Ordinary time week 13, Jn 20,24-29
As well as having a great name, Thomas the Apostle is one of the apostles with character. He was strong enough not just to follow the crowd but also publicly acknowledge his error when he encountered Jesus. As usual Jesus does not reprimand Thomas but uses the encounter to encourage believers who never met Jesus. Thomas also helps us understand that dissent is not necessarily evil, in fact it can lead to a greater good. For Thomas, he emerged with a much stronger Faith. This is yet another example of experience championing argument and persuasion. Through this story we also learn that people may be in error in what they believe. It does not make them evil. If anything, it should teach us to be thankful for the gift of faith we have been given by God.
We Hold the Earth
We hold brothers and sisters who suffer from storms and droughts intensified by climate change.
We hold all species that suffer.
We hold world leaders delegated to make decisions for life.
We pray that the web of life may be mended through courageous actions to limit carbon emissions.
We pray for right actions for adaptation and mitigation to help our already suffering earth community.
We pray that love and wisdom might inspire our actions and our actions as communities. . . so that we may, with integrity, look into the eyes of brothers and sisters and all beings and truthfully say, we are doing our part to care for them and the future of our children.
by Fr Thomas O'BRIEN a.a