Jesus said to him, “Have you come to believe because you have seen me?  Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.” (Jn 20:29)

In today’s gospel, we have the story of doubting Thomas.  Jesus appeared to his disciples in the locked upper room, but Thomas wasn’t there to see him.  So, he doesn’t believe them.  “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.” (Jn 20:25) A week later, the scene is repeated with Thomas in the room.  This time he does believe and proclaims, “My Lord and my God!” (Jn 20:28)

I believe that we can all place ourselves in Thomas’s shoes at different times of our lives. Especially in these uncertain times of this pandemic, it is easy to see how people can doubt the Lord in our midst.  When people fear the unknown, feel isolated and are unsure of the future, we too can have a hard time believing like Thomas.  But the Lord has not left us.  He is in our midst offering us His peace.  We encounter our Lord when we pray and read scripture.  We encounter our Lord when we watch mass online.  We encounter our Lord when we reach out to others in need to offer our support and a comforting word.  When we do these things, and recognize that our Lord is in our midst, then we too must proclaim, “We have seen the Lord”.  So, when we doubt as Thomas did, let us remember that the Lord is always in our midst.  Let us open our hearts and listen to Jesus’s comforting words: “Peace be with you”.  

 

Deacon Joe Trevino

St. Clare of Assisi Catholic Church

Houston, TX

P.S.

+ PLEASE don’t forget St. Clare’s live-stream Mass schedule for this July 4th weekend:

Saturday 4:30 PM and Sunday 9:00 AM. www.stclarehouston.org, Looking forward to welcoming y’all virtually!

+ I’m deeply grateful for your generous financial support during this difficult time. Without your financial support, we are unable to sustain our ministry during this crisis. Here are options for Weekly/monthly giving: 

(1) ONLINE (preferably and make sure to choose St. Clare of Assisi) please visit:

https://www.archgh.org/ways-to-give/parish-offertory-support/ 

(2) Mail in your envelope, and 

(3) drop box at church.