Again Jesus said to them, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” After saying this, he breathed on them, and said to them,
“Receive the Holy Spirit! Those whose sins you forgive, they are forgiven; those whose sins you retain, they are retained.”
Thomas, the Twin, one of the Twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. The other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he replied,
“Until I have seen in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe.”
Eight days later, the disciples were again inside the house and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were locked,
Jesus came and stood in their midst and said, “Peace be with you!” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and see my hands;
stretch out your hand, and put it into my side. Do not continue in your unbelief, but believe!” Thomas said, “You are my Lord and my God.”
Jesus replied, “You believe because you see me, don’t you? Happy are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.”
There were many other signs that Jesus gave in the presence of his disciples, but they are not recorded in this book. These are recorded,
so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. Believe, and you will have life through his name!
REFLECTION:
Read: The small group of disciples, emboldened by their faith, now preach without fear, and their numbers keep on growing. The Letter of Peter,
reminds us that there will always be moments of temptation, trial and perhaps even doubt, but that in the end,
our remaining steadfast in faith will bring us to our goal, the salvation promised by Jesus. The gospel account of Thomas’
doubt bears this out. And yet, confronted with the nail marks on Jesus’ hands and the wound on his side, Thomas let go of his doubt,
renewed his faith, and in fact spent the rest of his life proclaiming Jesus is risen.
Reflect: Too often, when we hear of Thomas’ story in the Gospels, we focus on his doubt, and doubt he did. And yet, his story is far larger than that.
In fact, he overcame this doubt and spent the rest of his life proclaiming his faith in Jesus. Doubt is an inevitable part of life.
We all go through difficulties, challenges and problems; and sometimes they hinder us, just as Thomas’ pain and sorrow hindered him,
from seeing and believing what is right there before us: Jesus risen and present in our midst, throughout the difficulty, throughout the pain and sorrow.
Pray: Lord, when doubt assails me, give me the grace to fix my gaze on you. Remind me that though sorrow and pain will at times cloud my vision,
that you remain there with me, present throughout everything I am going through, just as the sun remains present though hidden when dark clouds fill the sky.
Let me remember that you never leave me to face my challenges alone.
Act: Make it a habit to say a brief prayer of trust in the Lord each morning when I wake and each night before I retire.
Let it be the first words you utter and the last words that escape your lips: “Lord Jesus, I trust in you.”
© Copyright Bible Diary 2020
