Feast of Saint Thomas, Apostle

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.

As Christians, we are all part of a community of saints. We are members of God’s household and as such we have certain responsibilities to God and to others. We are asked to think, speak, and act in accord with the teachings of Jesus Christ as given to us through the Scriptures. We are also called to follow the traditions of the Church as handed down to us through the Apostles. The Life, Passion, Death, and Resurrection of Jesus stand at the heart of what it means to be part of the community of saints. It is Christ who holds us together and supports us as we build ourselves and each other into living temples to God’s Glory. It is when we imitate this Beloved Son, our Lord, that we become the holiest of holies and make our hearts into homes for the Holy Spirit.

How are we living out our calling to be a part of the community of saints? Are we fulfilling our responsibilities to God and to others? What can we do to build up the temple of God both in the Church and others?

O Lord, build us into dwelling places for your Holy Spirit.

Amen.

Feast of Saint Thomas, Apostle

“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.”

Sometimes we can be as doubting as Thomas. We want to see God in action in our lives, otherwise we start to wonder if He’s really here with us. Our prayers become more demanding as things get worse for us. Can we imagine how bad things were for Thomas at the moment he utters these words? Jesus has just been crucified and all hope is lost. Then, the other disciples of Christ tell him they’ve seen Jesus and received the Holy Spirit from him. This is too much for Thomas to take in and he doesn’t believe them. Perhaps he wondered why Jesus would show himself to them and not to him. Whatever the reason, we sometimes act like Thomas. We don’t believe others, we don’t think God is still with us, and so we doubt. But we, like Thomas, need to remember the promises of Christ and realize he will never leave us alone. The nailmarks in his hands and the wound in his side show us this truth. Through them, he poured out his love, mercy, and grace upon all his brothers and sisters. We do not need to see signs or miracles to believe, we have only to believe so that we might see the signs and miracles that are already present in our lives.

What doubts do we have about God’s love for us? Why do we have them? How can we do a better job of opening our eyes to the God-instances (not coincidences) around us?

O Lord, help us to believe so we might better see your presence in our lives.

Amen.