Humbly submit your will to God (Thy Will be done) and consecrate yourself to the Sacred Heart of Jesus through Mary.

Feast of St. Thomas the Apostle

“Brothers and sisters:
You are no longer strangers and sojourners,
but you are fellow citizens with the holy ones
and members of the household of God,
built upon the foundation of the Apostles and prophets,
with Christ Jesus himself as the capstone.
Through him the whole structure is held together
and grows into a temple sacred in the Lord;
in him you also are being built together
into a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.” Eph 2:19-22

St. Paul teaches us that since we are baptized, we are set apart for a special mission. We are “no longer strangers and sojourners, but fellow citizens with the holy ones and members of the household of God, built upon the foundation of the Apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the capstone.” We are called to be holy. Holy equals happy. If we allow the Holy Spirit to work in us, try to conquer our fallen human nature with God’s grace, and fight the temptations of the devil, we are holy. Our mission is to be holy and be with God in heaven where we belong. Pray, fight, love!

Thomas, called Didymus, one of the Twelve,
was not with them when Jesus came.
So the other disciples said to him, “We have seen the Lord.”
But Thomas said to them,
“Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands
and put my finger into the nailmarks
and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.”
Now a week later his disciples were again inside
and Thomas was with them.
Jesus came, although the doors were locked,
and stood in their midst and said, “Peace be with you.”
Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and see my hands,
and bring your hand and put it into my side,
and do not be unbelieving, but believe.”
Thomas answered and said to him, “My Lord and my God!”
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 20:24-29

St. Thomas, pray for us. Thomas often takes on the doubting apostle role, but all the Apostles and us have moments of doubt in our lives, sometimes daily. Thomas’ words are proof that Jesus physically resurrected. I choose to say these words at the consecration at Mass to remember that Jesus is now physically present on the altar, “My Lord and my God!”. The greatest point of this Gospel is what Jesus says next, “Have you come to believe because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.” Jesus is speaking directly to us. He is not physically present in human form except hidden behind a piece of bread on the altar after the words of consecration. But, He is not physically present so that we can see that He resurrected. This may cause some people to lack belief. Jesus says we are blessed (holy/happy/faithful) if we still believe without physically seeing Him. Faith is required to enter the spiritual realm for all of eternity and it is a choice. “Jesus, I believe, help my unbelief”.

Today’s challenge: Take Jesus’ message to heart. Make changes to your prayer life to sit in silence, stay faithful to your rosary daily, read Scriptures daily, read a spiritual book, basically work on your faith and come to know Jesus better like you try to do better in your work, family, sports, school and other places in your life.

Be a servant, become a saint!
#Christian YOLO