Scars are lovely. They are lovely because God is in our scars! Have you wondered why Jesus kept His scars after His physical body was resurrected? He invited Thomas to put his fingers on His pierced side and the scars on His hands and feet. His scars proved to you and me that His suffering was real, and He did it for us. 

Scars humble us. They remind us of our humanity—that we can be broken and wounded. But more importantly, we can also heal by God’s grace. Scars make us healers. I cannot count the number of times when I didn’t know how to answer people who ask about their pain. I just let my scar talk to them and give them hope. Sometimes, the best pieces of advice are unspoken. Sometimes, the best healers are scars.

Scars make us heroes. The best heroes have scars! It means we have fought, and by God’s grace, we have survived. You become a hero because your scars give people hope.

Friend, show your scars and share them to the world that they may see God at work in you. Boggs Burbos (boggsburbos@yahoo.com)

Reflect:

Scars have a story. They tell people where you’ve been but not where you’re going.

Lord, grant me the courage to show my scars. May You use my scars for Your glory, in Jesus’ name.

Saint Thomas, Apostle, pray for us.

First Reading | Ephesians 2:19-22

Those who have faith in Christ belong to God’s Kingdom. We are citizens of the heavenly city of Jerusalem. May our lives reflect this truth, as we focus on eternal life rather than on the cares and concerns of the world. Like the Apostles, let us put aside our earthly desires and dreams to live the Gospel life and proclaim the Good News to everyone we meet.

¹⁹ 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, ²⁰ built upon the foundation of the Apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the capstone. ²¹ Through him the whole structure is held together and grows into a temple sacred in the Lord; ²² in him you also are being built together into a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.

Responsorial Psalm | Psalm 117:1, 2

R: Go out to all the world and tell the Good News.

¹ Praise the Lord, all you nations; glorify him, all you peoples! (R) ² For steadfast is his kindness toward us, and the fidelity of the Lord endures forever. (R)

Gospel | John 20:24-29

Like Thomas, we also have moments of doubt and unbelief. The crucial element in this story was Thomas’s willingness to believe when confronted with the truth. He did not hesitate any longer. Tradition has it that Thomas took the Gospel as far as India, and some even say China. We may never know the exact extent of his missionary endeavors, but let us allow his faith and commitment to inspire us to be faithful to our call.

Gospel Acclamation

You believe in me, Thomas, because you have seen me, says the Lord; blessed are those who have not seen, but still believe!

²⁴ Thomas, called Didymus, one of the Twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. ²⁵ 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.” ²⁶ 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.” ²⁷ 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.” ²⁸ Thomas answered and said to him, “My Lord and my God!” ²⁹ Jesus said to him, “Have you come to believe because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.”

Reflect:

What doubts or questions about Jesus do you struggle with? What helps you overcome your doubts?

Read the Bible in one year! Read JOB 26 - 29 today.

Healing

Everyone wants to be healed. But most of us want healing—bodily healing, healing of relationships, spiritual healing—in a painless way. Hurting for a long time, we do not like any further pain.

The Gospel story about Thomas challenges us. The Apostle had followed Jesus for around three years. He had been taken by Jesus’ “different authority” in teaching. Thomas was one of the Twelve who assisted Jesus, and he saw at close range many miracles of cure and other wonder works that the Master performed. He had hoped in his Master Jesus, but this was shattered by the events of Good Friday. Jesus, the one whom they called “Master and Lord,” was put to death. He did not come down from the cross when He was challenged by the Pharisees. And the Twelve went into hiding. He, Thomas, was deeply affected, and he did not want to invest in another hope.

No amount of stories, no amount of joint testimonies by even more than two persons—as was the Jewish custom of testifying to the truth—could ever give Thomas his peace and healing. He waited for Jesus to personally appear so that he could hear from Jesus Himself the words of peace, and so that he could really touch the nail marks and wounds that would show that the reported Risen One is the same as the Crucified One. Jesus Himself thought the same. So He appeared and let Thomas touch the wounds. Then Thomas was prepared to hope and to have the faith—that he even travelled to faraway India to preach about the Master.

True healing has no shortcuts. The woundedness has to be confronted. The issues cannot be simply glossed over. Hurting reality cannot be healed by realizations. Only another reality can mend hurting reality. Pain, to be healed, needs to be shocked. Surgery, not palliative “feel-good” therapies, is needed. Reality must be overcome by the power of Truth. Fr. Domie Guzman, SSP

Reflection Question:

Do you have any “wounds” that you have glossed over and have taken for granted through the years? Touch your wounds and be healed by Jesus’ healing love.

Heal me, Lord, of my wounds. Make me whole. Amen.

Today, I pray for: __________________________________