ENTRANCE ANTIPHON You are my God: I will give you praise, O my God, I will extol you, for you are my Saviour. (Ps 117:28) PENITENTIAL RITE Today we commemorate the Feast of St Thomas, the Apostle of India. Tradition says that when the Apostles dispersed after Pentecost, Apostle Thomas was active in missionary work and preached in Parthia, Persia and India. He preached on the coasts of Kerala (on the south-west coast of India) and planted the Christian faith over a wide area. He also built churches along the way. He was pierced with a spear around the year 72 AD, while in prayer on a hill in Mylapore (near Chennai).   As we celebrate the feast of St Thomas the Apostle, let us praise and thank God for the light of faith we have received through him. And let us ask ourselves: Do we have the missionary zeal and spirit of sacrifice, which St Thomas showed, in spreading the Christian faith among others? For our failures let us be sorry and ask pardon from the Lord. (Pause) I confess… Glory to God… OPENING PRAYER Almighty Father, as we honour Thomas the Apostle, let us always experience the help of his prayers. May we have eternal life by believing in Jesus, whom Thomas acknowledged as Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit… FIRST READING (In this text we hear about St Peter and Cornelius, the centurion who was a devout man. Through a vision St Peter perceived that ‘God shows no partiality, but in every nation, any one who fears Him and does what is right is acceptable to Him.’) A reading from the Acts of the Apostles   (10:24-35) On the following day Peter and his companions entered Caesarea. Cornelius was expecting them and had called together his kinsmen and close friends. When Peter entered, Cornelius met him and fell down at his feet and worshipped him. But Peter lifted him up, saying, “Stand up; I too am a man.” And as he talked with him, he went in and found many persons gathered; and he said to them, “You yourselves know how unlawful it is for a Jew to associate with or to visit any one of another nation; but God has shown me that I should not call any man common or unclean. So when I was sent for, I came without objection. I ask then why you sent for me.” And Cornelius said, “Four days ago, about this hour, I was keeping the ninth hour of prayer in my house; and behold, a man stood before me in bright apparel, saying, ‘Cornelius, your prayer has been heard and your alms have been remembered before God. Send therefore to Joppa and ask for Simon who is called Peter; he is lodging in the house of Simon, the tanner, by the seaside’. So I sent to you at once, and you have been kind enough to come. Now therefore we are all here present in the sight of God, to hear all that you have been commanded by the Lord.” And Peter opened his mouth and said, “Truly I perceive that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears Him and does what is right is acceptable to Him.” This is the Word of the Lord PSALM   (41) Response: My soul is thirsting for God, the God of my life. Like the deer that yearns for running streams, so my soul is yearning for you my God. My soul is thirsting for God, the God of my life; When can I enter and see the face of God? I would lead the rejoicing crowd into the house of God, amidst cries of gladness and thanksgiving, the throng wild with joy. SECOND READING (After praising and thanking God, St Peter affirms his faith in the Risen Lord, and proclaims: “By His great mercy we have been born anew to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.”) A reading from the First Letter of St Peter   (1:3-9) Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By his great mercy we have been born anew to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and to an inheritance which is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you rejoice, though now for a little while you may have to suffer various trials, so that the genuineness of your faith, more precious than gold, which though perishable is tested by fire, may redound to praise and glory and honour at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Without having seen him you love him; though you do not now see him you believe in him and rejoice with unutterable and exalted joy. As the outcome of your faith you obtain the salvation of your souls. This is the Word of the Lord ACCLAMATION Alleluia! Alleluia! Blessed are those who have not seen, and yet believe. Alleluia! (Jn 20:29) GOSPEL (In this Gospel passage we meet ‘doubting Thomas’. When he touched the wounds of the Risen Jesus, his doubt was turned into faith; he confessed saying: “My Lord and my God.”) A reading from the Holy Gospel according to St John    (20:24-29) Thomas, one of the twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see in his hands the print of the nails, and place my finger in the mark of the nails, and place my hand in his side, I will not believe.” Eight days later, his disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. The doors were shut, but Jesus came and stood among them, and said, “Peace be with you.” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side; do not be faithless, but believing.” Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen, and yet believe.” This is the Gospel of the Lord I believe in God... PRAYER OF THE FAITHFUL Cel: Dear brothers and sisters, emboldened by the encouraging words of Jesus: ‘Blessed are those who have not seen, and yet believe’, let us pray through the intercession of St Thomas: Response: Lord God, graciously hear our prayer. 1. We pray for our Pope, bishops and priests: that they may experience the Holy Spirit’s continuing presence and reinvigorating power, as their Counsellor and Helper. May they imitate the missionary zeal of St Thomas the Apostle. 2. We pray for those who seek God and the truth, that they may find it in Jesus Christ, our Risen Lord and Saviour. 3. We pray for all missionaries: that they may draw inspiration from St Thomas, the Apostle, to share their faith with others. 4. We pray for the lost sheep: that those, who have strayed away from the Catholic Church, may be moved by the grace of God, to return to the true fold. 5. We pray for all Christians: that they may be moved to make a personal commitment, to proclaim the message of salvation to all. (Pray for local and personal needs) Cel: Heavenly Father, we praise and thank you for the priceless gift of faith. As we honour St Thomas the Apostle, may we always experience the help of his prayers, cherish the treasure of our Christian faith, and generously share it with others. We ask this… PRAYER OVER THE GIFTS Lord, we offer you our service and we pray: protect the gifts you have given us as we offer this sacrifice of praise on the feast of your Apostle Thomas. We ask this… PREFACE   (P 65) Father, all-powerful and ever-living God, we do well always and everywhere to give you thanks. You founded your Church on the Apostles to stand firm for ever as the sign on earth of your infinite holiness and as the living Gospel for all people to hear. With steadfast love we sing your unending praise: we join with the hosts of heaven in their triumphant song: All: Holy, holy, holy… COMMUNION ANTIPHON Jesus spoke to Thomas: Put your hand here, and see the place of the nails. Doubt no longer, but believe. (Jn 20:27) PRAYER AFTER COMMUNION Father, in this sacrament we have received the body and blood of Christ. With St Thomas the Apostle we acknowledge him to be our Lord and God. May we show by our lives that our faith is real. We ask this…   LITURGY AND LIFE The name of St Thomas the Apostle occurs in all the Synoptic Gospels (Matthew 10:3; Mark 3:18; Luke 6), but in St John’s Gospel he plays a distinctive and prominent role. When Jesus announced his intention of returning to Judea, to visit the mourning sisters of Lazarus at Bethany, Thomas, who is also called Didymus (the twin), said to his fellow disciples: “Let us also go, that we may die with him” (Jn 11:16). Again, it was St Thomas, who during the discourse at the Last Supper, told Jesus: “Lord, we do not know where you are going; and how can we know the way?” (Jn 14:5). This is when we receive the reassurance from Christ, “I am the Way, and the Truth, and the Life (Jn 14:6). So through Thomas’ questioning, we as readers of the Gospel, receive this gift of Christ’s words for our own understanding. But more especially, St Thomas is remembered for his incredulity, when the other Apostles announced Christ’s resurrection to him: “Unless I see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger in the mark of the nails, and place my hand in his side, I will not believe” (Jn 20:25). The last mention of St Thomas in the NT, occurs in John 21, where he is counted as one of the seven disciples, fishing in the Sea of Tiberias, when the Risen Christ appears to them on the beach. This is all that we know about the Apostle Thomas from the New Testament. The Scripture Readings of today refer specially to people seeking to understand God and affirm their faith in Him, when circumstances would challenge them to seek the truth of God’s living presence amongst them. St Peter’s Letter is written to the persecuted Church—an enduring part of our Church, that experiences the wounds of Christ in a particularly intimate way. He speaks words of encouragement to them, reassuring them that, the Resurrection hope in Christ is able to transform their present sufferings, sufferings which might persuade them to think that God is not with them (Second Reading, 1 Pet 1:6-7). Throughout the Scripture we are encouraged to fight all odds to keep our faith. Doubting and questioning need not therefore be in direct opposition to belief. As the father of the sick child in Mark’s Gospel (Mk 9:24) cried out to Christ, “I believe, help my unbelief!”, we too can pursue our faith through our unbelief, through our doubts, through our questioning. It is better to openly and honestly confront our misgivings than to pretend that they are not there and to try and sweep them under the carpet of our consciousness. Therefore when we are troubled by certain beliefs, we should take those troubles to Christ and they will be stilled by Christ’s peace, so that we need not worry. After all, did not Christ give to Thomas the experience of faith that he needed? Pope St Gregory the Great, in one of his homilies, said of Thomas: “What do you see in these events? Do you really believe that it was by chance that this chosen disciple was absent, then came and heard, heard and doubted, doubted and touched, touched and believed? It was not by chance, but in God’s providence. In a marvellous way, God’s mercy arranged that the disbelieving disciple, in touching the wounds of his master’s body, should heal our wounds of disbelief. The disbelief of Thomas has done more for our faith than the faith of the other disciples. As he touches Christ and is won over to belief, every doubt is cast aside and our faith is strengthened. So the disciple who doubted, after he felt Christ’s wounds, becomes a witness to the reality of the resurrection. Touching Christ, he cried out: ‘My Lord and my God.’ Jesus said to him: ‘Because you have seen me, Thomas, you have believed.’ What follows is reason for great joy: ‘Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.’ There is here a particular reference to ourselves. We are included in these words.” Like St Thomas the Apostle, we are called to overcome our doubts, believe in the resurrection and put the Gospel into practice in our lives. Jesus pronounces a blessing on all those who have not seen and yet believe! —Fr Sebastian Kattackal, ssp   READINGS OF THE WEEK 04 Mon (W) St Elizabeth of Portugal, Gen 28:10-22a/Ps 91:1-23-414-15b/Mt 9-18-26 05 Tue (W) St Anthony Zaccaria Gen 32-23-33/Ps 17:1b-2-3ab-8b and 15 Mt 9-32-38 06 Wed (R) St Maria Goretti Gn 41-55-57-7a/Ps 33-2-3,10-11-18-19/Mt 10:1-7 07 Thu (G) Gen 44-18-21-23b29;45:1-5/Ps 105-16-17 18-19,20-21/Mt 10-16-23 08 Fri (G) Gen 46:1-7-28-30/Ps 37:3-4,18-19,27-28,39-40/Mt 10:16-23 09 Sat (R) Sts Augustine Bhao Rong & Co. Gn 49-2932;50-15-26a/Ps 105:1-2,3-4, 6-7/Mt 10-24-33