St. Thomas the Apostle Parish

In today’s Gospel passage, Jesus is candid about the challenges we may encounter when sharing our faith. The response might be hostile—even from those closest to us. Yet, Jesus assures us that we are never alone in facing such rejection; the Holy Spirit is always present to guide and support us.

 

While contemporary society may not be as openly hostile towards faith as in Jesus’ time, Gospel values are still frequently rejected in today’s culture. Some people even perceive these values as a threat to personal freedom.

 

Just as in the days of the first disciples, we need the Holy Spirit in order to bear witness to the Lord and His mission. The Holy Spirit inspires, guides, and strengthens us in our faith. The Church’s dependence on the Holy Spirit remains unchanged, and His inspiration is as available to us now as it was in the Church’s earliest days.

Jesus is the fullest revelation of God's tender and merciful love for humankind. Yet, He experienced rejection—people often turned away from this love and chose not to respond.

When Jesus sends out His disciples in today's Gospel, He warns them to expect similar rejection. They are to proclaim the Good News that the kingdom of God is at hand—the reign of God's life-giving love—but some will not welcome them or listen. This opposition should not deter them from their mission of revealing God's loving presence by word and action, just as it did not stop Jesus, even when He endured the ultimate rejection on the Cross. As the Risen Lord, He still proclaimed the Good News to those who had turned away from Him.

As followers of Jesus Christ, we are called to demonstrate the loving presence of God, regardless of how others respond. If we are not welcomed, we should reflect: Is it the message being rejected, or the manner in which we communicate it? All we say and do in the Lord's name should embody God's tender and loving mercy.

In today's Gospel reading, Jesus sends the Apostles to continue His mission. He gives them a clear directive, and as faithful followers, they carry out His commands—most ultimately sacrificing their lives in the process.

 

Through our baptism, each of us is personally entrusted with the same mission. This is not a call to be judgmental, nagging, or disagreeable, but rather an invitation to express our faith through both words and actions. Sometimes this means sharing our faith stories; other times, it involves quietly living out our faith in the most ordinary moments, fulfilling our responsibility to evangelize.

 

Today, let us pray for the wisdom and courage to answer the call to be evangelists of the Good News of Jesus Christ.

Spite is a harmful human trait that most people have encountered, whether as its target or as its perpetrator. Spiteful behavior ought to be a source of embarrassment for those who display it. Yet, surprisingly,  it is often portrayed as a virtue.[1]

In today's Gospel, the Pharisees displayed great spite toward Jesus. Those who held to the letter of the law were unsettled by Jesus's emphasis on the spirit of the law, which focuses on mercy and love. In their opposition, they twisted Jesus's good works—such as healing the demoniac—and attributed them to Satan. What a contradiction!

Living by Gospel principles can be a difficult journey, often requiring us to go against our natural inclinations. Yet, the transformative power of virtues like forgiveness, humility, charity, and mercy is powerful. These virtues are especially difficult to practice when we feel wronged, but embodying them is the true hallmark of a good Christian—and of a good person.

Let us pray, today and always, that the Holy Spirit guide us to wisdom and self-understanding, and grant us compassion for others when we feel wronged. May our responses always bring us closer to God's will.

[1] Angier, Natalie, The New York Times, March 31, 2014

 

In today's Gospel passage, we see two individuals in need of help who approached Jesus. One was a synagogue official imploring assistance for his daughter, while the other was a woman suffering from bleeding who came to Jesus on her own behalf. Their approaches to Jesus were quite different. The synagogue official approached Him publicly, bowing low and speaking his request aloud so that everyone could hear. In contrast, the woman approached Jesus more discreetly, touching the tassel of His cloak and quietly expressing her hopes for healing.

Each of us connects with the Lord in our own unique way. Our personal approach to Jesus mirrors how we relate to others. Both the synagogue official and the woman demonstrated faith, but they expressed it in different ways. Our faith unites us as a worshiping community while still allowing for our individuality to shine through.

Despite the different ways in which they approached Him, Jesus responded generously and respectfully to both individuals. He did not show favoritism but rather addressed their needs with compassion and understanding. This reminds us that God's response to us is always considerate of the unique ways we bring our requests to Him. It serves as a powerful testament to the value and respect He has for each person and their individual approach to faith.

There is a story about a young prince who was very handsome, but he had a crooked back. This birth defect caused him great sorrow, and his sorrow prevented him from becoming the kind of prince he truly wished to be for his people.

 

One day, the prince’s father asked the kingdom’s best sculptor to create a statue of the prince—not with a crooked back, but with a straight one. The king wanted his son to see himself as he could be.

 

When the sculptor finished the statue, it was truly magnificent—so lifelike that one could easily mistake it for the prince himself. The king placed the statue in the prince’s private garden. Each day, when the prince went to the garden to study, he gazed longingly at the statue. Then, one day, he noticed that his heartbeat sped up and his body tingled whenever he did this.

 

Months passed. Soon, people began saying to one another, “The prince’s back doesn’t look as crooked as it once did.”

 

When the prince heard this, his heart beat even faster, and his body tingled even more. He began visiting the garden more often, spending hours before the statue, studying and meditating on it.

 

Then, one day, a remarkable thing happened: the prince found himself standing as straight as the statue.

 

This story is a kind of parable for all of us. We, too, were born to be “princes” or “princesses” in the sense that we are very special in the eyes of God. But we also have defects that keep us from being the people we were meant to be.

 

Then, one day, God the Father sent His only Son, Jesus, into the world. Jesus is the perfect image of what we were born to be—spiritually straight and beautiful. But that is where our story leaves off. It remains unfinished; whether we become like Jesus is still to be decided. Whether our story will have a happy ending, like the prince’s, is yet to be determined.

 

This raises an important question: What can we do to ensure our story has a happy ending like the prince’s?

 

The answer is simple: we must do what the prince in our story did. As the prince pondered the statue, we must study and reflect on Jesus Christ. As Jesus says in today’s Gospel reading, “Learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart.”

 

There are two ways we can do this. First, we can do what many serious Christians are doing today: make Bible reading and prayer a greater part of our daily lives. After all, it is through Scripture that we learn about the life of Jesus.

 

Second, we can listen to the Gospel reading at Mass more deeply—not just with our ears, but also with our minds, hearts, and souls. This means visualizing Jesus as we hear His words, hearing Him speak directly to us, and taking His words to heart by applying them to our own lives.

 

When we do these things, we study the life of Jesus, witness the example of love He gave us, and apply it to our own lives. In doing so, we transform ourselves and become the people God created us to be.

 

This is the way to a happy ending—and, for the Christian, we know that this “ending” is really a beginning: the start of a more abundant life, as we live and celebrate our identity as people made in the image of God.

Matthew's Gospel highlights the traditional view of Jesus, showing that He focused on converting His people. He came to save "the lost sheep of the house of Israel" rather than those outside His community. However, in the Sermon on the Mount, Matthew shares Jesus' new vision, which refines and goes beyond the old law. Jesus often said, "You have heard the commandment... but now I say to you..." This shift, from focusing on Judaism to spreading the Church, is evident in Matthew's words: "Go... and make disciples of all nations." This sets Jesus' disciples apart from those of John the Baptist.

The term "new wineskins" refers to animal skins that are still flexible. When wine ferments, storing it in new skins allows the skins to stretch. Old, stiff skins, however, can break, losing both the wine and the skins. Similarly, sewing unshrunk cloth onto an old garment can cause a larger tear when the new cloth shrinks.

These images, rooted in a Jewish background, demonstrate that Jesus' preaching and healing mark a significant departure from the past. What started on the edges has moved to the center. He offers a new kind of joy, a new garment instead of one patched with old pieces, and new wineskins to contain the new wine of His life-giving Spirit.

Change often brings different reactions. We should focus on keeping our peace and being open to new circumstances, guided by Jesus' teachings. Divine providence provides a steady path toward the ultimate goal of eternal life in heaven, complemented by human experiences. We must strive to be worthy followers of Jesus, letting Him bring new ideas into our lives and embracing change, just as the early Church did.

Today is the feast day of our parish's beloved patron saint, Thomas the Apostle. His life continues to inspire and guide us on our faith journey.

In John's Gospel, we first encounter Thomas during a moment of great significance. After the death of Lazarus, when fear gripped the Apostles at the prospect of going with Jesus to Judea, it was Thomas who boldly declared, "Let us also go, that we may die with Him." This act of courage and faith is a testament to his character.

Next, we hear from Thomas when Jesus explained that He was going to His heavenly Father and that the Apostles would join Him one day. Thomas responded, "Lord, we do not know where you are going; how can we know the way?"

Thomas is best known for his doubt regarding Jesus's Resurrection. He said he would not believe until he saw and touched Jesus's wounds, which he did during a subsequent appearance by the Risen Lord. This moment has led to skeptics being referred to as "Doubting Thomases."

Thomas had a much larger impact beyond these moments. He traveled to India to preach the Gospel, establishing seven churches before being martyred in 72 AD. It is also believed that he journeyed to China and possibly to Indonesia.

As our patron saint, let us pray for St. Thomas's intercession, asking that our faith be strong and that we may follow wherever the Lord calls us.

There is a story about a young prince who was very handsome, but he had a crooked back. This birth defect caused him great sorrow, and his sorrow prevented him from becoming the kind of prince he truly wished to be for his people.

 

One day, the prince’s father asked the kingdom’s best sculptor to create a statue of the prince—not with a crooked back, but with a straight one. The king wanted his son to see himself as he could be.

 

When the sculptor finished the statue, it was truly magnificent—so lifelike that one could easily mistake it for the prince himself. The king placed the statue in the prince’s private garden. Each day, when the prince went to the garden to study, he gazed longingly at the statue. Then, one day, he noticed that his heartbeat sped up and his body tingled whenever he did this.

 

Months passed. Soon, people began saying to one another, “The prince’s back doesn’t look as crooked as it once did.”

 

When the prince heard this, his heart beat even faster, and his body tingled even more. He began visiting the garden more often, spending hours before the statue, studying and meditating on it.

 

Then, one day, a remarkable thing happened: the prince found himself standing as straight as the statue.

 

This story is a kind of parable for all of us. We, too, were born to be “princes” or “princesses” in the sense that we are very special in the eyes of God. But we also have defects that keep us from being the people we were meant to be.

 

Then, one day, God the Father sent His only Son, Jesus, into the world. Jesus is the perfect image of what we were born to be—spiritually straight and beautiful. But that is where our story leaves off. It remains unfinished; whether we become like Jesus is still to be decided. Whether our story will have a happy ending, like the prince’s, is yet to be determined.

 

This raises an important question: What can we do to ensure our story has a happy ending like the prince’s?

 

The answer is simple: we must do what the prince in our story did. As the prince pondered the statue, we must study and reflect on Jesus Christ. As Jesus says in today’s Gospel reading, “Learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart.”

 

There are two ways we can do this. First, we can do what many serious Christians are doing today: make Bible reading and prayer a greater part of our daily lives. After all, it is through Scripture that we learn about the life of Jesus.

 

Second, we can listen to the Gospel reading at Mass more deeply—not just with our ears, but also with our minds, hearts, and souls. This means visualizing Jesus as we hear His words, hearing Him speak directly to us, and taking His words to heart by applying them to our own lives.

 

When we do these things, we study the life of Jesus, witness the example of love He gave us, and apply it to our own lives. In doing so, we transform ourselves and become the people God created us to be.

 

This is the way to a happy ending—and, for the Christian, we know that this “ending” is really a beginning: the start of a more abundant life, as we live and celebrate our identity as people made in the image of God.

In today's Gospel, Jesus points out that it is difficult to forgive the sins committed against us. It can also be difficult to forgive the sins people have committed against others, especially those we love most.

However, this is what we are called to do. A lack of forgiveness is sinful in nature. It may be a natural response to particular offenses, but we are called to free the other person—and ourselves—by our forgiveness.

Jesus came to earth so that God might forgive us for our transgressions. In response, people who felt threatened by His message put Him to death. From the Cross, as He took His final breaths, He showed us how to forgive when He said, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do."

St. Paul tells us to "be kind to one another, compassionate, forgiving one another as God has forgiven you in Christ."