José Romero, LC
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Christ, our King.
Thy Kingdom come!
Preparatory prayer (to put me in the presence of God)
Lord, grant me the experience of your love.
Gospel of the day (to guide your meditation)
From the Holy Gospel according to John 20:19-31
At sunset on the day of the resurrection, when the doors of the house where the disciples were gathered were shut, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” Having said this, he showed them his hands and his side. When the disciples saw the Lord, they rejoiced. Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” 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.” But Thomas, one of the Twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came, and 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 mark of the nails and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.” Eight days later, his disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. Jesus came, the doors being shut, and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and put it into my side; and do not be faithless, but believing.” Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe.” Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in his name.
Word of the Lord.
Meditate on what God tells you in the Gospel
When I was in my first year of seminary, a young man asked me: "Why did Jesus keep his wounds? Does Christ hold a grudge?" My only answer was that without Christ's wounds, Saint Thomas the Apostle would never have believed.
Everything Christ does is for our good, and it was for Saint Thomas's good to put his fingers into Christ's hand, to put his hand into Christ's side, so that he could say, "My Lord and my God!" Only then did Thomas become a believer.
I am another Thomas; on this day Christ gives me his open side so that I may put my hand in and recognize him as my Lord and my God. I must not be afraid to touch him; I must not be afraid to experience the fruits of God's love, because the wounds of Christ are only the result of God's infinite love for me. I must not fear experiencing Christ's love and confessing the love he has for me and the love I have for him.
What am I waiting for to put my hand in your side? What am I waiting for to experience Christ's love and cry out that He is my Lord, that He is my God? I give thanks to God for all that He does for me, because every day He appears to me with His open side and says, “Come here”; because every day I can experience His love.
«Jesus invites us to look at his wounds, he invites us to touch them, like Thomas, to heal our disbelief. He invites us, above all, to enter into the mystery of his wounds, which is the mystery of his merciful love.
(Homily of H.H. Francis, April 12, 2015).
Dialogue with Christ
This is the most important part of your prayer, prepare yourself to talk with much love with the One who loves you.
Purpose
Propose a personal one. The one that involves the most love in response to the Beloved... or, if you believe that this is what God is asking of you, live what is suggested below.
To approach Christ today and experience the immense love He has for me.
Farewell
We thank you, Lord, for all your benefits, you who live and reign forever and ever.
Amen.
Christ, our King!
Thy Kingdom come!
Most prudent Virgin, Mary, Mother of the Church.
Pray for us.
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
