DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS
You believe in me, Thomas, because you have seen me, says the Lord; blessed are those who have not seen, but still believe!
Yes, Lord, we have not seen and yet believe and believing, we are saved.
You believe in me, Thomas, because you have seen me, says the Lord; blessed are those who have not seen, but still believe!
Jn 20:29
Ephesians 2:19-22, Psalm 117:1BC, 2, John 20:24-29
Ephesians 2:19-22
My Love, Beloved of my soul,
We are not saved in isolation, we help one another as members of Your Body as we journey together to the Kingdom of heaven. We are called to work out our salvation with fear and trembling for we fight against forces of darkness that desire to destroy us and hinder us every step of the way. The fallen angels lost their place forever in heaven and they are envious of us whom God loves so much that He sent You into the world to redeem and save us.
You established Your Church on Peter, and the Apostles, You poured Your Holy Spirit upon the Church at Pentecost to hold it together precisely because You knew that we need the unity and strength provided by being one with You through them and their successors.
As members of Your Body through the Sacrament of Baptism, we become members of the household of God. We are built not only upon the New but also on the Old for they are both equally important - to know the Old is to understand the New and to be immersed in the New is to see how God has fulfilled every one of His promises to His people beginning with Abraham, our father in faith.
We are bound to each other. We are responsible for one another. We cannot close our eyes and be indifferent to the difficulties, pain, and sufferings of our brothers and sisters. When one hurts the whole body suffers and we cannot be completely healthy if even one member of the Your Body is sick and in pain.
But if we hold on to each other, You who hold Your Body together as the Head will strengthen us through the power of Your Holy Spirit. It is in Him that we live and move and have our being. He will help us reach that place that has been prepared for since the foundations of the world were laid, safely. Why? Because we are children of the Father, redeemed by You, His Son, and sanctified by the Holy Spirit precisely because we are members of the household of God.
Psalm 117:1BC, 2
My Love, Beloved of my soul,
We were created by God to be His children and to proclaim to the whole world the Good News that He loves us.
We are called to praise and thank God with every breath we breathe. Even as we sleep at night our spirit must continue to praise You because You deserve all the praise and glory.
Thank You, Beloved, for not condemning us though our sins are many and grievous, but for always making grace and mercy in abundance available to us even when we least deserve it.
Thank You for Your faithfulness and kindness that endures forever. May our joyful response to Your great love be to never cease to tell the whole world how much You love us.
John 20:24-29
My Love, Beloved of my soul,
Each of the Apostles was an individual, they had their unique personalities and each of them was loved and appreciated by You for who they were. They were chosen by God and called by You to follow You. You loved them as You love us just as we are. Imperfect but with infinite potential with the help and grace of God and the Holy Spirit.
After the Resurrection, You appeared to the Apostle but Thomas was not with them at the time. When his companions told him that they had seen You, his first reaction was disbelief. Like the rest of them, after Your death, he too was despondent thinking it was all over. Everything You ever said to them about the necessity of Your suffering and death and that You would rise again on the third day was forgotten by all of them. The present overwhelming grief they were suffering and the memory of their shameful betrayal of You swept everything else away from their minds. From the depths of his grief, Thomas responded to this piece of unbelievable news saying, "Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands and put my finger into the nail marks and put my hand into his side, I will not believe." He longed to see You, to touch You, the possibility of which seemed remote to him.
When You did appear to them again and this time Thomas was with them, You invited Thomas to do precisely what he said he wanted to. First, You bestowed Your peace on them so that they did not continue to feel shame at their outrageous abandonment of You in the hour of Your greatest need, and then addressing Thomas You said, "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." Wow! Now when he did see You he was so blown away that all he could do was say, "My Lord and my God!" His heart was overflowing with joy, worship, adoration, and love to see You whom he believed he would never see again in this life.
Ephesians 2:19-22, Psalm 117:1BC, 2, John 20:24-29
Ephesians 2:19-22
My Love, Beloved of my soul,
We are not saved in isolation, we help one another as members of Your Body as we journey together to the Kingdom of heaven. We are called to work out our salvation with fear and trembling for we fight against forces of darkness that desire to destroy us and hinder us every step of the way. The fallen angels lost their place forever in heaven and they are envious of us whom God loves so much that He sent You into the world to redeem and save us.
You established Your Church on Peter, and the Apostles, You poured Your Holy Spirit upon the Church at Pentecost to hold it together precisely because You knew that we need the unity and strength provided by being one with You through them and their successors.
As members of Your Body through the Sacrament of Baptism, we become members of the household of God. We are built not only upon the New but also on the Old for they are both equally important - to know the Old is to understand the New and to be immersed in the New is to see how God has fulfilled every one of His promises to His people beginning with Abraham, our father in faith.
We are bound to each other. We are responsible for one another. We cannot close our eyes and be indifferent to the difficulties, pain, and sufferings of our brothers and sisters. When one hurts the whole body suffers and we cannot be completely healthy if even one member of the Your Body is sick and in pain.
But if we hold on to each other, You who hold Your Body together as the Head will strengthen us through the power of Your Holy Spirit. It is in Him that we live and move and have our being. He will help us reach that place that has been prepared for since the foundations of the world were laid, safely. Why? Because we are children of the Father, redeemed by You, His Son, and sanctified by the Holy Spirit precisely because we are members of the household of God.
Psalm 117:1BC, 2
My Love, Beloved of my soul,
We were created by God to be His children and to proclaim to the whole world the Good News that He loves us.
We are called to praise and thank God with every breath we breathe. Even as we sleep at night our spirit must continue to praise You because You deserve all the praise and glory.
Thank You, Beloved, for not condemning us though our sins are many and grievous, but for always making grace and mercy in abundance available to us even when we least deserve it.
Thank You for Your faithfulness and kindness that endures forever. May our joyful response to Your great love be to never cease to tell the whole world how much You love us.
John 20:24-29
My Love, Beloved of my soul,
Each of the Apostles was an individual, they had their unique personalities and each of them was loved and appreciated by You for who they were. They were chosen by God and called by You to follow You. You loved them as You love us just as we are. Imperfect but with infinite potential with the help and grace of God and the Holy Spirit.
After the Resurrection, You appeared to the Apostle but Thomas was not with them at the time. When his companions told him that they had seen You, his first reaction was disbelief. Like the rest of them, after Your death, he too was despondent thinking it was all over. Everything You ever said to them about the necessity of Your suffering and death and that You would rise again on the third day was forgotten by all of them. The present overwhelming grief they were suffering and the memory of their shameful betrayal of You swept everything else away from their minds. From the depths of his grief, Thomas responded to this piece of unbelievable news saying, "Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands and put my finger into the nail marks and put my hand into his side, I will not believe." He longed to see You, to touch You, the possibility of which seemed remote to him.
When You did appear to them again and this time Thomas was with them, You invited Thomas to do precisely what he said he wanted to. First, You bestowed Your peace on them so that they did not continue to feel shame at their outrageous abandonment of You in the hour of Your greatest need, and then addressing Thomas You said, "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." Wow! Now when he did see You he was so blown away that all he could do was say, "My Lord and my God!" His heart was overflowing with joy, worship, adoration, and love to see You whom he believed he would never see again in this life.
This is when You addressed Thomas and said, "Have you come to believe because you have seen me?" And addressing us,
who will never see You except in heaven, You said, "Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed." Bestowing upon us this wonderful grace for our faith. Yes, Lord, we have not seen and yet believe and believing, we are saved.
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