ST. THOMAS APOSTLE OF INDIA - 2024

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

Jesus said: ‘You believe because you can see me.
Happy are those who have not seen and yet believe.’ JN 20:29

JEREMIAH 1:4-9

My Soul's Beloved,

You chose the Twelve after You spent the whole night in prayer, and in union with Your Father and the Holy Spirit. They were imperfect men. They would doubt, question, jostle to have a place of importance over the others, and they would not understand that the Kingdom You came to establish on earth had nothing to do with the world's view of a kingdom. They believed that You had come from God to rout their enemy and free their land from Roman occupation and oppression. But as You said to Pilate, Your Kingdom was not of this world. 

Only after Pentecost, would they understand their mission and they would burn with zeal to accomplish it. They would consider it a privilege and a joy to lay down their lives as You did as they preached the Gospel just as You commanded to preach it to all nations, even to the ends of the earth. 

You took a group of rough almost illiterate men one of whom denied You, one betrayed You and one doubted You and on these with Peter as the Rock, You built Your Church. 

‘Before I formed you in the womb I knew you;
before you came to birth I consecrated you;
I have appointed you as prophet to the nations.’

‘Go now to those to whom I send you
and say whatever I command you.
Do not be afraid of them,
for I am with you to protect you –
it is the Lord who speaks!’

Then the Lord put out his hand and touched my mouth and said to me:
‘There! I am putting my words into your mouth.’

Thank You for the one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church. Thank You for Your assurance that the gates of hell will never prevail against her. Keep us safe in her Lord until the end. And bring all who have strayed from her back to her so all may be saved.

PSALM 116(117):1-2

O praise the Lord, all you nations,
acclaim him all you peoples!

Strong is his love for us;
he is faithful for ever.

Go out to the whole world; proclaim the Good News.

EPHESIANS 2:19-22

My Soul's Beloved,

Every human being longs to belong and every Catholic knows that we do. We have a family - God is our Father, You O Lord are our Brother, and the Holy Spirit makes us one with God. We have Your Mother as our Mother as well and every Catholic has a powerful intercessor in her for God will deny the purest of all His creatures nothing that she implores for the children entrusted to her.

So no Beloved, we are no longer aliens or foreign visitors: as St. Paul reminds us we are family united to the saints who have gone before us, the Church triumphant, united to the suffering Church in Purgatory, and to all our brothers and sisters striving to be holy and perfect as our Father is holy and perfect - the Church militant on earth.

You are no longer aliens or foreign visitors: you are citizens like all the saints, and part of God’s household. You are part of a building that has the apostles and prophets for its foundations, and Christ Jesus himself for its main cornerstone. As every structure is aligned on him, all grow into one holy temple in the Lord; and you too, in him, are being built into a house where God lives, in the Spirit.

JOHN 20:24-29

My Soul's Beloved,

Today may my prayer be, 'My Lord and my God!'

Let me savor the words. May Your Holy Spirit enable me to understand what it means to proclaim that You O Lord, are my Lord and my God.

Too often, I am like Thomas. My faith wavers. I want signs, proof, I want to see and touch. I want to put my finger in the holes the nails have made in Your hands and put my hand in Your side saying as he did, 'Unless I do so, I refuse to believe.' 

Thank You for Your great patience and kindness to me. Thank You for not taking offense at my stupidity and ignorance but coming to me always and offering me Your peace and love. Not upbraiding me but meeting me where I am and saying gently to me as You did to Thomas, ‘Put your finger here; look, here are my hands. Give me your hand; put it into my side. Doubt no longer but believe.’ 

Today and always O Lord may my prayer be: ‘My Lord and my God!’ Count me among those who believe without seeing for You declare that we are happy who have not seen and yet believe.