Feast of St Thomas, Apostle : Friday 3rd July 2020

We owe a debt of gratitude to St Thomas, for it was in response to him that Jesus made two of his very precious statements in the Gospel according to St John. They are namely, “I am the way, the truth and the life” (Jn 14:6) and “You believe because you can see me; Blessed are those who have not seen me and yet believe” (Jn 20:39).

This last verse is the “Great Beatitude” of John’s Gospel, and it applies to each one of us who believe in Jesus centuries after he lived on earth. It complements another of Jesus’ most encouraging sayings from the Last Supper in John’s Gospel: “I pray not only for these [the Apostles] but for those also who through their words will believe in me.” Incidentally, these words implicitly affirm the need for the Church to have a continuous unbroken connection with the Apostles.

Lord Jesus, may we all be ever grateful for Your prayer for us and for letting us be among those who have believed the true faith handed down through the ages from Your Apostles.