MONTHLY DEVOTIONAL FOR 3 JULY
July 3, 2025
FEAST OF SAINT ELIZABETH OF PORTUGAL – 4th JULY
July 4, 2025
TODAY’S GOSPEL READING
3 JULY, 2025
John 20:24–29
Feast of Saint Thomas
Thomas, called Didymus, one of the Twelve,
was not with them when Jesus came.
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 nail marks
and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.”
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.”
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.”
Thomas answered and said to him, “My Lord and my God!”
Jesus said to him, “Have you come to believe because you have seen me?
Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.”
THE GOSPEL OF THE LORD!
REFLECTION
Sometimes, we are like Thomas. We want proof. We want something to hold, something to touch, something that makes it all make sense. And who can blame us? The world has taught us to be cautious, to be skeptical, to only believe what we can see and verify. But faith—real faith—is different. It’s not about having all the answers. It’s about trusting even when the answers haven’t come.
Thomas wasn’t wrong for asking. He was honest. But what Jesus offered wasn’t just proof—it was peace. “Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.” It’s not a rebuke. It’s an invitation. An invitation to a deeper kind of trust.
Faith is not blind. It’s not naive. Faith is seeing with the heart when the eyes cannot. It’s standing firm in the dark, believing that light is still there even if we can’t see it yet. That’s what makes faith so beautiful—and so hard.
And yet, that’s the kind of faith Jesus blesses. The kind that says: “I may not see the whole picture, but I still believe You’re in it.”
PRAYER
Lord, help me to believe even when I do not see. Give me the kind of faith that holds on in the dark. Let my heart trust Your presence, even when my eyes cannot. Help us trust Your promises, believing without a doubt. Amen
