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Feast of St, Thomas the Apostle
Ephesians 2:19-22
Psalm 117: 1bc,2
John 20:24-29
S
UMMARY
In the First reading, Paul tells us that all believers are unified, living
together in God˅s household with Jesus Christ at its head. The Gos-
pel tells the story of St. Thomas who would not believe in the risen
Christ unless he saw and touched His wounds.
R
EFLECTION
Paul answers for me the question ˈWHO is the Church?ˉ It is neither a
building nor a hierarchical organization. It is each of us joined to-
gether by our believing in Jesus Christ and witnessing His presence in
each other. God dwells within us and we belong to each other. Our
Church is ourselves reaching out to each other, living, loving, grow-
ing, enduring, sharing, suffering and dying together. Our faith is
strengthened as we open ourselves to each other. This unity of hu-
manity is God˅s Temple. Its foundation is strong because it is Christ
that holds it together.
The story of Thomas defines the essence of faith. We hear of Thomas
evolving from disbelief to belief in the Resurrection as he sees and
touches Jesus˅ wounds. He affirms his belief when he says to Jesus
ˈMy Lord and my God.ˉ Believing without seeing IS faith. Those who
are faith-filled are offered a special blessing. Throughout life our
faith is tested. We or a loved one may experience a loss, an illness,
financial problem or other crisis that leads us to think that God has