The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today, Feast of Saint Thomas, Apostle, challenge us to contemplate faith as an essential part of our journey to share truth, goodness, and love with the people we encounter on our journey.
The reading from the Letter of Paul to the Ephesians declares we are One in Christ and no longer strangers and aliens.
* [2:11–22] The Gentiles lacked Israel’s messianic expectation, lacked the various covenants God made with Israel, lacked hope of salvation and knowledge of the true God (Eph 2:11–12); but through Christ all these religious barriers between Jew and Gentile have been transcended (Eph 2:13–14) by the abolition of the Mosaic covenant-law (Eph 2:15) for the sake of uniting Jew and Gentile into a single religious community (Eph 2:15–16), imbued with the same holy Spirit and worshiping the same Father (Eph 2:18). The Gentiles are now included in God’s household (Eph 2:19) as it arises upon the foundation of apostles assisted by those endowed with the prophetic gift (Eph 3:5), the preachers of Christ (Eph 2:20; cf. 1 Cor 12:28). With Christ as the capstone (Eph 2:20; cf. Is 28:16; Mt 21:42), they are being built into the holy temple of God’s people where the divine presence dwells (Eph 2:21–22). (Ephesians, CHAPTER 2 | USCCB, n.d.)
Psalm 117 is a Universal Call to Worship
* [Psalm 117] This shortest of hymns calls on the nations to acknowledge God’s supremacy. The supremacy of Israel’s God has been demonstrated to them by the people’s secure existence, which is owed entirely to God’s gracious fidelity. (Psalms, PSALM 117 | USCCB, n.d.)
The Gospel of John relates the encounter of Jesus and Thomas.
* [20:28] My Lord and my God: this forms a literary inclusion with the first verse of the gospel: “and the Word was God.”
* [20:29] This verse is a beatitude on future generations; faith, not sight, matters. (John, CHAPTER 20 | USCCB, n.d.)
Larry Gillick, S.J. comments that what we ponder in our Christian faith is God, a divine Subject and not an object. Subjects are mysterious mysteries which are not for complete understanding nor control. God is not for total understanding, though our minds long for that.
The Apostles never did quite figure Jesus out, did not get quick and easy answers, but they learned to live by the sight of faith and not the sight of comforting, total assurance. Today we celebrate our encouragement from just how Thomas was sent into the mystery of his life, because he surrendered to the mystery of God-Made-Flesh, Jesus our Sender into our own mysteries and those of God. This is our faith and we are proud to confess it. “Are you kidding me?” (Gillick, n.d.)
Don Schwager quotes “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) (Schwager, n.d.)
The Word Among Us Meditation on John 20:24-29 comments that the encounter with Jesus spurred Thomas to action. He went from being stationary to being a man in motion—so much so that he brought the gospel all the way to southern India, where he is still venerated today. Imagine that! From doubt and despair, Thomas traveled farther than any other apostle.
This Jesus whom Thomas met that day is the same Jesus who comes to you today. He comes to speak words of hope and encouragement. He comes to send you into the world ready to share his love and presence. He comes to urge you, “Believe!” So still your heart and listen for his voice. Trust that he has all the grace you need to shift out of “park”!
“Jesus, you are my Lord and my God! I trust you to direct my path.” (Meditation on John 20:24-29, n.d.)
Friar Jude Winkler reflects on the proclamation in Ephesians that Gentiles are no longer strangers but part of the household of God. Jesus shows Thomas that the resurrected body is no longer limited as is our material body. Friar Jude reminds us that the high Christological statement of Thomas indicates that what we do with doubts can lead to growth or despair.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, introduces spiritual director Caroline Oakes who writes of the impact of a faithful practice of “centering-in”.
The spiritual journey begins with a pause, a centering-in-God pause, and over time becomes a constant and ceaseless prayer, an honoring of and a connection with the Divine in you that awakens your essential self….
This returning to our center again and again is a kind of in-and-out, in-and-out movement, like breathing: breathing in, we gather strength and calm, maybe an insight, maybe a sense of an injustice needing to be righted, and then breathing out, we go back out in to the world to live into what we’ve been given and what we’ve received….
When you engage in any one of several centering practices that are available to us today, practices in which you can just be, alone, in quiet, in awareness of your innermost self with God, then over time, something holy and extraordinary happens in ways that … we can’t imagine or foresee. The closeness of your inner, relational life will be changed, to yourself, to others, to God, and to the world around you. Your relationship to your own life will shift subtly but profoundly. [2] (Rohr, n.d.)
We are comforted that even when we retreat for a time from the challenges of our journey, Jesus is waiting to restore our faith and welcome us to fullness of life as workers in His vineyard.
References
Ephesians, CHAPTER 2 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved July 3, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/ephesians/2?19
Gillick, L. (n.d.). Daily Reflection Of Creighton University's Online Ministries. OnlineMinistries. Retrieved July 3, 2024, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/070324.html
John, CHAPTER 20 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved July 3, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/john/20?24
Meditation on John 20:24-29. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved July 3, 2024, from https://wau.org/meditations/2024/07/03/1015139/
Psalms, PSALM 117 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved July 3, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/117?1
Rohr, R. (n.d.). Daily Meditations — Center for Action and Contemplation. A Prayerful Exchange. Retrieved July 3, 2024, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/a-prayerful-exchange/
Schwager, D. (n.d.). Do Not Be Faithless - but Believing. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved July 3, 2024, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2024&date=jul3a
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