘inheritance’ (1 Pet 1:4)” (Ignatius Catholic Study Bible, 2199). The suffering we endure in this life is the fire that refines our faith and makes us more like Christ.

Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, pour out your gifts of peace and the Holy Spirit into my heart. Fill me with your love and charity so that I may care for my brothers and sisters in need today. Inspire me to be generous and use my time and resources well.

Living the Word of God: Seeing the Apostle Thomas overcome his doubt with great faith comforts us in our insecurity. The words Jesus addresses to Thomas remind us of the true meaning of mature faith and encourage us to persevere in our journey of faith. Are there any doubts I need to overcome in my life of faith? Has my faith been rocked or weakened by the sins and crimes of members of the Church’s hierarchy? How is God calling me today to deepen my faith and work to eradicate evil from our society and the Church?