＊＊＊ 1st Reading ＊＊＊

Ephesians 2:19-22

Now you are no longer strangers or guests,

But fellow citizens of the holy people: you are of the household of God. You are the house whose foundations are the apostles and proph­­­ets, and whose cornerstone is Christ Jesus. In him the whole structure is joined together and rises to be a holy temple in the Lord. In him you too are being built to become the spiritual sanctuary of God.

 

Ps 117:1bc, 2

Go out to all the world and tell the Good News.

 

＊＊＊＊ Gospel ＊＊＊＊

John 20:24-29

 Thomas, the Twin, one of the Twelve, was not with them when Jesus came.   The other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he replied, “Until I have seen in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe.”

Eight days later, the disciples were inside again and Thomas was with them. Despite the locked doors Jesus came and stood in their midst and said, “Peace be with you.” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and see my hands; stretch out your hand and put it into my side. Resist no longer and be a believer.”

Thomas then said, “You are my Lord and my God.”   Jesus replied, “You believe because you see me, don’t you? Happy are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.”

 

 Gospel Reflection：

In 2015, amid the devastating war in Syria ,a bleeding three-year old boy died in a hospital with these final words:”I’m gonna tell God everything.”Some would call it false hope.

Others would call it pure act of faith. We did experience tragedies wherein God was seemingly absent. Yet along the way, we did get consoling proofs that He is with us. in today’s Gospel, Thomas is fortunate to get concrete proofs-Jesus’ wounds-to overturn his doubts.

Other believers, like that three-year old boy, never get those proofs.they suffer and die never asking where God is but just clinging to a deep relationship. The boy’s words convey such a pure bond with God.

Jesus’ appearance to Thomas-and to us-is thus a check of relationship than a test of evidence. A true disciple pursues what he loves not what he can prove.