The Precious Blood"Prayer to the Precious Blood" written by St. Elizabeth Ann Seton: Lord Jesus, by faith in Your merits, I now take Your Precious Blood and sprinkle it over myself and my family right from the crown of my head to the very soles of my feet. I claim total and complete protection for my life and my family. Lord Jesus, keep me free today from evil, sin, temptation, Satan’s attacks and afflictions, fear of darkness, fear of man, sickness, diseases, doubts, anger, all calamities and from all that is not of thy Kingdom. Fill me, Lord Jesus, with the gift of Your Holy Spirit, and grant me the gifts of wisdom, knowledge, understanding and discernment so that I will live today in Your glory by doing that which is right. Amen.
† Saint Quote:“All the way to heaven is heaven, because Jesus said, 'I am the way.'” St. Catherine of Siena Meditation quote"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 Daily VerseThen [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
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EWTN Daily Saint
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St Thomas The ApostlePatron Saint of: Architects, builders, India, and theologians
Feast Day: July 3 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.
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Feast of Saint Thomas, ApostleReading 1 Ephesians 2:19-22Brothers 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 Psalm 117:1bc, 2R. (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 John 20:29R. 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 John 20:24-29Thomas, 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."
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Praise to You Oh Lord Jesus Christ!
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From Word Among Us WAU.org
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Daily Meditation: John 20:24-29 Do not be unbelieving, but believe. (John 20:27) Thomas had a decision to make. Would he rely on the witness of the other apostles and believe that Jesus had really risen from the dead? Or would he wait until he could see the risen Christ with his own eyes? We know which side he came down on: “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands and . . . put my hand into his side, I will not believe” (John 20:25). A week later, Jesus appeared to the apostles again and invited Thomas to see and touch his wounds. When he did, Thomas’ skepticism disappeared, replaced by a faith that would eventually inspire him to travel as far away as India to preach the good news. As we celebrate St. Thomas’ feast day today, let’s consider this famous Gospel scene in light of our own faith in the risen Lord. We know that faith is a gift from God. But it also requires a response on our part: we must “not be unbelieving, but believe” (John 20:27). We have to decide that we will believe, even when we don’t have the evidence of Jesus’ resurrection that Thomas did—and sometimes even when we still have doubts. Yet this decision to believe is also a gift from God, a sign that he is always showering his grace on us, even when we are struggling. We may not feel any different when we say we believe. But we can be sure that God is pleased with our very desire to believe more deeply and will, in his time, give us some “evidence” to support that belief even further. What might that evidence look like? Maybe it’s a strong sense of God’s presence in prayer. It could be an unexpected answer to prayer or an emotional or physical healing. Or perhaps a Scripture passage or time spent in Adoration sheds new light on a question that had previously confounded us. Thomas’ initial skepticism didn’t prevent him from becoming a saint. In the same way, your doubts can be the gateway to greater faith. Whenever you are struggling, make the decision to believe, and then be patient. Just as he did with Thomas, the risen Lord will reveal himself to you! “Jesus, even when I am filled with doubts, I trust in you!” Ephesians 2:19-22
Psalm 117:1-2
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Reflections with Brother Adrian:
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From today's Holy Gospel: ".."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." .. ”
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From Bishop Barron: "... Friends, today’s Gospel tells of Thomas’s doubting the Resurrection. Indeed, Catholicism has a rich tradition of questioning, seeking understanding. Aquinas, another great St. Thomas, spent much of his life asking and answering hard questions about the faith. Do you remember Hamlet’s great line, “There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy”? If we stubbornly said—even in the area of science—that we will accept only what we can clearly see and touch and control, we wouldn’t know much about reality. There is, in most areas of life, a play between knowing and believing. It is not unique to the religious sphere of life. Blaise Pascal summed it up: “The heart has its reasons that reason knows not.” It is not that we who have not seen and have believed are settling for a poor substitute for vision. No, we are being described as blessed, more blessed than Thomas. God is doing all sorts of things that we cannot see, measure, control, fully understand. But it is an informed faith that allows one to fall in love with such a God.." end quote.
From Roberto Juarez:
" Today, the Church presents Saint Thomas not as the apostle of doubt, but as the apostle of the conquered faith. His path teaches us that God does not abandon those who sincerely seek him. That our questions may become an occasion for a deeper encounter with Christ. And that mature faith is born when we stop relying solely on our assurances to trust fully in the risen Lord. Let us ask St. Thomas today to intercede for us. May it strengthen our faith in moments of darkness. May it help us to remain united to the Christian community. And may every time we participate in the Eucharist, we may renew, with all our soul, the most beautiful profession of faith in the Gospel: "My Lord and my God!." end quote.
One time...I met an old friend now a business owner....I saw a bible at his sales counter and I asked Him if he read it and if he wanted to join a Bible study. He decided after saying he had already read the whole Bible. The Bible is not meant to fill us...but to make us desire it more.
The Eucharist is the fulfillment of all desire.
I lead classes on faith and I often tell students that one can read the whole Bible and in the end...it will still be up to you to believe. And so it is with the faith....the Holy Sacraments.
Do you believe?
Right now we are facing another family tragedy...my nephew has left our world. We are distraught because we are a tight nit family. Now what do we do? The question is....do we believe our Lord. Do we believe through our pains and self doubts? I drove my siblings for nearly 6hrs last night from midnight until 6AM, to come to the tragedy.
To come comfort the afflicted.
To come help them...believe. St. Thomas had to see to believe. I have seen things without asking of our Lord and now that I have seen Him...I told you what I saw....do you believe? That our Lord and our Father entered our world to die for you...to come for you...to be with you....to comfort you....to love and to hold....forever.... It is 1st Friday He awaits you too...to come to Him and to comfort Him...to love and to hold as we behold....
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Random Bible Verse 1
John 14:16–17
[John 14] " And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper,1 to be with you forever, 17 even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be2 in you."
Word of the Lord!
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If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace
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