St Thomas’ day of birth is unknown. He died on December 21, 72.
He brought Christianity to India
Invitation
May I hereby draw your attention to
the daily reading of the Gospel?
This invitation wants to share with you the joy of the Gospel.
Everyone, no one except,
can experience this joy by opening his heart
to the healing effect of God’s word.
Available every day
CONSIDERATION
The Ephesians letter expresses very beautifully the new ‘status’ of the Christian who, like Thomas, comes to the recognition of Jesus and confesses: “My Lord and my God!” He or she becomes a ‘fellow citizen’ and ‘housemate’ of God. Through our relationship with Christ, who has broken down the dividing walls between the nations, we are allowed to deal confidentially and boldly with God. We are freed from unnecessary fear and learn a new kind of ‘fear’: The grateful, reverent acknowledgment of God as the source of our life and happiness. It is thanks to God’s Spirit living in us that we can help build the church community into the living temple where God’s presence becomes recognizable to the world.
FIRST READING Eph. 2, 19-22
Built on the foundation of the Apostles.
From the letter of the holy apostle Paul to the Ephesians
Brothers and sisters,
You are no longer strangers and displaced persons
but fellow citizens of the saints and members of the household of God,
built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets,
while the capstone is Christ Jesus, Himself,
who holds the whole edifice in his joints.
In Him, it grows into a holy temple in the Lord.
In Him, you too will be built
into a dwelling place of God,
in the Spirit.
INTERLUDIUM Ps. 117(116)
Go out into all the world
and proclaim the gospel (Mk. 16,15)
or: Alleluia.
Praise now the Lord, all the nations of the earth,
Praise the Lord, all the nations around;
because he has shown his goodness toward us;
the faithfulness of the Lord endureth forever.
ALLELUIA John 20, 29
Alleluia.
Because you have seen me, Thomas, do you believe?
Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.
Alleluia.
GOSPEL John 20,24-29
My Lord and my God!
From the Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to
John
Thomas, one of the twelve, also called Didymus
was not with the disciples when Jesus came.
The others told him:
“We have seen the Lord.”
But he replied:
“If I do not see in his hands the sign of the nails
and put my finger in the place of the nails,
and put my hand in his side,
I will not believe it.”
Eight days later his disciples were again gathered in the house,
and now Thomas was there.
Although the doors were closed, Jesus entered,
stood in their midst and said:
“Peace be unto you.”
Then He said to Thomas:
“Come here with your finger and look at my hands.
Reach out your hand and put it in my side
and be no longer a disbeliever but a believer.”
Then Thomas exclaimed:
“My Lord and my God!”
Then Jesus said to him:
“Because you have seen Me do you believe?
“Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”
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Laudato Si
Encyclic of
POPE FRANCIS
On Care of the Common Home
219. Nevertheless, self-improvement on the part of individuals will not by itself remedy the extremely complex situation facing our world today. Isolated individuals can lose their ability and freedom to escape the utilitarian mindset, and end up prey to unethical consumerism bereft of social or ecological awareness. Social problems must be addressed by community networks and not simply by the sum of individual good deeds. This task “will make such tremendous demands of man that he could never achieve it by individual initiative or even by the united effort of men bred in an individualistic way. The work of dominating the world calls for a union of skills and a unity of achievement that can only grow from quite a different attitude”. The ecological conversion needed to bring about lasting change is also a community conversion.
To be continued
The Bible text in this edition is taken from De Nieuwe Bijbelvertaling,
©Nederlands Bijbelgenootschap 2004/2007.
Recitals from Liturgical suggestions for the weekdays and Sundays
Laudato Si Official English translation
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