The Gift of Faith

In today's first reading, Eph 2: 19-22, St. Paul shares with us the following good news: "You are no longer strangers and sojourners, but you are fellow citizens with the holy ones and members of the household of God, built upon the foundation of the Apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the capstone. Through [Jesus] ...you...are being built together into a dwelling place of God in the Spirit."

As I read that first that Scripture passage, two things came to my mind:1) the faces of a couple of abandoned children learning that they were being adopted and no longer would be without a family of their own and 2) imagining that I was able to choose to be a member of the family of my dreams--and no family I chose would equal  the love of, the privilege of, the royalty of, the holiness of, the richness of the family of God!  Being part of such a family is beyond my wildest dreams!  I was chosen by God Himself to be a part of this Family.  The Trinity paid a ransom: the cost of the Son's life. Jesus held nothing back to secure my being a part of God's family: the Holy Trinity whose Kingdom is forever and is right here, right now within me and around me and works through me!

How great thou art, O God! As with St. Thomas, whose feast day we celebrate today, Jesus calls me forth when I doubt that Jesus is the Son of God made man risen from the dead who poured out His blood for me on the cross and rose from the dead: Come here, (insert your name), "[p]ut your finger here and see my hands and bring your hand and put it into my side, and do not be unbelieving, but believe" (today's Gospel, John 20: 24-29)! St. Thomas, in humility, fell on his knees and exclaimed: "My Lord and my God" (John20:  24-29) and so do I!