Gospel: Jn 20:19-31
On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, when the doors of the place where the disciples were staying were closed for fear of the Jews, Jesus 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 to see the Lord. Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I send you.” When he had said this, he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive, they are forgiven them; whose sins you retain, they are retained.” Thomas, one of the Twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came. The other disciples said to him, “We have seen the Lord”. But he answered them, “Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails and put my finger into the nail hole and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.” Eight days later, his disciples were inside again, and Thomas with them. Jesus appeared in the midst while the doors were locked, and said, “Peace be with you.” Then he said to Thomas, “Reach here your finger and see my hands; bring your hand and put it into my side, and do not be unbelieving but believing.” Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God.” Jesus said to him, “Because you have seen, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed”. Many other signs Jesus did in the presence of his disciples, but they are not written in this book. These were written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in his name.
Fruit: Strengthen my faith in Christ, who is my path to eternal life.
Guidelines for reflection:
Our Lord makes himself present in the life of the disciples, after the resurrection, to emphasize the mission of announcing his Gospel to all nations. In the midst of these events, doubts and misunderstandings arise. The charity of Christ subtly imposes itself, even with unbelievers who recognize him and proclaim through one of the most beautiful prayers we have: My Lord and my God!
1) As the Father hath sent me, even so send I you.
This is the mission of every Christian. We have been sent by Christ himself to announce this message of salvation. Let us not reduce this only to priests or nuns. Every Christian has this call to proclaim the Gospel. And there are many ways of doing this: in the family, at work, at home, at school, etc. If we live our faith coherently, if we live as Christ asks us to, we are truly evangelizing. But this implies first knowing our faith and also knowing the kind of life that Christ asks of us. We have to dust off the Gospel to remember it. Christ sends me so that others may know him. There are many who have not heard of Him, or have been listening to the distortions that some present and that unfortunately do not agree with the Gospel. We cannot remain indifferent to this fact.
2) If I don't stick my hand in his side, I don't believe
But we may be assailed by doubt, indifference or we may simply think that this is something beyond our reach. We want to put our hand in our side in order to believe. We need a deeper encounter, like Thomas, that awakens us from the lethargy of indifference. We can look for this encounter at any moment of our life. We can look for it in the Gospel, in the Eucharist by visiting the Tabernacle, we can have it by going to Mass, or in a conversation with a priest. These are opportunities within everyone's reach, but it is preferable to remain indifferent. It is better to go and “put your hand in the side”, that is to say, make the experience of the risen Christ.
3) My Lord and my God!
This prayer said by the apostle Thomas is one of the most beautiful prayers that can be found in the Gospel. It contains adoration, the feeling of man's littleness before the greatness and sovereignty of God. The recognition that Thomas doubted his Master and now, repentant, he recognizes him. The request for forgiveness for the doubt, for the incomprehension of the mystery of the resurrection is enclosed. If I find it hard to believe, I have this prayer which, prayed with devotion, is a source of serenity for my heart: Lord, how hard it is for me to believe, but you are God! Look at my littleness, look at my unbelief, but you are the Lord of history, you are my God and my Lord.
Purpose: Increase my devotion to the Eucharist, recognizing Christ's presence, and ask Him to increase my faith in Him. To this end, I will seek to visit Christ the Eucharist more frequently.
Listen also to our monthly online retreat.
You may be interested in: Your name is also Tomás.
