St James Catholic Church

Today we hear the well-known story of St. Thomas, who doubted that Jesus was truly risen, refusing to believe until he touched the nail marks in the Lord’s hands. Out of mercy, for the simple apostle who had missed his first appearance after rising from the dead, Jesus returned to invite Thomas to probe his wounds. Thomas, with the faith we hope to emulate, immediately exclaimed, “My Lord and my God;” Jesus’ response was, “Blessed are those who have not seen, but believe.” Jesus was adding one more beatitude to the Sermon on the Mount. On this Divine Mercy Sunday, we ask God to strengthen our faith, to overcome our doubts, so that we, too, may see the risen Lord in our midst.

The first two readings go hand in hand in describing the experience of the early church. The first three words of the first reading are key. “They devoted themselves.” Members of the early church are nothing if not devoted. They devoted themselves to learning from the apostles, to living communally with other Christians, to prayer, to worship, and to the Eucharist. They also devoted themselves to making sure that everything they had was divided equitably among them so that no one was in need; to meeting together to share and strengthen their faith; to eating together as Jesus had with the apostles, and to growing in numbers.

The second reading hints at the persecution they faced, but they were able to endure the trials they suffered because of their faith. Now Jesus is sending us on a mission in accordance with the Father’s will. Before he ascends to heaven, he tells his disciples to make disciples of all nations. God created every one of us for a reason, and Jesus is telling  us what it is. As he did what he was sent to do, so must we.

Love, Peace, Joy,

Fr. Bob

Join us after the 10:00 AM Mass to celebrate a Divine Mercy service. It will include the adoration of the Divine Mercy image, benediction, and reconciliation.

We welcome in a special way Theresa Placek to our parish team. She will be the parish secretary. It is a very important position, since she is the person people first encounter when they call or visit our office. We pledge our prayers and support in this most important mission.