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:

You might have seen the classic painting that captures the
essence of Revelation 3.20: Jesus stands at the door and knocks. But
the door is painted without a knob. It seems Jesus cannot enter unless
we open from within. But that is only half the truth. What if we are
so worn out, depressed, wounded by life that we simply cannot get up
and open? Does Jesus go away? If today’s gospel is any evidence, the
answer is a resounding no! He will simply break through the walls and
reach out to us, to breathe on us, to help us rise back to life, holding
on to his wounds! The shape of his mercy is its shapelessness—it has
no circumference, no borders. It just keeps flowing to us wherever
we are, to defreeze us from our fears with the warmth of his breath and
embrace.

© Copyright Bible Diary 2022