† Quote of the Day "All the way to heaven is heaven, because Jesus said, 'I am the way.'" — St. Catherine of Siena Today's Meditation "Whenever we receive Communion, we enter into communion with the Holy Trinity. Did anybody ever tell you that? With each reception of Holy Communion, we experience, already here on earth, the same divine activity that we will one day experience in all its fullness in heaven—the divine activity of love eternally taking place within the Trinity...God wants to live his triune life in us. We are called to be dwelling places for the Holy Trinity and to enter into a personal relationship with each of the persons in God." —Vinney Flynn, p. 27-28
An excerpt from 7 Secrets of the Eucharist Daily Verse "Then [Jesus] said to Thomas, 'Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side; 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.'" — John 20:27-29 | St. Thomas The Apostle St. Thomas the Apostle (1st c.) was one of the twelve disciples who accompanied Jesus during His earthly ministry. He is remembered for his disbelief in the news of Christ's Resurrection until he physically saw and touched Jesus' wounds—thus earning him the name "Doubting Thomas." After Pentecost he traveled and preached throughout Persia and southeast Asia. Early traditions ascribe his main work and martyrdom to India, so that he is also called the "Apostle of India." He converted many to Christ, worked miracles, and established the Church in the East. One tradition holds that on his way to India he met and baptized the Three Wise Men of the Nativity who first venerated Jesus at Bethlehem. St. Thomas is also remembered for being a skilled carpenter, and according to Indian tradition he built the first churches in India with his own hands. St. Thomas the Apostle is the patron of India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Singapore, architects, builders, masons, surveyors, theologians, against blindness, and of people in doubt. His feast day is July 3rd. | Feast of Saint Thomas, Apostle Reading 1 EPH 2:19-22 Brothers and sisters:
You are no longer strangers and sojourners,
but you are fellow citizens with the holy ones
and members of the household of God,
built upon the foundation of the Apostles and prophets,
with Christ Jesus himself as the capstone.
Through him the whole structure is held together
and grows into a temple sacred in the Lord;
in him you also are being built together
into a dwelling place of God in the Spirit. Responsorial Psalm PS 117:1BC, 2 R. (Mark 16:15) Go out to all the world and tell the Good News.
Praise the LORD, all you nations;
glorify him, all you peoples!
R. Go out to all the world and tell the Good News.
For steadfast is his kindness for us,
and the fidelity of the LORD endures forever.
R. Go out to all the world and tell the Good News. Alleluia JN 20:29 R. Alleluia, alleluia.
You believe in me, Thomas, because you have seen me, says the Lord;
blessed are those who have not seen, but still believe!
R. Alleluia, alleluia. Gospel JN 20:24-29 Thomas, called Didymus, one of the Twelve,
was not with them when Jesus came.
So the other disciples said to him, "We have seen the Lord."
But Thomas said to them,
"Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands
and put my finger into the nailmarks
and put my hand into his side, I will not believe."
Now a week later his disciples were again inside
and Thomas was with them.
Jesus came, although the doors were locked,
and stood in their midst and said, "Peace be with you."
Then he said to Thomas, "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."
Thomas answered and said to him, "My Lord and my God!"
Jesus said to him, "Have you come to believe because you have seen me?
Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed."
| Daily Meditation: John 20:24-29 Do not be unbelieving, but believe. (John 20:27) "God can't steer a parked car." You won't find this proverb in the Bible, but it's a good saying to consider on this feast day of St. Thomas the Apostle. Even though Thomas had been walking with Jesus for some time and had witnessed him performing countless miracles, the trauma of Jesus' passion and death was just too much to process. As a result, he remained "parked" in a state of unbelief when the other apostles told him, "We have seen the Lord" (John 20:25). And because unbelief inspires no one and goes nowhere, Thomas spent a whole week at odds with the others, trapped under a shroud of hopelessness. But then came the next Sunday: Jesus appeared again, this time with Thomas present. Treating this doubting disciple with great mercy, he invited Thomas to touch and see for himself that he truly had risen from the dead. Jesus entered into Thomas' gloom and issued one command that broke through all his inertia: "Believe!" (John 20:27). At that moment, a fresh new horizon opened up, and Thomas couldn't help but exclaim in awe and recognition, "My Lord and my God!" (20:28). That 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." Ephesians 2:19-22
Psalm 117:1-2 |  HEAR it read by AI | Reflections with Brother Adrian: | In the Holy Scripture we hear today:
"Thomas answered and said to him, "My Lord and my God!"
Jesus said to him, "Have you come to believe because you have seen me?
Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed."......" end quote. | From Bishop Barron Today:
"Friends, today's Gospel celebrates St. Thomas the Apostle. Why do we love this story of doubting Thomas so much? Perhaps because he is a saint especially suitable for our time. Modernity has been marked, from its beginning, by two great qualities: skepticism and empiricism, the very qualities we can discern in Thomas: "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."
And I think a good amount of skepticism and "show-me" empiricism is called for in many situations and contexts. We shouldn't be credulous, gullible, or naïve. Sometimes it is indeed good to wipe the slate clean, to clear out old cobwebs and intellectual humbugs, perhaps especially in the area of religion. Indeed, Catholicism has a very rich intellectual tradition, a tradition of questioning, wondering, and seeking understanding. Yet when the risen Jesus reappears, this time in the presence of Thomas, he invites the doubter to look, to see, and to touch. Then that devastating line: "Have you come to believe because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed." End Quote Bishop Barron.
We heard the Gospel today:
"But Thomas said to them,
"Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands
and put my finger into the nailmarks
and put my hand into his side, I will not believe." And forever, we would know him as "doubting Thomas" instead of Holy Saint Thomas who had a most profound conversion at that very moment.
Yes, we are all followers of Christ, but to what degree?
I myself was a follower of Christ who had a profound experience, in a Cursillo, a 3 day crash course in Catholic Christian faith. Only then did my faith begin to take a turn...for the better. I would hate to be known as the guy I used to be. Unfortunately, we tend to do that, to label people as the atrocity they committed, like a murderer, a person who had an abortion, a person who stole, a person who was a demoniac, a person who used to be crazy or on drugs or both! Right?
Why don't we remember them for who they are now, after a good conversion into Christ?
And today, how can we doubt Jesus the Christ? How can we doubt that He exists? He can hardly hide!
In terms of the Holy Eucharist, you can even go to His miraculous Hosts that turned to living flesh and test their living DNA! He is not a mere human, so how can you test Him only at that level? He is God's Heart!
Test His love! How?
Thomas was honest. I always like to believe He was on the wave length of "ah, I really wish I could've been here to see it for myself". But scripture says he said "I will not believe."
And that's what we all do.
I will not believe unless....what?
Unless you get things your way?
Unless God jumps through certain hoops at certain times without delay?
So many refuse to believe because we set our terms and do not follow His terms.
Who gets to set the rules?
Who gets to obey?
And that's where we miss the mark.
A miracle, an appearance is rare, and it is for the purpose of showing once and for all, not for all every time they ask.
I believe the stories though. I believed before my conversion. At my conversion, I saw the Eucharist turn to flesh, and my throat got a huge lump, I choked up, my eyes began to burn and tears began to stream down my face. Then, I REALLY believed. But notice, I went with what little faith I had, like Thomas, and then the conversion happens. And this continues to happen, faith continues to grow and grow. What I saw there has been only increased by even more experiences and visions. I therefore, see myself as an anomaly. I believed in the Eucharist as a boy, but now, I have seen what I believe in.
Faith comes first. Love comes first.
Every day, week day at least, I write to you, so that your faith grows and grows. I combine images and quotes from so many sources and with Our Lord's words in Holy Scripture and then, at the last, my 2 cents.
Believe your heart. God loves it. That's where He wants to meet.
He doesn't want to live in the mess of our heads, but in the love of our heart.
There are hidden saints and angels among us, every day. If we could see them as our Lord does, we would not be afraid but would believe.
But even if you see Him in the flesh, it will not make you a perfect person. It didn't happen to Moses, or any of the prophets or saints we hear about. But it seals the deal in the heart. Much like a marriage, we aren't perfect, but love can continue to grow and seal up tighter and tighter. I'm experiencing that with my wife and I know she is reading this. I made a choice when we got married and then love actually began to be made real. Manifesting itself in ways one would've never imagined.
The same thing with God. I made a choice. Like a priest that later in life experiences God and conversion too and falls in love. A seminarian testified after his cursillo one time: "I decided to be a priest because I was in love with the church, but now, I am in love with God!"
WOW! What a profound experience.
Can you imagine if we had the faith that God was right there when you most needed Him and is here right now?
He is there but also in the future and the past. He is there perfectly seeing what needs to be for the greater good.
And lastly, our Lord appears with scars and wounds that you can put your finger and hand in. He is scarred for life with the atrocity of sin that we are connected to. But He appears anyway. "I'm beat up, but I'm still here".
My mom said her sister in old Mexico is asking her poor village parishioners to pitch in for a crucifix for their little church. She says she has no luck gathering funds. I said "just take my large cruficix and save all that money". Then I remembered where and how I got the crucifix. It was an old friend that was trying to sell it, nobody else wanted it. I said I'd give it a home and hasn't ever left.
The rejected and beat up Christ wants a home, a heart, a love, and not just once, but once and for all, a forever kind of love, a choice one makes and stands by it forever, proving this love is true. Precious Blood Of Jesus, unite us in Holy Love! |  Click for Audio | Amazing.
Random Bible Verse 1
John 14:27 27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
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